Epsom salts

** Interesting thing about Epsom Salts or Magnesium Sulphate: Originally comes from Epsom in Surrey -- and here I could make a few bad taste quips about the fast running horses at Epsom Downs or the constant look of discomfort and disdain on the faces of many who live there or the pre-back-to-school de-tox nightmare sessions we all had to endure as children and no doubt was the cause of so many of our generation to be mentally scarred for life but super healthy all
the same! --- but I won't! However, it has to be mentioned that it is becoming more and more difficult to obtain Epsom Salts -- pharmacists are no longer keeping it and supermarkets often have never heard of it, so if you find some, let us all know where and stock up for yourself -- not only for this excellent lemon syrup recipe, but also for: 3 table spoons of Epsom Salts/Magnesium Sulphate around the base of your rose bushes and then well watered 3 or 4 times a year will boost their growth and yield of flowers like nothing you have ever seen -- trust me -- there is no fancy (expensive) fix at any garden centre that will beat that for prize winning roses!



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Food writing that leaves a bitter after taste...

In an article he titles "When food tribes go abroad", Jay Rayner of the Observer Food Monthly, gives a somewhat bitter and twisted view of any- and everyone who ventures across the channel to come and enjoy the different lifestyle of life in La Belle France.

He starts off well --- "Holiday eating is like holiday sex: nowhere near as exotic as you think it's going to be but just as risky. You can pick up a dose of something very nasty doing both. My parents, siblings and I still talk fondly of the violent food poisoning we acquired in some dodgy cantina on Ibiza. We were all taken out by it, one by one, within hours. Oh, how we laughed."

He continues to make an astute remark: "These things happen, of course - but they carry such significance on holiday because our expectations are so damn high. We insist that everything be wondrously lovely and this makes us behave very oddly indeed where food is concerned. The meal at the end of a day is an expression of who we are, of how we like to imagine our true selves to be."

But then his not-so-sub-conscious envy of all who have the good fortune to come to this part of the world to sample the gastronomic delights -- and disasters -- of a foreign and different culture, bubbles to the top and forms an unsightly and distasteful scum which completely covers any other possible tasty bits that may still have been underneath -- and as much as I tried to skim it off, hoping to reveal something that would reveal a tongue-in-cheek soupcon of dry humour, even if somewhat twisted, there was none. Just a bitter brew -- with a strong flavour of sour grapes.

"After some rigorous research, I have been able to sort the modern British gastro-traveller into five distinct, and equally irritating, categories. And they start with ...

1. The Dordogne Bore

Dordogne Bores have been holidaying in crumbling gites around Bergerac for the last two decades. They insist on calling it Périgord, and throw around words like 'paysanne' and 'terroir' to bolster their foodie credentials. They also claim to have a handful of their own 'secret' little places where they go to eat; restaurants so far off the beaten track that their location is known only by 23,000 other people from Dorking, Guildford and Cheltenham.

What the DB will never recognise is that every single restaurant in the region serves exactly the same bloody food: duck confit, foie gras, more duck confit, herb omelettes, duck confit and more duck bloody confit. What's more, 85 per cent of the restaurants will serve mediocre versions of these dishes, though the DB will either not notice or not acknowledge this. Usually this is because they are plastered on cheap wine, arguing that you don't have to spend big money 'down here' to get good wine. This, too, is nonsense. No matter; they will praise the 'civilised' French attitude to drinking, while failing to recognise that France has one of the highest rates of alcohol-induced liver disease in Europe.
Most likely to be found in: the Dordogne, natch; the Lot and Garonne; Tuscany.

2. The Authenticity Addicts

The AA is convinced that only by eating exactly what the locals eat can they really connect with the culture they are visiting. This means they end up consuming some of the nastiest food items ever devised, though they will always claim to really, really like them: stews made from goat intestines; braised cow's udder; pressed pig's ear in vinegar. What the AA fails to recognise is that renowned local dishes like these are almost always the product of poverty, and therefore generally more a matter of necessity than tastiness.
Most likely to be found in: India; China; Thailand; and the more wretched, typhus-sodden corners of the former Soviet Union.

