Kumpai to Japan!

I have spent the past four and a half years at my company working with Japanese clients from a variety of companies. My largest account is a Japanese company, and although they normally require me to travel to Chicago and London, finally, I was asked to visit them at their headquarters in Osaka.

I had little to no time to prepare for my trip. Thank GOODNESS I remembered to pack my business cards, as exchanging business cards is a very special part of doing business with the Japanese. I. America, we pass out business cards like we're dealing playing cards. In Japan, business cards are presented with two hands holding the corners of the card, actually reading the card, and bowing. Then as was the case for quite a few of the people I me on the trip, flipping the card over to write their name in English!

So the business card exchange went well, as did the rest of the three days of meetings. Enough about work, let's talk travel!

To get the most important topics out of the way, there are a lot of bikes in Japan. People ride them in dresses, high heels, and while carrying umbrellas. They ride the on sidewalks, as well as in the street, and even against traffic. By the way, the Japanese drive on the left side of the road. I did not see that coming!

And wine? Well, I don't think Japan produces any wine, unless sake counts... And it doesn't. A glass of wine here runs about $15. At least that is what it cost at my very nice hotel mini bar. Come to think of it, that is about how much it was in the restaurant, too. In a 7-11 Store (they are everywhere!) they were selling Yosemite Road wine from California. It was much cheaper, but I didn't buy any, so I'll have to try it back in SF.

So although I didn't drink much wine on this trip, I still did a good job drinking. I also enjoyed a few amazing meals with my colleague Kumpei-san, who lives and is from Tokyo but amazingly enough spent ten years living in Philadelphia! Sushi, sashimi, noodles, tempanyaki. I have tasted many new vegetables and fish and *most* I would ear again. I will pass on the tacoyaki next time. (Deep fried octopus balls with sauce and fish skin chips on top.)

Most fortunately, I was even able to sneak in a bit of sightseeing yesterday and today. Late yesterday afternoon I navigated my way on a train to Kyoto, where I rented a bike and pedaled my way from temple to temple, my favorite being the Goji Temple. And this morning I visited Osaka Castle, which I probably would have enjoyed more if it were not 100 degrees. Lots of pictures to come...

I'm now again on the bus back to the airport. And although I cannot wait to see Jeremy and be home in San Francisco, I am excited to return to this beautiful country sometime soon. Hopefully with Jeremy by my side. Until then, I will raise a glass of sake and cheer, kumpai!


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Location:Osaka, Japan

Or did you get lost in Amsterdam?

We didn't get lost, but we did wander somewhat aimlessly for the final two days of our honeymoon in the lovely little town of Amsterdam. What a great place - we loved it here! And it's not because we did a lot of drugs. In fact, we didn't do any, despite them all being totally legal! I guess that means we really are an old MARRIED couple...

Hopefully we'll get around to filling you in on the details, but for now, here is another set of pictures!

2010-07-29 - Amsterdam

Next Stop, Osaka

I write this blog with both a heavy heart, as well as a heart palpitating with excitement. I'm in Japan! (Happy!) But I am traveling without Jeremy. (So sad!)

Around week three of The Honeymoon, I learned the presence of one of my Project Managers was needed in Osaka for an upcoming system launch; however, this Project Manager is now on *HIS* honeymoon. So, since he busted his arse while I was out for a few weeks (a month) getting married and celebrating in France, Switzerland, Italy, and the Netherlands, I took one for the team.

Home for only 13 hours in which we mostly spent sleeping, we had just enough time to walk around the park this morning (since we were both wide awake at 5:30 AM...) and then pack and then drive back to the airport. I cried as Jeremy dropped me off at the curb, wishing I didn't have to go. But Jeremy said it will go by quickly.

Considering it is now late Monday afternoon, he is right so far! I just landed, after a rather pleasant 11 hour flight. Since it is still afternoon, I don't yet feel too jet-lagged. We'll have to see how long that lasts! I made it through Passport Control and Customs, and I navigated to the bus I'm now riding into town.

I studied some Japanese on the flight, and I've mastered hello, thank you, and good-bye. Lots more to learn, including cheers. So for now, I will sign off with sianora!


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Location:Osaka, Japan

Paris Parts Deux et Trois

Jeremy owes us all a post... But here are the pictures!

2010-07-26 - Paris Part Deux

2010-07-27 - Paris Part Trois

Oh, Champs-Élysées!

To the French, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées est la plus belle avenue du monde! That's a tall order for a street, but it is pretty magical. And of course, Jeremy and I love the accompanying song so much it was the last song of our wedding. Not to mention, each year, Le Tour de France races the final, exciting stage on the street! 


Fresh from a good night's sleep at the Hilton, we departed our hotel around 10AM to begin our exploration of the area and to stake our spot to watch Le Tour. We started at the Arc de Triomphe, and headed down Avenue des Champs-Élysées, window shopping at Luis Vuitton and other incredibly expensive stores. We found a good spot along the street to catch the cyclist action, and made friends with a couple from Australia who just moved to Paris. We shared a few beers while we waited (and waited) until the moment we'd all been waiting for arrived.


SWOOSH! There go the riders through the intermediate sprint zone! We snapped photos and cheered, and then  about a minute later, SWOOSH! There go the riders past us, no more than a few feet away. Two more minutes, than SWOOSH! Again! They race by on the far side of the street. And then in another minute, SWOOSH! Again, they blow right by us. They did six laps or so, before the final sprint of the day, which of course, The Man from the Isle of Man with Short Arms, Mark Cavendish, took the stage. 


Alberto Contador, who we learned actually DOES speak English, took the Yellow Jersey. (Single tear...) Our man Andy Shleck took the White Jersey, but we know he'll take Yellow next time! Alessandro Petacchi took the Green Jersey, and Anthony Charteau took the Polka-dot King of the Mountain Jersey! Last but not least, Team Radio Shack from the USA took the Best Overall Team Jersey, one final Yellow Jersey for our man, Lance. What an awesome tour! We will be back, France, to join the ride again. At the very latest, for our 50th Wedding Anniversary in 2060. (Fingers crossed!) Viva Le Tour!

