la Fête Nationale!

la liberté, l'égalité et la fraternité le quatorze juillet... Happy Bastile Day fellow Francofiles!!!

There is no other day that gives a better excuse to engage in French traditions than today. It is a time for those of you that have never been to France or have no French ancestry to pretend 'je suis Francaise' (a sort of French version of St Paddy's Day where EVERYONE is suddenly Irish?). And for those of us that have traveled to France and/or have French ancestry to reflect on the history, the culture and rejoice for their wonderful life-enhancing exports; art, fashion, music, films and of course...FOOD & WINE!

The French typically celebrate this day by dressing in their finest red white and blue attire, waving flags while attending a morning parade (the one that sashays down the Champs Elysees is by far the most popular), then drinking lots of champagne, eating bistro/cafe/picnic food while dancing in the streets and watching fireworks after sunset.

Yes, that IS a lot like our Independence Day celebrations, huh?

Amusez vous bien !

Thank goodness for French Rail Strikes...

Last summer while railing literally 'around' Europe with my daughter, we were unable to make our planned itinerary stop in Barcelona, Spain, due to (we found out later) an all-too-common-in-summer French Rail Strike. We could either rail to the Spanish border and thumb it from there, or ride along in a rental compact with a - albeit generous, but possibly psychopathic - Dutch couple who couldn't speak any English except 'you ride with us, no?'


Well, no. After waiting in the long lines at the Montpelier train station for over an hour, we caught the last 2 seats in the last train to Bordeaux's St. Jean, thanks to a wonderfully kind French woman working at the booth we were directed to. Our lovely hotel, Chateau de Roques, just outside St Emilion,






was fortunately able to put us up for several extra nights prior to our planned visit later that week. To our surprise, we ended up in one of the most picturesque towns in the world, with some of the most incredible wine, during their annual 'La Fete Du Vin'...THE FESTIVAL OF WINE!!! Over 100 of the finest chateau are lined up throughout the medieval-walled town, with free unlimited tastings from late morning until midnight for three long days...whatever would I do?



http://www.saint-emilion-tourisme.com/pge_degus_chais.php?id=8&lang=uk

Do I regret not seeing Barcelona...you bet. Would I do it all over again the exact same way...hell yea!