3. The Anything-with-a-View Crew

Everybody knows that the worst restaurants in any fishing town are the ones right on the water, where the smell of food is undercut by the foul stench of the stagnant sea-bilge lip-lapping at the harbourside. The owners of these prime pitches know that the punters will come solely for the location, so they don't have to worry about the quality of the food, plus they can also charge the suckers roughly double what those places a street back are charging.

The AWAVC will happily leave the beach at five in the afternoon to drive two hours into the mountains to this 'fabulous little bistro with the most fantastic view of the sunset', forgetting that, after the first half hour, the sun will have indeed set and that they will then be eating their mediocre dinner in total darkness.
Most likely to be found in: the Greek islands; Provence; Sardinia.

4. The Gastro Tourist

The GT regards a holiday as an eating opportunity, and time spent on the beach between lunch and dinner as an irritating distraction. The GT needs only one holiday read - the Michelin Guide, and will tick off restaurants as they go. But few of the meals they pay astronomical sums for will meet with their approval, as the GT has shockingly high standards and cannot be conned by gastronomic smoke and mirrors.
Most likely to be found in: Burgundy; around Lyon; northern Spain near San Sebastian; Catalonia.

5. The Market Kings

Market Kings stay in villas or gites and never eat out because, as they insist, loudly and often, 'really, why would you when the produce in the markets here is so fabulous, I mean look at the tomatoes nothing like the flavourless rubbish you get back home and the peppers are so sweet you could eat them for dessert. Here try some of the bread - it's made by a local man who's 103, blind, incontinent and crippled by arthritis but he's still got the touch ...'
The MK gets up every morning at six to go to the local village to buy their produce (even though exactly the same stuff is available at half the price at Carrefour nearby).
Most likely to be found in: Tuscany; Dordogne; Provence."

The Observer Food Monthly would do well to send Mr Rayner on one of our excellent Relocation Orientation courses at the Chateau Lalinde before allowing him to write another article about something he knows so little about or on which he holds such prejudiced -- or should I say, 'jaundiced' views; and Jay Rayner would do well to forget about the frissons of 'risky sex' in Ibiza and rather come enjoy a heavenly few days in -- yes! the Périgord, also known as the Dordogne, and soon officially to be known as Dordogne Périgord -- where we will initiate him into the true pleasures of life -- which I can guarantee will exclude anything boring, but include a fair few pleasurable hours of fine dining with interesting people and stimulating conversation.

POST SCRIPT: See Jay Rayner's response in comments below.

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The Foie Gras debate

Agence France Presse reports that former James Bond star Roger Moore is calling for a ban on the sale of foie gras in Britain. The actor, who starred in films including "Live And Let Die" and "A View To A Kill", has written to lawmakers urging them to support calls for the move by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
"I wholeheartedly support this campaign and with your help, I believe that we will soon see an end to this brutal and inherently cruel 'delicacy,'" he wrote. The letter and an accompanying DVD, which highlight the "cruel" process used to produce foie gras, also call on legislators to sign a parliamentary motion supporting a ban which has so far been backed by 83 of them.
The motion notes that, to produce the delicacy, "12 week old ducks and geese are restrained and grain is forced down the throat through a gavage pipe, a process that often results in physical injury." It adds that the process swells the birds' livers to up to 10 times their normal size causing "great pain" and calls on the government to ban the sale of foie gras in Britain.
Earlier this month, nearly 9,000 members of the public signed a petition calling for a ban submitted by a local councillor from York, north England, to the website of Prime Minister Tony Blair's Downing Street office. In the United States, California and Chicago have already banned the sale of foie gras, while production is prohibited in countries including Germany and Italy.