2010-07-24 - Paris Part 1

Paris: La Arrivee

Perhaps we were a little too slow packing up and leaving our Bordeaux hotel, but we finally realized we had purchased too many bottles of wine and got stumped figuring out how to pack it all into our suitcases. Dolt! So we rushed to the train station, but unfortunately, our American credit card was not accepted by any ticket machines. Hence, we missed our train. Dolt! An hour later, aboard our new train, we could not find Voiture Onze (car 11) because it was on the *other* new train. Dolt!


But after several mishaps, 20 annoying French "Tweens" and a few hours playing musical seats, we arrived in Paris. Finally! We checked into our amazing, free (points) Hilton near the Arc du Triumph. The room had AC! This was our first experience with working AC since we began the trip in the Hilton Lyon. I turned the thermostat low, low, low, low, low, low, low, low and chilled out for a few hours before dinner.


If you're heading to Paris, we highly recommend the book "Hungry for Paris", we replaced our Lonely Planet in the city. We decided that the LP is more geared towards dirty stinky backpackers - not us close your eyes and hand over the credit card honeymooners. We stuck to the two out of four Euro (€€) brasseries because we have had had our share of gastronomic experiences. Regardless, the suggestions from the book were fabulous.


La Maxan, where we dined this night, *only* served a small four course meal, but it was still a gastronomique delight! Jeremy continued his feasting on animal organs, while Nicole played it a bit more safely, selecting steak done a poignant, or medium. Which is basically extra rare, and this time with a fried egg on top! No complaints from either of us. Paris is off to a great start! A santé!


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Location:Paris, France

The Grandest Crus Are in Bordeaux

Fresh from a good night's sleep (meaning we passed out drinking some very tasty Bordeauxs...) Jeremy and I hopped into the car and drove outside of the town of Bordeaux and into the country of Bordeaux. Saint Emilion here we come!

It was a good day. A beautiful day. The town of Saint Emilion is about as far from the city of Bordeaux as the town of Sonoma is from San Francisco. So the fact that most of the wineries are only open for tasting Mondays through Fridays really surprised us! However, the fact that the wineries aren't really equipped for tasting is what surprised us most.

Thinking we knew how to do things, we walked into our first cave and immediately poured ourselves a glass of Grand Cru. Well, let me rephrase that. Actually, NICOLE poured Grand Cru all over the floor of the cave. We hadn't even had a sip of wine yet, so this mishap cannot be chalked up to Nicole's drunkenness. It was a case of classic Nicole Clumsiness. And of course, it brought attention onto ourselves. Next thing we know, we're getting yelled at in French by the boy who runs the cave.

Apparently, in Bordeaux, you have to ASK to taste the wine. This is not the case in Bourgogne (Burgundy). And when I mentioned THAT to the boy who ran our cave, I definitely further pissed him off. We tried to make peace by buying a couple of bottles. We think it worked...

After lunch at a cafe, in which we sat next to two men from Auburn, CA (which is on the way to Tahoe from San Francisco) we headed back to Bordeaux to see the Stage 18 finish. Cavendish, the man with short arms from the Isle of Man, again, took the stage. I believe it was his 13th stage win in all of his appearances in Le Tour. We find this amazing, as we have said, this man has the SHORTEST ARMS EVER. But really, you don't need arms to cycle.

We met up with two friends who live in London for dinner, at which Jeremy dined on more animal organs. This time, he had cow kidneys, which he was told are "very special" in France. Note to self, anything described as very special in the future should be avoided at all costs. We try very hard to embrace the culture of the towns in which we travel, but I believe we draw the lines at kidneys. At least we had a very delicious bottle of Bordeaux in which to wash it all down, right? A sante!

2010-07-22 - Bordeaux

Arrival in Bordeaux

There was a time when I once said something along the lines of, "I don't like French wine." I believe that I said it was too earthy for me, too dusty. I even remember saying that I don't like Bordeaux.

Now, hold onto your hats, because I'm about to say something I don't often say: I WAS WRONG! Clearly, I formed this opinion when I was underage and accustomed to drinking Boon's Farm or Natural Light. :) Bordeaux - the city, the food, and of course, the wine - are fabulous!

On our first day and night in town, we did a little wandering. We enjoyed a Lonely Planet recommendation for a light lunch. And since we were in Bordeaux, we killed a bottle of delicious, inexpensive, Vins de Pays. That's the table wine, more or less. But it would cost a lot in the USA. After lunch, it was time to park ourselves in front of a television to watch Shleck and Contador duke it out on Le Col du Tourmalet. Happy that Andy won the stage, but sad that Contador remained in the yellow jersey, we decided to drown our sorrows in a walk around town and more French food.

In the center of town, most of Bordeaux's streets are pedestrian only. It was fun to people watch, window shop, and in the end, settle down for dinner at a wine bar off the beaten path. I'm not sure how Jeremy found this place, but it was amazing! I had a Croque Monseur that will go down in history as one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten. Jeremy had a vegetable cassolet that was delicious. We shared a bottle of white wine from Bordeaux, that had a sweet but tart but grassy taste unlike anything else we've ever drunk.

We are geared up for another delightful day in Bordeaux tomorrow.  A santé!

Sunflower Fields Forever

It was hard to leave Narbonne and the Mediterranean Sea behind, but Pau, the Gateway to the Pyrenees was calling our name. Time to rejoin Le Tour for the final stages! So we packed up our things and drove a few hours west. Through the small castle tourist town of Carcassone (we did a drive by photo shooting) along miles and miles of sunflower fields along the highway.

Just in time for a late lunch, we parked in Pau, which was bustling with activity. It was a rest day for the riders, and so it was also a rest day for the spectators. The Lonely Planet doesn't say much about Pau, so we are rather certain we dined in a tourist trap, but since the food was good and the price was right, we will not complain.

