Comfort food in a cozy setting Our favorite local restaurant, in Saint-Jean-de-Minervois, is l’Auberge de l’Ecole, so named because it is in the former schoolhouse (école) of the town. There are two reasons we adore eating here – the restaurant itself is charming with delicious food…and the owners, Brigitte & Patrick Grau, could not be […]
Since leaving our old house in Montagnac, we have been ruing that we no longer had a house called Le Bijou, which was the name of our house in Montagnac. When we moved, we thought it made sense to keep the existing name of the new house, which was Pigassou, supposedly the name of the […]
Excited to be heading back to France in a few weeks, I just looked at my blog posts and… I was shocked. I had no idea it had been so long since my last post! But it has most certainly been an extraordinarily busy year and a half!!! (Not a good excuse, but…) A year […]
The French love murals (fresques) on the outsides of buildings, and they are found in towns and cities all over France. The fun thing about murals is that they add a scenic interest to an otherwise bland wall or building, suddenly adding an element that is at once thought-provoking and charming, with a story to […]
Aligot. Just hearing the name gets my mouth watering and starts me thinking of cooler Fall days when heavier comfort foods come back into season, after a Summer of eating more lightly. I am in love with l’aligot and often order it in restaurants, but we also make it at home, from time to time. […]
Yesterday, on the recommendation of a friend, we went to a restaurant in Les Halles (the indoor marketplace) in Narbonne. It was quite an event! Sizeable French cities usually have a large indoor “covered” marketplace where locals go to buy fresh and prepared foods. These buildings, called halles, house many vendors’ stalls – mostly permanent […]
While in Perpignan, a few days ago, we happened upon the shops of Hélène Colls. Situated on either side of a small street, at a corner of La Place de la République, these two little boutiques display and sell the stuff that gourmets’ dreams are made of. Closest to the place is the original shop […]
Yesterday, we spent the day walking around Perpignan. Each time we go there, I am reminded of why I love it so much. The small city has such a vibrant esprit, and the old historic center, especially, is just loaded with charming buildings, shops, squares and places to eat, drink, or simply pass the time […]
The town of Montagnac, like almost every other town in all of France, has a weekly, outdoor market. In any region, market days vary from town to town, so that they don’t overlap, meaning you can shop at a different one every day of the week, if you desire. The Montagnac market is held every […]
It’s impossible to choose a favorite room at Le Bijou, but I have to admit, I adore our bedroom. It is cozy, despite it’s massive stone walls, and a truly comfortable refuge to wake up in, as well as to come home to. Details – mixing fabric patterns: I have always been one to mix various patterns […]
La Joie de Vivre 