Spot the Difference:


An 'adored' family pet dying a slow and painful death caused by the clogging up of arteries and too much weight pressure on joints and limbs and spine and the 'gavage' of a goose


An obese child on a couch with bowls of junk food and geese on a foie gras farm roaming free in wide space and open air

“One of the most common causes of overweight in children is overfeeding,” according to Dr. Philip Nader, a paediatrician and professor emeritus at the University of California at San Diego. Lead researcher Rachel Kimbro of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, USA, adds to this non sequitur: “These children are already disadvantaged (because often their families are poor,) and by age 3 they are on track for a lifetime of health problems related to obesity.”
The MSNBC site reports that some 17 percent of U.S. youngsters are obese, and millions more are overweight. Recent statistics published in Britain were equally disturbing, and serious measures are planned to change an entire nation's bad eating and exercise habits. Obesity can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol, sleep problems and other disorders — and the problem starts early. Overweight preschoolers have a five times higher risk of being fat at age 12 than do lean preschoolers.

I am loathe to use one negative to defend another. It solves nothing. But my question in this debate is why do people become so vehement in their fight for the plight of the fowls that are bred and raised to provide an important product -- important in the livelihood of many very hard-working farming communities - while back at home their children are more likely as not under-exercised and overweight because while their parents are out there fighting for the rights of ducks and geese, they are left at home to fend for themselves with take-away pizzas and MacDo double whopper hamburgers and French fries, packets of crisps and cola's. And let's not forget their pets which are equally overfed and under exercised and dying a slow death of malnutrition and weight related medical conditions.

I will never defend any practice, for whatever reason, where animals of any kind are abused, caused pain or kept in inhumane conditions. Unfortunately there will always be those who will cause pain to animals. There is also no denying that there are cases where the birds are injured in the 'gavage' feeding process - just as all animals on all farms are exposed to possible injury. However, in the foie gras production business, each bird is literally worth its weight in gold, so it very much in the best interest of the farmer to treat them with the best and gentlest of care, to keep them in good health and the best possible environment, so rather fight for more inspections, closer monitoring, stricter licensing for foie gras producers -- and concentrate the animal-rights fighting energy for such things as bear baiting and travelling circuses.

There are many reasons why celebrities, such as Roger Moore make sure they get easy and quick media attention by getting involved with animal rights movements -- but that is another story........Generally speaking, I realise that possibly the main reason that there is such an outcry against the production of foie gras, is firstly the fact that this is a luxury item -- it costs a lot of money for a small portion of foie gras (it is such a small micro-industry and the production process so labour intensive that the volume is of course limited) and therefore only a small handful of people can afford to ever eat it, and secondly the fact that it is consequently not a necessary or important food item for the consumer.


The recorded historical background of Foie gras goes back to Egyptian times.
The Egyptians observed that wild geese and ducks binge-eat - or 'force-feed' themselves before undertaking their seasonal migration in order to build up vast quantities of fat reserves in the live. They used this natural phenomenon, except that, when domesticating the fowls, they started inducing the natural over-feeding all year round. When, later, the Romans continued this practice, they went one further and used figs to fee the fowls -- from there the origin of the word foie (liver) -- from "ficandum" or fig. Jewish immigrants introduced geese to Alsace and served goose on their feast days as an alternative to the pork that was common in the area. For a long time these Jews of central Europe were the only ones to know the secrets of good foie gras.

Today, 90% of France's foie gras is produced in the Perigord in southwest France, by far the largest foie gras-producing region in the world. The French consume 75% of the world production. Between 1992 and 2002, French production doubled, with 95% of the foie gras coming from ducks and 5% from geese.

The primary objection that some people have to foie gras is the feeding method used to produce the product. The birds must be overfed in order to create the fattened liver. The liver enlarges over the course of the feeding process known as gavage. Claims have been made that the enlarged liver is "diseased". This is not true. In fact, it has been shown the liver shrinks back down to its normal size when a bird returns to lesser amounts of food intake. There is no evidence that the tube feeding method used to produce foie gras is inhumane. Being fed through a tube may sound unappealing to humans; however, it is important to remember that the oesophagus of a duck or goose is very different from ours. In nature, these birds are accustomed to storing fish and other foods in their oesophagus, sometimes for long periods of time. I have spent a lot of time with friends who raise geese and ducks to produce foie gras, and have seen how the birds crowds around her when it is feeding time, clamouring to be the first to be fed. I have also seen these same friends sit with tears streaming down their faces, killing their few hundred birds rather than confine them to an enclosed and cramped space when the law demanded it during the bird flu scare in France.