Too tired to even wander around town much, we headed out of Pau and into the mountains where we would spend the night at La Ferme Dague,  a cute little inn we found in one of our Michelin travel books. Located in the sleeper town of Lasseube outside of Pau, there really isn't anything to do in Lasseube except sleep. Had it not rained, we probably could have taken a cool bike ride or hike, but instead, it POURED. In all honesty, it was a welcome respite from the heat of Nice, Mougins, and Narbonne, especially because we got to wear jeans! Hooray for pants!

Unfortunately, though, the rain was pretty bad. So bad that in conjunction with Le Tour passing through the area, roads into the mountains were closed. If we wanted to see the riders climb Le Col du Tourmalet, we were out of luck. Jeremy and I tried to drive around a little to find an alternate route to the top, but it wasn't possible. Sadly, we admitted defeat, and vowed to make the best of things watching Le Tour at our next destination, Bordeaux. I'm sure a bottle of wine will dull the pain, right?

2010.07.21 - Pau

Languedoc - One Last Hurrah for the Med (and Lance)

It was amazing to spend a full week in The South of France with minimal amounts of driving. However, this being a Jeremy and Nicole vacation, it was time to get, “On the Road Again.” So after our incredible bike ride, we ate a baguette and started driving – to Southwest France and the A.O.C. Languedoc!

After a couple hours driving, we soon noticed that grape vines covered every stretch of the land, in contrast to Provence, where the vines tend to grow on hillsides amidst beautiful homes and towns. Driving into Languedoc, which boasts the largest volume of wine production in all of France, is like walking into Costco, only a million times better – wine everywhere!

We had been warned that the wine of Languedoc isn’t “as good” as the wines of Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, etc. Maybe not, but the wines we tasted, from A.O.C. La Clape cannot be scorned as merely “passable” French wines. In fact, they were delicious! Bolder in taste and perhaps a little more like what we have come to know in California.

We stayed at the guest house of Winery Mas du Soleilla, a boutique winery which produces less than 100,000 bottles of wine each year. Their wine was so delicious that we bought seven bottles during our two day stay! Nearly all of the bottles Mas du Soleiolla produces include blends of multiple varietals. After a few weeks in regions that tend to produce single varietal wines (Burgundy = Pinot Noir, Provence = Grenache Rose) It was fun to taste another style of wine making. We were particularly happy to taste some varietals we also don’t often see in California except perhaps at Cline Cellars! Roussanne, Carignane, Mourvedre… Our favorite from Mas du Soleilla was a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. We bought two of those bottles!

In between sips of delicious wines at Mas du Soleilla, we spent time on the beach in Narbonne Plage. Another very hot day, we just couldn’t be too far from the Mediterranean Sea! And although Narbonne Plage was nothing like the beaches of the French Riviera, we couldn’t help but love it’s Jersey-shore-ness. How can you not like a beach with a  store from which you can purchase a jug of wine that you pump yourself for 2 Euros a liter! That’s almost cheaper than gasoline!

By 5PM, we had endured sufficient sun exposure. And we likely were reaching our limit of International iPhone mega bytes trying to follow the progress of Stage 16 in Le Tour. So we packed up our bags and headed to a bar just off the beach to watch some cycling action. It was a very exciting day, with Lance Armstrong in a breakaway that was 9’00 ahead of the peloton. Lance was trying to salvage a final stage win in this year’s tour, which as we all know, has not been going incredibly well for him. With a rose in hand, I stood in front of a television, cheering my heart out for Team Radio Shack. I definitely amused (or maybe, annoyed?) the locals. I like to think I’m the first American girl they have ever seen be so excited about cycling.

After much unrest, Lance wasn’t able to pull it out in the end. But he came so close! And watching that stage of Le Tour is definitely our favorite one to date, regardless of the results. Tomorrow is a rest day for the riders and for us, but we’ll be back on Thursday in the Pyrenees at Le Col du Tourmalet! Maybe Lance will but out a win then? Or maybe Andy Schleck will use the anger in his stomach to triumph over Alberto Contador? Either way, we will be there, drinking our jug of rose and cheering everyone up the HC climb and most exciting stage of Le Tour 2010. A santé!

2010-07-20 - Narbonne Plage

The Mediterranean Promenade a Velo – The Perfect Ride

Before saying au revoir to The South of France, we had to get in one last bike ride, especially one along the stunning cliffs and beaches of the Mediterranean.  With the help from The Lonely Planet’s Cycling France guide, we were able to find the perfect route: Mediterranean Promenade. This sixty kilometer out and back stretch of curling road promised to delight our eyes while being easy on our bodies.

Not so sure we can agree with the Lonely Planet’s description of the route being an “easy jaunt”, but it was GORGEOUS. We drove from Mougins to the town of La Napoulle, to get started. Fun fact, La Napoulle is the home of the Mimosa. I never would have guessed that a town not in Champagne would have invented the Mimosa, but I’ll take it!

Our ride began with a climb out of La Napoulle, which is directly west of Cannes. We passed beautiful homes perched on the sides of steep mountains jutting out into the sea. We passed stunning cliffs that created inlets of turquoise water. We noticed the really beautiful homes that were built on the cliffs with steps leading directly to the water.

This route along the Corniche d’Or as it is called offered views of the Mediterranean's silvery waters, but also of the lands red rocks. Yes, red rocks! Blue sea, yellow sand, green trees, and red rocks. The most picturesque, beautiful bike ride ever. Onto Narbonne, as we are clearly hungry after a 35 mile ride. A santé!

2010-07-19 - Mediterannean Promenade

Sunday: Spa Day in Mougins

Typically, Sunday is a manly day. Football. Baseball. Beer. Tooling around in the garage. Well, Mougins doesn’t have football or baseball. And Mougins only has French beer, which isn’t worth drinking. And our five star hotel did not have a garage in which Jeremy could tool around. So Sunday in Mougins became spa day. Yes, in the South of France, Sunday is Spa Day!

Upon making our hotel and gastronomic experience reservation at La Mas Candille, Jeremy also made an appointment for me to enjoy a massage at the hotel’s spa. And as soon as I found out that he had only made a reservation for me, I made one for him, too. If only everyone could have seen the look on Jeremy’s face when I delivered this news. You would have thought I had told him he was going to give a speech in front of his entire high school while wearing only a pair of tighty whities. Immediately, Jeremy began to whistle, which is the first sign that Jeremy is nervous. Oh, the fear of a massage!

