amsterdam, netherlands

i was fortunate enough to spend two days in amsterdam with a friend who was kind enough to show me the ins and outs of this vibrant and liberal city.  i fell in love with amsterdam... and no, i didn't go into those "coffee shops"!

cherbourg, france

on one of our other cooking adventures, we were lucky enough to be able to visit an old village woodfired oven, where we made our own dinner, including bread.

american war cemetary, normandy, france

the home of many allied soldiers who died during the d-day campaign, this place is hallowed ground for many us americans.  however, don't forget that canadians and others were also involved in the d-day campaign.  it was raining on the day we visited, which made the mood even more sombre.  the museum attached to the cemetary tells you about key war graves, including the graves of the brothers that ultimately were the subject of saving private ryan.

mont st michel, france

wow, what a place.  history oozes from this magnificant catherdral.  the tour is well worth doing and the island is well worth seeing.  at high tide, the only road that connects the mainland to the island is submerged.  when you park your car there, the attendants will tell you what time you have to leave so that your car doesn't get taken out with the tide.  many a car and bus have been taken away by unsuspecting tourists.  right on the top of the spire you'll see a statue of st michael.  again.. wow.

paris, france

paris is home to cafe culture.  although espressos aren't probably as good as in italy, i still enjoyed my daily cup of coffee at a random coffee shop in paris along with hundreds of others

riems, france

the heart of champagne country contains two key towns, riems and epernay.  we only had time to visit riems and only to two large champagne houses, one being veuve cliquot, home of the famous orange coloured bubbly

paris, france

grand ol' paris. around the back of the louve (if you call the pyramid side the front) lies the Palais du Lourve.  it's a majestic building that we walked passed on the first full day of being in paris.  we both didn't end up in the Lourve but were happy enough to walk through the front gardens up av. des champs elysees and sat our bums down at beautiful joel robuchon for lunch

burgundy, france

truffles anyone?  the dog half in shot was a lovely truffle dog called elfie.  she was able to smell her way into many of our hearts (through truffles) and is quite cheeky herself!  these aren't the white truffles found elsewhere in france, but hey, i'm not going to complain - any truffle is a good truffle in my view!

burgundy, france

amongst the many brilliant wineries we visited on our private tour was the winery of jean-louis et Didier Amiot, who owns grand cru and premier cru vines in the gevrey-chambertin plot in burgundy.  we were even lucky enough to try some of their grand crus - an experience that is unlikely to be repeated unless i win the tattslotto soon.

dijon, france

dijon was another one of the cities that we visited in transit between places.  we had a few more hours than in lyon and were able to walk around and see some of the city.  unfortunately, dijon no longer grows much of its own mustard to make dijon mustard.  instead, it must import the mustard seeds from other regions to make dijon mustard.  dijon is also host to a grand catherdral (much like most of france). 

burgundy, france

it was terrific to travel with a guide who knew what she was doing and where she was going.  not only were you able to get into grand cru wine tastings, but you were also able to go through little villages, walk through some vineyards and see out of the way countryside that you wouldn't see if you were in a large tour bus.  in fact, most of the roads that we travelled on couldn't even fit a tour bus.

beaune, france

beaune is in the heart of burgundy country.  the place where great pinot noirs and chardonnays live.  in the middle of beaune is the beaune hospice.  in its day, it cared for the poor who were sick.  it was founded by a rich gentleman who was hoping his good deed would see that he would get into heaven.  these days, it is still a nunnery but it is no longer a hospice.  there is a rich history in and around the building and is worth a visit if you ever get to beaune.  the hospice is also famous for its annual wine auction.  its wines are generally some of the best in burgundy and can command a princely sum.

lyon, france

we only had an hour or two in lyon in transite between leaving wonderful burgundy and arriving in paris.  didn't get much further than about 100m from the door of the railway station, but it seems like a nice city....

aix en provence, france

we did a cooking class just outside aix en provence.  the couple taught us how to cook a few provincal dishes at their very tuscan like house in the countryside.

aix en provence, france

i sprained my ankle walking around this lovely stretch of road.  the pavements and gutters are all the same colour, and when looking for photo opportunities, i didn't notice the gutter.  aix is a very pretty university town.  it is known as the town of water, which is just as well given there's a water fountain like the one above around nearly every corner.

nice, france

our last walk on the beachfront at nice. so many varied cultures mix in and around nice.  when is the last time you've seen a person of african descent on bondi beach?

ps. mind the douches in water closets 30m to the left!

nice markets, vieux nice, france

amongst the many great producers that attend the markets are some cheesemakers who aren't required to pasteurise their products (unlike in Australia).

monaco

drag racing through the monaco GP circuit in a classy black VW van

nice, france

since i last visited nice more than 10 years ago, the city centre has upgraded itself into a thriving boulevard, complete with its own galleries lafayette.  the european summer has been mixed thus far - morning thunderstorms and glorious afternoons such as these.  the trams running down this road sound suspiciously like the new trams running through melbourne