The perception of foie gras as a luxury–and therefore wasteful product is another objection sometimes voiced by foie gras opponents. Contrary to what some people believe, almost every part of the mallard ducks that are raised for foie gras are used, more than any other bird raised for human consumption. The breasts, legs, wings, carcasses, tongues, feet, intestines, feathers and duck fat are all utilized. In fact, it is probably one of the few animals of which every possible part is used.

Based on expertise borne of generations of experience, France has defined this business and set strict limits on what can be called foie gras in France. Very strict inspections are regularly conducted on all producing farms, vaccinations, food quality, environment quality and the general well-being of the animals are of utmost importance to keep the standards of the highest quality, as well as in the interests of the birds. For a country where most other animals do not enjoy too many humane concessions, the geese and ducks are the conspicuous exception. From the very old and highly respected firms to the many specialized local markets and the stays or cooking classes offered by small producers, foie gras in France is much more than business: it is a highly cultural aspect of life and society.

Nutritional Facts
Per Serving Size of 2 oz or 56g
Calories 250
Calories From Fat 220
Total Fat 24g 37%
Saturated Fat 7g 33%
Foie gras is surprisingly low in bad fats and high in good fats. Many studies conducted by well-known and respected authorities have proven foie gras is as healthful as any other meat, although moderation is the key. We know that France consumes the largest portion of the world's foie gras production; yet, there are far fewer cardio-vascular diseases in France than in the USA, for instance, and the life expectancy is higher in France as well.

• Foie gras cru - raw foie gras
• Foie gras frais - fresh foie gras: This is usually purchased from delicatessens and is cooked in pots. It will keep for about one week in the refrigerator.
• Foie gras mi-cuit: foie gras semi-cooked: This preparation is sold in cans and will keep for 3 months in the refrigerator once it is opened. It can be labelled in a variety of ways.
• Foie gras de conserve - preserved foie gras which is sold in jars and preserved in its own fat, it will keep for years and improves like wine.

Glossary:
* Foie gras d'oie entier - whole goose foie gras
* Foie gras de canard entier - whole duck foie gras
* Foie gras au naturel - Pure whole livers
* Bloc de foie gras or parfait de foie gras - liver compacted from small pieces and may include truffles
* Pâté de foie d'oie - whole goose liver coated with forcemeat.

Where should we rather start?



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Unethical to eat chocolates!

Thank goodness for the beautiful flower markets in the Dordogne! One of the joys of living in France and in the Dordogne in particular, is that here every flower is grown with love in the land which we love, picked with love and enjoyed by all! On a Saturday morning I can walk across the village square to the Lalinde fresh produce market-- to the corner under the 'halles' where a lovely local woman brings the pickings of her garden from that morning. Bunches of something of everything. For next to nothing I can buy bunches and bunches of flowers of every colour, every perfume and fill the chateau with fresh flowers for the week!

But then I read a blog entry by James Forsyth on Coffeehouse -- and I can but shake my head in wonder!!

Hollywood, friend of cheap dates everywhere

Leonardo di-Caprio and Blood Diamond gave men an excuse not to buy their wives and girlfriends diamonds on the grounds that they were ethically tainted. Now Julia Roberts is going to star in a movie that will do the same for flowers, reports New York Magazine.

The film, based on the Vanity Fair essay ‘A Flowering Evil’, will tell the tale of the conservationist Joan Root who struggled to save Lake Naivasha in Kenya from the flower farm industry before being murdered earlier this year.

All Hollywood needs to do now is to make a good thriller about the evils of the chocolate industry and tight-wads the world over will be able to say, "I'm not cheap, I'm ethical."

Hear! Hear!


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Market Day in Lalinde and Cheese cakes from the Poitou Charente

Every so often, one discovers something new.