Our spa appointment was scheduled for 2:30 PM, which meant we had a few hours to kill on Sunday morning. So we hopped on our bicycles and took a ride around Mougins and towards the small town of Antibes, which holds an international Jazz Festival every year. Unfortunately, we missed this year’s festival by a few days. And even more unfortunately, we didn’t even make it to Antibes, as we got a little lost navigating the roads on our bikes and nearly ended up on an eight-lane highway. But since it was hot as hell, we didn’t mind turning around and heading back to our hotel for a little bit of time at the pool before our massages.

So at 2:25PM, we walked over to the spa. Jeremy held my hand, he was definitely nervous. And it got worse before it got better… Upon entering the changing rooms, we were handed a fluffy white bathrobe, as well as a small triangle shaped piece of cloth folded and stored in shrink wrap packaging. This small cloth is also known as disposable underwear! Poor Jeremy, he was so nervous! To be honest, so was I! The incredibly small piece of triangle cloth was not comfortable, not supportive, and not pretty. Thank goodness for the bathrobe!

However once we entered our suites for our massages and facials, nothing else mattered. For two blissful hours, Jeremy and I enjoyed time relaxing, napping, and drooling. Much to Jeremy’s surprise, it was a great experience. Nothing of which to be afraid! And upon sipping water in the relaxation room after the massage, Jeremy commented, “I might get another one of those back in San Francisco.”

Relaxed and feeling good, we still had one more thing to do in Mougins that night… eat an eight course meal with wine pairings. Yum! The 13 waiters at La Candille Restaurant again took excellent care of us. And our sommelier from the day before, presented us  with a new glass of wine for each course of the meal. He hid the bottle from us so that we could guess the wine varietals each time. And although he was very tricky in pouring us three different French chardonnays all in a row, we aced the test!

Merci, Mougins! We hope to come back and enjoy more time in South of France very soon. But for now, it  is time to continue our adventures in the Languedoc. A santé!

2010-07-18 - Eight Course Gastronomique Dinner in Mougins

Mougins - Gourmet On Tour

Incredibly eager to begin our cooking lesson with a Michelin Star Chef,  Jeremy and I arrived at the front desk of La Mas Candille promptly at 9:15 AM on Saturday morning. After what felt like a very long (and really was, even for Jeremy & Nicole Time, which is 15-20 minutes late) we were greeted by a little French man named Frederic, and a taller French man, Fabian. “I am chef,” said Fredereic. “And You’re your driver today, blah blah blah...” That was Fabian. He spoke pretty good English. Poor Frederic, his English “did not make” so good. But no worries! Part 1 of our gastronomic day in the kitchen and cellars was underway!

To begin, we took a trip into Cannes to Le Marchet, where we learned / confirmed that France has better vegetables than the USA. Especially eggplant. The French actually call their bad eggplants American eggplants. Very sad. NOTE: Jeremy and I don’t think that those American eggplants are a good representation of what you can find in, per se, San Francisco. And we vow to remind the French whenever possible that without USA grape vines, all the A.O.Cs would be making Beaujolais.

We basically spent an hour or so following Frederic around the market, pointing at things that looked good. In turn, Frederic would talk to the merchants, get us a free sample, and if we liked it, he would buy it. By the end of our shopping trip, we purchased peaches, melon (a French kind that looked nothing like any melon we have in the USA), eggplant, tomato, zucchini flowers (very typical, but something we had never seen), various olive tapenade, tomato and garlic confit, goat cheese, comte cheese, and finally, a small little red rouget (fish), straight from le mer. Since we don’t cook much fish for ourselves, we thought it would be a good topic for the cooking lesson.

Oh, and was it a good cooking lesson! We got back to the hotel restaurant kitchen, where we were presented aprons and a bottle of rose. In all honesty, we didn’t really cook much in this cooking lesson. In addition, we also unfortunately didn’t learn that much during this cooking lesson. However, we did eat a lot, and that was pretty amazing. Here’s the list of things that we chopped and gave to Frederic to cook…

1. Tempura Fried Zucchini Blossoms (We prepped the blossoms, Frederic deep fried them.)
2. Pan Seared Foie Gras with Carmelized Peaches (We cut the peaches…)
3. Rouget w/ Comte Cheese Served over Tomato and Zucchini (We cut the tomato and zucchini…)
4. Langoustine over Beet Root with a side of Melon Soup (We cut the melon…)
5. Fried Goat Cheese over Eggplant with Veal Reduction and Basil (We didn’t do anything…

All of this food, we ate as soon as it was “done” at the Chef’s Table in the kitchen. Here is where we can tell you about the few things we actually learned during our cooking lesson.

1. First, always cook with an open bottle of wine. (Or watch someone else cook with an open bottle of wine.)
2. When cooking over the stove, use a lot of olive oil. This is easy for me, but it will require some effort on Jeremy’s part. He tends to skimp on the oil. Note to Jeremy: TRIPLE THE QUANTITY.
3. When cooking over the stove, use very high heat, and don’t cook it for very long.
4. Use your finger to tell if it is done. Which means, don’t pick your nose while you’re cooking.
5. Once you take the food off of the stove, put it in the salamander. Most important tip of the day, finish EVERYTHING in the salamander. Note to Jeremy: Although Frederic said we can substitute the broiler for the salamander, I would like a salamander in our kitchen. No more diamonds, salamander.
6. When plating food, always add rock salt. Preferably from the Mediterranean. Even if you don’t think you need to add salt, add salt. Then add some more.
7. After salting your plated food, add pepper. Crushed red pepper that kind of looks like paprika.
8. Then, drizzle lemon olive oil and/or balsamic vinaigrette on top.
9. Add a little more rock salt.
10. When eating at the Chef’s Table, don’t stand in front of the salamander. Hot as hell.

