La Couronne de Charlemagne, the crown of Charles the Great, is a distinctive hilltop (329 m according to the IGN map, although our GPS recorded max 312 m) above Cassis. It reminded us of the Baous above Nice because of its form. We called it the baby Baou because of its smaller size. With some imagination, the hill may...
In Nice, Italian minestrone is a popular winter soup. Our supermarket in Nice sells Italian vegetable mixtures for minestrone soup. In spring new baby vegetables arrive in shops, and the ingredients change. I have made the traditional delicious La Soupa de’Prima from local spring vegetables which may be difficult to find elsewhere, such as small violet artichokes, local...
The medieval village of Gorbio (360 m) is only about 3 km from the coast at Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. The road to the village is narrow and winding, and makes the distance seem much longer. Gorbio is well visible from the nearby A8 La Provencale motorway, but the atmosphere is tranquil and secluded. The surrounding mountains are well over 1000 m, notably Cime de...
The three islands of Les Embiez are situated west of the Cap Sicié peninsula, just off the coast of Six-Fours-les-Plages. Salt was produced here until 1958 when the islands were bought by Paul Ricard. He is best known as a pastis magnate as he introduced the most famous pastis of France carrying his name. He constructed a large...
The classic South of France cassoulet combines white beans, both fresh and preserved pork, sausages, and duck preserved in its own fat. We once had cassoulet at a food festival in Cagnes-sur-Mer. Although it was tasty and succulent, all that pork fat was more than us modern people would want more often than once in a lifetime. The...
We got inspiration for this hike from a French guide (Mercantour Alpes du Sud Le Guide Rando: by Patrick Mérienne). In the book, there was also an excellent description of how the vegetation changes with altitude. Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage (1500 m) is a commune and a village in the northern part of Alpes-Maritimes. Two thirds of the commune are inside the...
Duck breast and fruit is a sure combination. In this recipe, duck breast is marinated overnight, and the honey and spices in the marinade add warmth to the dish. This is comfort food South of France style on a cold and dark winter evening. 2 servings 1 duck breast 1 pear, sliced 1 apple, sliced 200 ml red...
It is not that often that new hiking trails are introduced in Alpes-Maritimes. So when we discovered that a new trail called Les Balcons de Carros was opened above Carros Village, we were eager to test it. The hike itself is not that long, about 2,5 hours, but nevertheless it gives a good workout because some parts are...
In France, the best season for whiting is in January and February. Whiting in itself is not a very inspiring white fish, it is mainly used in fish cakes, fish pates, coated in breadcrumbs or poached in white wine. It is the latter method that was used in a video clip shown on the French TV2’s Tele Matin....
Saint-Tropez is known as the summer playground of international celebrities and people with serious money. But it has an artistic side as well. We looked forward to this day trip, combining strolling around in Saint-Tropez, art and even a little oenology. It was the novelist Maupassant who almost accidentally sailed into this little fishing village in the 1880s....
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