And the most likely place to make new discoveries is when one travels. Being a tourist in France must be one of the most exciting experiences -- there are just so many things in this country that are unique and special and delightful!

One of the many great pleasures of living here in the Dordogne, is the availability of fresh organically grown produce that one can obtain at any of the country markets in many of the towns and villages in the area.
Not only can one buy the most delicious fresh fruit and vegetables, seafood straight out of the sea at Arcachon, locally home made cheeses of every kind, flowers picked from a garden, deliciously aromatic home cured hams and sausages, second hand books, candles, donkey milk soaps and toiletries, exotic silk skirts and sun bleached cotton shirts, but one can listen to an actor reciting poetry or to a group of talented youngsters making the most beautiful music.





And then -- you discover yet another speciality from the region --- such as these light-as-air fairy cakes made with goat's cheese. Originally from the Poitou Charente, the same area as the first would-be woman president of France hails from, the tourteau fromagé not only look splendid, neatly stacked in perfect little rows, looking like a class photograph of little school boys in their black caps, but taste heavenly!



One needs a special mould for these cakes, but should you not have one, choose an oven proof dish which is preferably narrower at the base than at the outer rim, about 8 inches in diameter and about 2 inches high.

The black caps were probably originally an accident, but that is what gives these cakes their individual and special appearance!



Recipe for tourteau fromagé or cheese cake

Ingredients

260 gr flour
120 gr butter
250 gr fresh goat's cheese
175 gr sugar
6 eggs
5 cl milk
a pinch of salt
1 coffee spoon vanilla essence

Method

With the butter, 200 grams of the flour, salt and a little bit of water, make a pastry, cover it and let it stand in the bowl for a couple of hours -- preferably in the fridge.
In a bowl, mix the cheese with 125 grams of the sugar and the milk
As soon as the sugar, cheese and milk mixture is well beaten, mix in the egg yolks one at a time, 60 grams of the flour and the vanilla essence
Beat the egg whites with the rest of the sugar until stiff and fold into the mixture.
Press the pastry into the well greased mould. Pour the cheese mixture on top.
Bake in an oven at about 180'C for 45 minutes.
When baked, either under a very hot grill or with a blow torch, very quickly and evenly blacken the top.

Try it at breakfast, with your apéritif, with a glass of Haut Poitou white wine, or as a dessert, covered with fruit purée or ice cream. -- or like we did, with a cup of coffee at a little bistro on the Lalinde market square!

As with all great traditions, there is a special Brotherhood of the Tourteau Fromagé, founded in 1974 in Lezay! Their address is:
9 avenue Général Faucher
79400 Saint Maixent



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1 May: The Chelsea Flower Show comes to Lalinde!

I have always associated the First of May with Labour Day, the Day of the Workers, red flags with hammers and sickles, soldiers goose marching through the Red Square in the Kremlin, fist brandishing and banner waving demonstrations in the Place de la Bastille, calls to arms and passionate orators.


And then I moved to Lalinde, a gorgeous little village on the banks of the Dordogne River in the Southwest of France........

We do it differently here. On the First of May we have a flower market in the square opposite the mayor's office. The only red you will see is not the hammer and sickle flag, but the bright red of the geraniums and the verbenas. The only marching you will see is the row upon row of basil and rosemary and mint and oregano. The workers will be there – but preparing delicious plates with salad and charcuterie for the sellers and the buyers, and the only passionate oration you will hear is the discussion on whether Pierre's new yellow Impatience is as spectacular as Jean-Luc's new purple rose.

Oh! I do love living in the country!













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Travel Tips for Americans! (and others)

What a clever idea -- and what a service to all potential American (and other)visitors to Europe!
In the Travel Diary , Suzanne Pidduck, a veteran traveller, provides a list of do's and don’ts for Americans who are planning a visit to Europe.