With our tummies full, we killed some time before our wine tasting class by lounging at the pool. Another hot as hell day in Provence, we spent much of the time actually IN the pool. But we hopped out around 5:00 PM to take a quick shower to make us presentable at the very swanky upcoming wine tasting in the La Candille…

The Michelin Starred Sommelier greeted us with a pail of icey cold whites and roses, as well as a bottle of red wine. Before we were allowed to taste, he presented to us several PowerPoint slides. To be honest, we didn’t learn much. Jeremy and I are apparently advanced wine tasting students! We know the basics in aroma, color, legs, varietals, etc. But it is always fun to taste new wines. And it is fun to be able to drink entire bottles during a tasting. Provence, you make many a good wine! A sante!

2010-07-17 - Gourmet on Tour in Mougins

Mougins – Paradis Gastronomique

It doesn’t really get much better than South of France. We adored Nice, however, it is a city. Which means it is loud and crowded. Eager to spend some time truly relaxing on our honeymoon, not to mention eating amazing French food, Jeremy did some research. Lucky for me, Jeremy found La Mas Candille, a Five Star Resort in Mougins, a small town just a bit north of Cannes (and only a half hour from Nice). Definitely the splurge of our honeymoon vacation, our time at La Mas Candille was not just a few days at a very nice hotel. The on-site restaurant, La Candille, is a Michelin-starred restaurant. We enjoyed multi-course meals and wine pairings, as well as cooking and wine tasting classes. AMAZING!

We arrived on a Friday night after an afternoon driving around the Corniches of Nice. Upon arrival, we quickly heard the Infinity Pool was calling us to come swim. We hung out by the pool for a couple of hours before heading to La Candille for our first night of gastronomique pleasure. We were handed a menu with various options for selecting a starter, main dish, and dessert.; and our team of 13 waiters, including the restaurant manager and head sommelier, managed to surprise us with additional courses and treats throughout the night.

We finished it all with olives and ice cream. Yes, olives stuffed with ice cream. AMAZING! Our words cannot do the food justice, so check out the pics!

2010-07-16 - French Riviera Coast to Mougins

Nice: Very Nice!

We arrived in Nice on a Wednesday afternoon, just in time to take in a perfect Provencale lunch - moulet et frites! It is one of our favorite French foods to eat in America. It was just as good in France. We had a little bit of time to kill before we could check into our hotel, Le Dortoir. Jeremy was not happy with the astronomical prices at which the majority of Nice hotels charge the tourists, and we stumbled upon this gem after quite a bit of Internet rechercer (research). Yes, it was on the fourth floor (which in France, means FIFTH floor). No, there was not a lift. Yes, we overpacked. But in the end, our place was AMAZING!

In fact, it was kind of hard to leave the apartment, at first. We spent our whole first afternoon lounging in the suite. Very relaxing! It is hotter in the South of France than we anticipated, so a couple hours in la climatisacion (air conditioning) was a treat. We ventured out for drinks later in the evening, and planned on having a late dinner, as well. But then we remembered it was Bastille Day! No time to eat dinner - must watch fireworks! I was more than happy to return to our suite to take in the fireworks from our terrace. However, Jeremy was intent on watching the fireworks with the locals. Which we did.

Funny, every song that was played during the fireworks show was American. And yes, "I danced to that song!" two different times. Really, the fireworks were spectacular. Add fireworks to the list of French things in which I am in total awe. Foie gras, compte cheese, and fireworks.

After a good night's sleep, we woke up on Thursday morning a little later than expected. We walked a few blocks to pick up some bicycles, then rode down the promenade to Hi Beach, where for 50 Euros, we rented two towels and two beach chairs. (Sigh) Most of the beaches in Nice are private, and all of the good ones are. Add Hi Beach to the list of, "Well, it IS our honeymoon" type expenses. But so worth it! We had a fabulous day on the beach. After 15 minutes, I was used to seeing topless women, except for the woman to my immediate left. Seriously, she would have worn a T-Shirt. Or even a turtleneck sweater.

Even after a long day in the sun, we enjoyed a great night on the town. We dined at a small restaurant opened by a famous, local chef as his, "now I'm a big deal, so I'm going to cook" project. This was good for us, because 1) we wanted to eat like locals, 2) we wanted to eat what he wanted to cook, and 3) now that he's already made a lot of money, his dishes are reasonably priced at 11 Euros! It was a great dinner for both of us - beignets of squash flower, ratatouille, lentils, sausage, stuffed vegetables. All fresh and delicious!

And because we were having so much fun, Jeremy and I extended our celebration long into the night. We had drinks at a little bar on La Messena, the pedestrian street in Nice, called LOVE. And, after a long night of story telling, brainstorming, and glasses of wine, we even fell in love, all over again. Ah, Provence!

2010-07-14 - Nice

Torino - the Llieda of Our Honeymoon

We had two choices on our route to the South of France - one through Provance south of Lyon, and one through the French Alps, into Italy, and along the Mediterranean. The latter was roughly along the route of Le Tour, so it was the natural choice. We are very happy with the decision.

Before we left Geneva, we purchased a micro-SD card and a map of Europe so that Geraldine could expand her map knowledge (Geraldine is the french woman inside our GPS). Nicole and I love her - we haven't bickered at each other's driving since Geraldine joined us! We also haven't gotten too lost; and when we have, we just blame Geraldine! She's really brought us together.

After an incredible number of lofty tolls on the highway, we finally arrived in Torino. True, Geraldine said we would arrive a bit earlier than we actually did. But it was a small price to pay for navigating very small streets with very long names and no street signs.

Bonnard Serra! We checked into our hotel located just off the main plaza. We quickly showered and were off to find a pizzeria still serving dinner at 10PM. Nicole told me pizza in Italy, even Northern Italy, would be the best pizza I ever had. She was right! Mozzarella, Gorgonzola, onions, sausage... The crust was crispy and chewy. My only complaint is that we should have ordered two.

We haven't been able to sleep without a digestive or three, so we stopped in the plaza for another round. The cafe had all of the varietals that we see at Viansa, VJB, and Jacuzzi and we had fun rediscovering the Italian wines.

Straight to bed, and out of the door early the next morning - Torino was our stopover on the way to the Cote d'Azur. Ciao for now!

2010-07-13 - Le Tour Stage 9 & Turino

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Torino, Italy

Saint Jean de Maurienne - Le Tour Stage 9

Plans to make it to the Col de la Madeleine, an Hors Categorie (too hard to categorize) climb during today's stage of Le Tour were derailed. 1) We slept late. 2) We had to download our Garmin Europe maps, which we should have downloaded before our trip, but somehow forgot to do. Blame it on the wedding... Despite the late start, everything worked out. And we even got to spend some extra time with Lauren and Maz, dining on a Kebab. Jeremy was so happy!

Instead of staking a spot on the mountain to watch the riders climb, we drove to the Finish Town, Saint Jeane de Maurienne. We arrived just as Le Caravan was coming into town, which was perfect. Very little waiting required before the riders would cruise by. Around the 2KM mark, the road curved nearly 180 degrees - the perfect spot to view the cyclists as they approached, arrived, and continued on. And after only a few moments waiting, we were delighted to see the lead pack! We caught several pictures and cheered / jeered Alberto. Didn't see Shleck... Then after another few moments, another pack of riders came by, and we caught Levi Leiphimer riding strong. Again, a few moments passed, and another group, including Lance Armstrong, rode by. They all looked really good, despite the day's difficult HC climb. Content with what we saw, photoed, and videoed, we packed up and got back in the car.

As I type, we are in the car being escorted by Le Tour Rent-a-cop Security Guards through a crazy traffic jam. There must be a hundred or so tractor trailers lined up in advance of crossing the Italian Border. Merci, Rent-a-cops!

Onto Torino we go. We havne't had enough bread and cheese yet, and we're dying for a pizza in the piazza for dinner.

Annecy, The Place to Be!

Lake Tahoe used to be my favorite Alpine Lake. However, having seen a REAL Apline Lake on our trip, I am re-writing my Top Ten Alpine Lake list. Lac Annecy, you win! Not only are your waters turquoise blue, your temperature is inviting! And not only are you perched in the valley of gorgeous mountains, you sit beside such a cool town!

Annecy, also referred to as The Venice of France, is a quaint town that in some ways resembles Disneyland. Or at least, a French village at Epcot Center. With small canals meandering about the town, Annecy also somewhat resembles Venice, Italy. We arrived around noon, eager to rent bicycles to ride around the lake. Unfortunately, The Curse of Google Maps struck again -- we could not find the bike rental store. And since it was so hot, and to be honest, we were feeling a little lazy, we decided to just lie out at the beach for a litle while and swim.

After a relaxing hour or two enjoying the scene, we rented a kayak and took to the water. We admit that we are better at riding a tandem bicycle than we are at sharing a kayak and trying to get somewhere in it. This does not speak highly for either our tandem bicycling or kayaking skills. Thankfully, we have our whole lives together to perfect our skills!

Hungry after our pedaling expedition, we changed and headed into town for some beers at Le Munich, a German bar situated along the canal. We had a couple of biers and verres du vin blanc. Tres refreshing after our hot day in the sun! While I was blogging away at the table with my iPhone, Jeremy noticed the entire village scampering for cover. Apparently, the town of Annecy is scared of a little rain! So we packed up as it started to drizzle. Much to our surprise, it then thundered, lightninged, and downpoured. What were a couple of Americans to do without an umbrella durin such a terrible storm? Why not pop into a Creperie for a crepe and un boteille du vin rose?

Nicole: "Yes, thank you rain! Now we get to eat dessert before dinner!"

Words cannot describe the deliciousness of our crepe. Chestnut creme, chocolate, and almonds. Oui, si vou plait! And our rose, at 6 Euros for the bottle, was also quite a treat. The rain stopped, and we continued to walk around town, eyeing up spots for dinner. We settled on L'Etage, and feasted on a delicious tomato and gorgonzola cheese appetizer. Next, we shared a peppercorn steak with a mushroom fondue. In Annecy, "heaven" is spelled FONDUE. Cheese, butter, and wine all in one pot! Probably our favorite meal to date. Blows that veal feet straight out of the water!

We headed back to Ferney Voltaire and spent some more time with our friends. We cannot wait to come back and visit them (live near them?) again. But for now, it is onto Stage 9 of Le Tour and a night in Torino, Italy before our vacation really heatsb up in The South of France. A votre sante!

2010-07-12 - Annecy

Generosity in Geneve

Upon arrival at Chez Sassanpour, in Ferney Voltaire France, Lauren took us up the street for a celebratory drink: a Monaco, which is a beer spiked with our new favorite liquor, Creme de Casis! Delicious and refreshing, we were excited to spend time with our friends in France. Merci beaucoup pour l'hospitalite!

Since it was so hot, we decided to take a trip into Geneve to swim in the lake. What a scene! Lots of children playing in the water, in the sand, in the dirt. Julian provided us with much entertainment, which isn't hard to do when you are one of the cutest children in the world. We shared an ice cream cone and then headed into Old Town Geneve for dinner. Lauren and Maz treated us to a delicious meal at Au Carnivore, where Jeremy dined on his very first Steak Tartare. I had salmon tartare. Both were delicious! And for the first time in my life, I dug into some bone marrow to spread on my bread. Not going to lie, I think I prefer Smart Balance fake-butter to bone marrow. (It contains Omega 3s.) But a good experience nonetheless.

Amidst our exploring in Geneve, Jeremy and I remained somewhat glued to our iPhone, tracking the latest happenings in Le Tour. Gotta be honest, it was a hard day for us. Not to mention Lance, who crashed THREE TIMES. We were sad to here him concede that the tour was over for him. Especially since there were still two full weeks of racing to go. But we were happy to see our Local Favorite, Levi Leiphimer, still going strong.

All in all, it was a very intense day for sport. We arrived home after dinner in time to watch Spain win the World Cup. We are happy that Spain was able to put a ball in the net before a shootout, and we think that the country has seen enough wins for this year. Alberto, sorry, but you are NOT taking home the yellow jersey!