In this piece there are several points that seasoned travellers would not even think about, and, anyone who loves travel and discovering the world, anyone who adores experiencing new ideas, new cultures, customs, foods, smells, sights, anyone who is hooked on surprises and 'firsts', would probably cock a snoot at this article. And yet -- and yet............ there are thousands upon thousands of people daily who are planning their very first visit outside their own comfort zone, and as we know, that is an experience that can very easily bring out the worst in any person. The fear of the unknown -- be it foreign people, foreign places, foreign food, foreign cultures, religions and customs, all too often make people turn nasty and defensive, ugly and dangerous.

When I see people talking about the American quality of life or the American standards of living being very high -- and that in comparison with Europe, it usually gets my hackles rising -- especially when, in the next sentence they write 'We’re used to king size beds and bathrooms that can accommodate several people at a time'. One does not wonder that there are such huge gaps in communication and understanding between different sectors of the world population. The Europeans generally discovered centuries ago, before the new world was even colonized, that quality of life and standards of living have very little, if anything to do with the size of ones bed -- or of ones anything, for that matter! Quality of life and standards of living are about comfort, yes, but comfort of a good value system, confidence, ethics, education, culture, health, friendship and family.

Nevertheless, 'Chapeau!' to Suzanne for providing these guidelines --- writing about everyday little things, such as bathrooms that are 'creative', beds that are smaller, furniture that is 'old',(lol! this is not the first time I have come across people who think that priceless antique heirlooms are nothing more than second-hand used furniture!), not everyone in the world being able to speak English, is actually a very good and helpful idea. And her final recommendation -- to set off on your travels with the right attitude, sums up the article perfectly - if only EVERONE would pack that little titbit into their travel luggage, the world would most certainly be a happier place!

--- Every person who is travelling outside their own little habitat, should read this article!

This is what she writes:

American Standards and European Culture: How to Avoid a Disappointing Vacation Experience While Travelling
Posted in Travel on the April 10th, 2007

Planning a vacation to Europe? No doubt you have certain expectations about your upcoming journey.

Perhaps you’re the kind of person who expects to spend your days admiring amazing architecture and prowling world-famous museums for masterpieces. Or maybe you’re going to Europe to meet interesting people, relax on the beach until the sun goes down, and dance the night away in a local club. Regardless of your European vacation priorities, you certainly expect it to be wonderful!

But stop a moment. Have you thought about your cultural expectations?


Duane Hanson, the American photorealist. One of his sculptures in the Saatchi collection


Many European vacationers plan their activities and accommodations with the assumption that everything else will be “like America.” If so, think again! Just as Europe and the US are different in landscape, weather, and history, they are also very different culturally. Europeans and Americans have different ideas about manners, time, personal space, personal property maintenance, and language.
So for anyone planning a vacation to Europe, here are a few “cross cultural conflict” areas that Americans traveling in Europe often encounter. Making yourself aware of these differences can help you have a fun, enjoyable, and even educational European vacation that is free of cultural misunderstandings!

Personal Space
Take a glance at a map of the world. Which is smaller: the US or Europe? That’s right– Europe. But there are still a lot of people there, which means they’ve gotten used to smaller spaces!

American standards of living are very high. We’re used to king size beds and bathrooms that can accommodate several people at a time.
But unless you’re staying in a massive French chateau or Italian villa, be prepared for spaces to be smaller than you’re used to. Bedrooms will be more compact, as will bed sizes. Single and double beds alike will be narrower. Most bathrooms have been added into older houses in modern times, so they are often “creative” in both location and structure. Kitchens won’t be able to accommodate your entire family!
So consider this an opportunity to get closer to your traveling companions. Think of sharing a bathroom in Italy as an exercise in cooperation. Get cozy with your spouse in that French double bed. Be willing to laugh as you adjust. Get creative and have fun!

Manners
A common misperception of Europeans is that they are “rude.” Of course, they think the same thing about us!

Remember when you’re traveling in Europe that rudeness is largely a cultural perception. Someone who seems blunt and nosey may be expressing friendship and concern for your well-being. A waiter who tells you what to order may be trying to help, since you are unfamiliar with the language. Differences in “personal space” mean that someone who pushes in front of you may wonder why you’re not fighting for your space in line!