2010-07-11 - Geneve

Beaune C'est Bonne

Picture the beauty of Napa, the coziness of Sonoma, and the friendliness of Russian River Valley. Don't forget the wine! Now smash it all together into a circle, and you have Beaune. More or less the capital of the Burgundy wine region, Beaune c'est bonne. Tres bonne!

Little known fact: Burgundy only produces two varietals of wine... 1) Chardonay and 2) Pinot Noir. Now, that may sound boring to a couple from Northern California, but the wine is superb. We learned all of this upon arrival at our Bed & Breakfast in Beaune, La Terre d'Or, a beautiful little cottage perched on a hill overlooking rolling mountains of grape vines. Our inn keeper, Jean Louis, welcomed us into his home with a Communal, a glass of red wine spiked with Creme de Cassis. While we sipped, he proudly told us of the French Revolution, and then he took us into his basement, which no joke, is a wine cave. A wine cave!

What a shame that after our marvelous appertif and tour, Jean Louis kicked us out! Somehow, there was a mistake and he had over booked his inn. Ridiculous! Fortunately, he booked us at another very nice hotel, so we headed there to spend the night. In all honesty, the new hotel had air conditioning, so it was a small upgrade. A pain, but after a bottle of tasty Premier Cru Bourgogne from Beaune and a massive slate of cheese, we didn't care too much.

The next morning, we woke up, went on a nice run around Beaune, and then had a delicious petit dejouner (breakfast). And by 11 AM, we were ready to taste the wines of Bourgogne! We started at Patriarche Perre & Fils, located in the center of Beaune. Upon arrival, Jeremy proclaimed, "Holy shit, I've seen this place in Wine Spectator!"

Bourgogne has been making wine for hundreds of years, which means, they really have wine tasting down pat. At Patriarche, 10 Euros gets you 13 Wine Tastings. And these ain't no Napa one ounce contraption on the bottle pours. It's self service! In a dark, candle lit cave! With no supervision! Into a large silver wine spoon that holds about three tastes of wine!

Needless to say, Jeremy and I had a blast. The Patriarch wine cave is currently aging over 3 Million bottles of wine. All beneath the city of Beaune. We purchased three bottles of Pinot Noir that we look forward to storing in our new wine cellar (garage storage unit - once we buy a home, Jeremy is so digging us a cave!)

After 13 wine tastings, we were ready to explore Le Marchet, the open air market. And did we explore! We purchased a picnic basket, then filled it with olives, sun dried tomatoes, three types of cheese filled salamis, bread, and cheese. We headed outside of the city and picnic-ed next to lush grape vines. No really, they were lush!

Next, onto some vineyards. Michel Piccard, first, where we bought a bottle we will save until our third and fifth anniversaries. (The wines of Bourgogne are meant to last!) Onto Pommard, where the lovely Geraldine took us in just like she would her best friend, Jim. (Inside joke...) At Pommard we tasted wine that was harvested in 1989. Amazingly, it was still red and not brown! Had it been a Cali wine, it would have been vinegar. Kind of amazing.

Onto home at La Terre d'Or, where we were actually lodging that night. We walked up the street and met up with all of the locals at an adorable little restaurant, Chez NoNo. We perfected (ha!) our French with the old proprietor of the restaurant, sipped rose, and dined on splendor of the countryside (liverwurst), ham and parsley, coq au vin (rooster in wine) and trembling legs of lamb. No shit, these were the names is our meals per our French-English dictionary. Then for dessert, we had a course of cheese and creme brûlée. The check came, and our three course meal with wine was under 50 Euros. Bon appetit!

It was an amazing day, an amazing night. It is hard to believe that our journey has just begun...

Location:Beaune, France

Pics de Bourgogne

We've been busy having fun on our honeymoon, but here are a few pictures from our days in Bourgogne (Burgundy). They were a couple of tasty days!

2010-07-11 - Beaune

Pulling an Alberto Contador

Our plan for Friday was to collect our rental car in Lyon in order to make our way north into the Bourgogne (Burgundy) wine region. Our departure from Lyon was a little reminiscent of our Spanish road trip days: within 10 minutes of driving, Jeremy and I were pretty close to killing one another. A quick check on our vows (Excitement! Calming!) and we were furtively at ease again, on the road in France!

While driving, we started to notice quite a few cars with bikes, which got us excited for Le Tour. Hence, we collectively called an Alberto Contador, abandoning our team plan to head into Beaune, where we would be staying for the next two days. Instead, we initiated a breakaway down a country road to the Stainless Steel Capital of the world: Bueugnon. (This fact is of course per Le Tour Website. Fact checkers, let us know if we're wrong!)

Finish Town for Stage 6, this was the first time Buengnon hosted Le Tour. The cute small French town was decorated with yellow, green, white, and polka dot jersey-flags which streamed across the streets from building to building. You can tell the towns are proud to e selected to host a start or finish in Le Tour, and nearly everyone came out to watch what was destined to be a sprint finish stage.

We arrived several hours before the peloton was expected to finish in order to stake a front-row spot. We settled for a location 350 meters from the finish line, where we would surely be able to see the riders sprinting at the end of what was the longest stage in this year's Tour, some 220+ KM.

As it turns out, not only was this stage the longest, but it was also the most boring stage in the tour. For 220 KM, the General Contenders sat in the peloton, conserving energy in anticipation for the next day's climbing into the Alps. So for about two and a half hours, we stood waiting for the cyclists to arrive in Gueugnon, listening to an announcer give play-by-plays in French of practically nothing. Since we could only understand 10% of the announcer's commentary, we also tracked the race progress on my iPhone. Even a boring stage hade furiously tapping the refresh button: what a nail biter!

Finally, Le Caravan arrived, and a French version of the Philadelphia Mummer's Parade ensued. The race sponsors made floats and handed out treats while dancing and driving down the final few miles of the stage route. After the floats, a few motorcycles flew by and then, in nearly a blink of an eye, the cyclists turned the corner into the home stretch!

We were so excited to see our favorite riders up front and our other favorite riders in safe positions. Tyler Farar, an American on Team Garmin, was so close to taking the stage. We were rooting for him, while the Brits standing behind us were pulling Cav, aka Marc Cavendish, a man with very short arms but ferocious legs. In the end, Cav pedaled to victory for the second day in a row. But Tyler did great - we know he will win a stage soon! We also saw Lance - ever so briefly - and we even caught a photo of Levi Leiphimer, a local SF/Santa Rosa rider.

Despite all the waiting in the very hot temperatures, it was a great time. We spoke to a few old French women and collected a lot of cheesy but free cycling paraphernalia. And we are so excited for the upcoming Mountain Stages in the Alps...

Vive le Tour!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Location:Bourgogne, France

Pics de Le Tour - Stage 6

2010-07-09 - Tour de France Stage 6

All about the Bouchons, Baby!

Lyon is widely regarded as the Capital Gastronomique of France. According to the LP, "With lavish piggy-driven dishes, delicacies to savor, and a bounty of eating spaces, be it an old fashioned bistro with checked table cloths and slipper shuffling grandma, or smart minimalist space with state of the art furnishings and sleek city slicker crowd, this French cuisine king thrills."

We were promised trotters and offal. (Follow those links if you dare!) We were petrified. We were promised tablier de sapeur - cow stomach. We were shaking in our shoes. We were promised breakfasts of oysters and crisp white Cote de Rhone. Hmm... well that doesn't sound bad. Yes, we were warming up to the Lyonnaise style of cooking. So after a morning run, a delicious (free) breakfast in the Executive Lounge, and a long walk around town, we sat down for dejeuner (lunch) at Chez Paul.

Nicole did her best speaking French, while our waitress did her best speaking English. Jeremy, our beloved Creature of Comfort, chose to stay inside his English bubble. After a few words written on the red and white checked table cloth and Nicole's trusty iPod French Dictionary, all was well. And much to our delight, we were served the Menu of the Afternoon.

Lentils. Beans. Beets. Herring in oil. Pig Nose. PIG NOSE. Veal feet. VEAL FEET. Bread. A "pot" of local white wine, which for us, meant Beaujolais. Big bowls were placed on our table and we served ourselves. In hindsight, it is a miracle that we put any food on our plates!

The pig nose sort of looked like bacon. And if you didn't think about what you were eating, it was pretty good. Better than bacon, even. Perhaps more like Canadian Bacon? A bit more meaty. And fatty. And salty. The the veal feet? Um, they DEFINITELY looked like feet. Imagine putting your foot in a food processor. I swear it was straight cartilage. And mayonnaise. And salt. And the texture... Um, we were eating feet. Let's leave it at that. The herring. It was greasy slick! Tasted pretty good, especially when we didn't look at it. And relative to our other dishes, it was damn near comfort food! The lentils, beans, beets, and bread? Amazing. When we combined bites of the other stuff with the lentils and beans, we were a bit more confident with each bite.

As scary as the first course was, the second course was AMAZING. Jeremy had a huge andouillette sausage,  which is made from pig intestine. (Not your typical hot dog!) Nicole had a fish cake drenched in butter cream sauce. Honestly, we couldn't find any fish in the cake, but it was hard to not drink the butter cream sauce.

For the third course, we were presented with local cheeses. A creamy soft chive blend, and a local fromage that was a cross between brie and blue cheese. It was so delicious, it gave us chills. After the cheese, we were presented with a fourth course of more dessert. As with the first course, our waitress set each dish on the table and we served ourselves lovely prunes, a French version of Spanish flan, and *fancy* applesauce. Just when we thought we were done, we were handed a jar of digestive - sugar cubes soaked in a green liquor. Tongue numbing and really good!

All that eating definitely put us in a bit of a food coma. We walked around the city for a little while longer, but given the heat, we decided to head back to our hotel to watch Stage 5 of Le Tour and nap. We are now waking up to a tasting of Grenache Gris, a light, tart rose from Domaine de Mujolan. We'll head to dinner in a few. French Onion Soup, anyone?

A votre sante!

2010-07-08 - Lyon

Arrivée à Lyon

After nearly twenty four hours of traveling, and three flights, we made it safely to Lyon today! We decided that after the hectic wedding weekend, not to mention the months of planning beforehand, we needed to check-in to a hotel with a comfy bed and plush bathrobe. So here we are, Hilton Lyon. Thank you for the upgrade to the Executive Level!

Upon arrival, we immediately ordered room service. We have to admit, we were a little intimidated by the  foie gras at first. It was a little more meaty than we're used to eating in SF, but it was magnifique! And the quiche lorraine? It was so creamy Jeremy remarked that it had to have been made with extra butter. Delicieux!

After eating, we crashed in bed, napping for a few hours. It was still light outside when we woke up, however the time was nearly 9:00 PM. Too lazy to head into town, we strolled to the Executive Lounge, where we dined on oysters, cheeses, and meats, as well as some delicious local wine. All for free. (Which of course means we drank a couple bottles. Each?)

Our three and half week long trip has begun! A votre sante!

2010-07-06 - Flying to France

Prologue

After an incredible weekend, in which we *officially* became husband and wife, Jeremy and I sit in the Red Carpet Club lounge at Chicago O'Hare airport. No, we are not here for business -- FINALLY -- we are heading to France for a honeymoon that will last until the end of July. Nearly four whole weeks!

Thanks to all of our wonderful family and friends, the Boltano Wedding Weekend was perfect. Yes, Jeremy and I got married. Of course, we forgot to pack our marriage license, so The Esteemed is yet again, helping us pull off a minor miracle to ensure all legalities are squared away in due course. (TE, you continue to be amazing, our sunshine on the foggiest of SF days. Thank you!)

We are brainstorming our Top Ten List, compiling videos and pictures to share. And in another 14 hours, we will be sipping on ro-say in Lyon, France. Stop by this blog to keep track of our whereabouts while we're traveling. We have quite the itinerary planned, and we are not concerned at all with the results of Le Tour de France Stage 3. Lots of cycling and wine stories to come...

À votre santé!