Also, subjects which are taboo in your community may be freely discussed elsewhere, and vice versa. In the US, we consider it incredibly rude to comment on a person’s weight. This isn’t true everywhere in the world!

So, when traveling in Europe, keep a firm grip on your temper. A good way to achieve this is to give everyone else the benefit of the doubt. Just make the choice not to get angry. If you can roll with the punches, you’ll enjoy your vacation more– and you’ll be a better traveling companion.

Time
I have to admit that I get impatient if I have to wait longer than fifteen minutes at a restaurant in the US. After the food comes, I can be out the door in half an hour!
In Italy, however, a dinner filled with conversation, laughter, and great food can last two hours! I smile when I hear other Americans asking why the food hasn’t arrived yet. Unbeknownst to them, the waiters are offering them the opportunity to savor the meal.

Likewise, shops and businesses in Spain close for an afternoon siesta. In the UK, the handyman may want to chat with you before repairing that pipe.

Most Europeans do not share the American compulsion to “save time” by doing everything quickly. So when you vacation in Europe, leave your watch behind. After all, this is a vacation!

Quality
I often hear complaints, especially from those who rent a villa or apartment, about the quality of the furnishings and amenities in Europe. I’d be a millionaire if I had a dime for every time I heard someone say “The furniture was old!” or “The bathroom pipes need to be replaced.”

In today’s society, we expect things to look like new, feel like new, and behave like new. If it doesn’t, we throw it away.

But think of anyone who grew up during the depression. My grandfather kept rows of old coffee cans filled with spare nails and bits of wire. He sat in the same chair every night until he died. Nothing was wasted, and nothing was thrown away if it could be fixed.

So if the furniture looks a little worn, or if the sink clogs, think before you complain. Is the quality due to neglect and disrepair, or is it the result of a careful, conscientious effort not to put anything to waste?

Treat this as an educational experience; you might even learn from a more conservative lifestyle.

Language
As an American, I am often jealous of Europeans who pick up languages like you’d pick up a bottle of milk at the store. For me, it’s an uphill battle all the way!
Since learning three or four languages is neither a cultural necessity nor a scholastic requirement in our country, many Americans feel like me. And yet some Americans still assume that everyone in Europe should speak English!

In the same way that you or I would resent a French tourist who expected everyone in the US to speak French, Europeans are often annoyed by Americans who have this mentality.

While you probably can’t learn a new language before your vacation, you can learn some helpful phrases. This is considered courteous, and is guaranteed to get more friendly responses. When you try to use their language, Italians or French who might have feigned ignorance will usually help you with your pronunciation– and then converse with you in English!

The Right Attitude
Lastly, remember that the standards and the customs you find while traveling in Europe are not wrong. They’re just different. If you travel with the right attitude, you will have a richer, more authentic, and even eye-opening experience. Who knows? Your European vacation may change the way you see the world.



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Chateau Lalinde: in the international Headlines

In the Australian Courrier Mail today, a full page article about Chateau Lalinde and the area appears, written by Suzanna Clarke, and accompanied by some of her exquisite photography.


Fit for a princess

Suzanna Clarke

April 14, 2007 12:00am
Article from: The Courier-Mail


WHEN I first saw Chateau Lalinde, a flock of white swans was paddling about on the river below.

The scene was so picturesque I felt I had been dropped into the pages of a children's book, or a ballet.

In a landscape littered with chateaux and castles, Chateau Lalinde is the only one right on the river. Built in 1269, the building wall forms part of the bank of the Dordogne river itself.

The sense of the surreal persisted as I was led to the most beautiful bedroom in which I have stayed. My upstairs room had three large windows overlooking the river.

The small adjoining room was inside one of the two ancient towers, and had a table and two chairs.

The shutters were thrown back and the sound of rushing water filled the room. There were no other houses in sight, only the forest opposite, with the glimpse of an old stone chapel on the crest of the hill.

Legend has it that a fierce dragon once lived in the forest and would let no one ford the river.

When it was defeated by a knight, the townspeople built the chapel in gratitude.

Since the chatelaine, Wilna Wilkinson, took possession of Chateau Lalinde a year ago, she has turned the eight-bedroom, Logis de France three-starred hotel into a homestay with a sense of style. She has revamped the once-utilitarian kitchen into a warm and well-equipped room that the most demanding of chefs would appreciate. Wilna is also a dab hand at gourmet cuisine.

The morning after my arrival I ventured out into the weekly market of Lalinde. With the exclusion of the chateau, many of the medieval buildings were bombed during World War II, but the rebuilt town is typically French provincial and easy on the eye.

The market stretched along the main walking street with a right turn along a narrow canal.

Beneath the spreading branches of the plane trees were stalls selling fresh duck, organic chicken and an abundance of fish; many varieties of pate including the famed foie gras, tomatoes and flowers, berries, vegetables, tapestries, shopping baskets and colourful clothes.

Stopping for a coffee, I was surprised to see Cyrano de Bergerac wandering among the tables.

The actor paused to deliver a speech. Much of it was wasted on me, because it was entirely in rapid-fire French.

As I had every intention of brushing up on my French, that afternoon I attended a language class. Far from sitting in a sterile classroom, this one took the form of a wine-tasting at the nearby Chateau Belingard vineyard.

Count Laurent de Bosredon, a 13th-generation vigneron, explained that the origin of wine in this region dated to the days of the druids, and showed us a sacrificial stone near his chateau, revealed when an ancient oak tree had fallen.

In the old days, he said, if aspiring druids failed their exams they were liable for the chop.

Feeling pleased to be living in the 21st century, we retired to the barn and sampled a prodigious number of white, red and sweet wines.

Imbibing had a loosening effect on reluctant tongues, and we became more relaxed about speaking French. Most of the class was composed of recent English settlers. The French locals say that the English are making another stab at re-colonising the area, as they lost it in the Hundred Years War. Every year the French still celebrate the decisive battle of 1453 with a re-creation.

Over the next few days I saw why the area was so popular with expatriates. Wilna proved a charming and knowledgeable guide as we visited a multitude of pretty villages.

Many were medieval bastide, or fortified market towns.

At Monpazier we stopped for lunch and were intrigued to see locals descend from all directions, carrying wooden cases filled with the first cepe mushrooms of the season. Feeling adventurous I bought a kilogram and that night we prepared them in the traditional way, cooked with garlic in an omelette, which proved mouthwateringly delicious.

Another day we visited Beynac castle, built in 1115, which Richard the Lionheart used as a base between campaigns during the Crusades.

A few years ago it was the setting for the film Joanne of Arc. An immense and impressive structure, the great hall alone would have been big enough to fit an entire army.

That afternoon, after a champagne picnic in the countryside, we went to Chateau des Milandes. African-American dancer and singer Josephine Baker had bought the chateau at the height of her fame in the 1920s. In fact, she had bought the whole village.

Baker had danced at the Folies Bergère in a skirt made only of bananas, accompanied by her pet leopard, Chiquita.

In photos inside the chateau, she looked exuberant, while an occasional cross-eyed pose portrayed a quirky sense of humour.

The rambling Chateau Biron was also on the itinerary.

With rooms furnished in period style, it was as if the occupants had popped out for a minute and would be astonished to find you on their return.

Over the few days I was in the Dordogne, I decided it offered more than any other region I had visited in France.

Besides the abundance of chateaux, castles and also cave houses, you could go canoeing on the wide river, horse-riding, ballooning, fly in vintage aircraft or sample local cuisine at a farm restaurant.

But the highlight was staying in the magical Chateau Lalinde which made me feel, for a few days, like a princess.

Getting there

Chateau Lalinde is available for rent for two to six people for €100 per person, per night, minimum two nights. Larger group tariffs on request.

Price includes continental breakfast.

Chateau Lalinde Website

Learn French at Aquitaine Langues. Beginner to advanced intensives, three hours per day over two weeks: €359.

Aquitaine Langues : Language School

Getting there: Ryan Air flies to Bergerac airport daily from London Stansted.



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