Ciaotraveler

Welcome to Favigny-Sur-Ozerain, one of the prettiest small villages in France.   I first heard of this medieval location through the movie "Chocolat" starring Johnny Depp.  Several scenes were filmed here including the Chocolat shoppe and church. I thought the movie was very romantic and the location scenery just made it "pop" even more. Hope you enjoy this very picturesque town as much as I loved the romantic movie.    See my older post on the movie  here Street to one of the churches. This guy is always in the village... The Church from in the movie The main Piazza by the church used in the movie. This looks like the Chocolat signage. Most residents display the lovely flowers outside their homes.                    Original photos by Google    ...

Rochefort en Terre, Morbihan, Brittany, France A  beautiful medieval town in the Morbihan department of Brittany, France with lots of good restaurants, craft shops and stunning walks. Rochefort en Terre It's been said it's the most beautiful village in France...do you agree?                        Morbihan lies on the south coast of Brittany with fine sandy beaches, rugged coastline, rivers, islands and estuaries. The clear waters and natural beauty of this coast draws surfers, climbers,  divers and fishermen which is also renowned for its oyster production.   B rittany is situated in the North West of France.  The region has a welcoming warmth.  Its buildings most constructed from local granite, many medieval half timbered buildings and beautiful Chateaux are set in a green countryside, interspersed with rivers.   Paris book at "Stories" at Etsy With its ...

     The highest paid American actress today, Scarlett Johansson, has opened a new popcorn shop in Paris. Do you think we'll be adding that to our tourist list of things to see in the City of Light?  I guess if you love popcorn you'll be there...see the shop information here . 

 

I was a big fan of Grace Kelly before she married into French Monaco royalty.  But now her grandson (Princess Caroline's son) has recently married.  Click to see their fairytale wedding and subsequent  honeymoon castle  at Lake Maggiore in Italy. You may want to visit my other posts:   Princess Grace     Prince Albert's Wedding     Monaco  (French Riviera)

If you've not seen the movie "Bottle Shock" starring Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Chris Pine and Dennis Farina, then check it out on Netflix.  It's all about the emerging Napa Valley Wine industry in the '70's and the impact it had on the skeptic French wine sommeliers. The scene above where the blind tasting event was held, reflected Euro vintage vehicles on a rustic farm as if it were set in France (and convincingly pulled off).  However, scenes were shot n the beautiful California Napa Sonoma Valley.  

                                                                                      People Mag   When I first saw the exquisite photo (top) of Nicole Kidman, I knew it had to be taken for a special movie or photo shoot.  Yes, she's playing the extraordinary life of Princess Grace and she surely looks the part.  This must be the perfect role for Nicole...she's lovely, talented, and star royalty.  The story is about the termoil between Prince Rainier and the French President, Charles De Gaulle.  The movie was filmed in Monaco, Paris, France, Belgium,  Genoa, Italy...see more...

Would you think this charming rustic red brick carriage home with the blue shutters may be English, French or European maybe?  This stylish cutie is located in  Brooklyn Heights. It's  a cozy 700 square feet over two floors, has a living area and kitchen on the first floor and a bedroom, home office, and a bath on the second.  It was featured on Curbed for sale at a lofty $995,000.  Lets compare the Celeste Blue shuttered house to similar ones in France .  It's always fun to look--continue...

"The Family" film features Mr. De Niro and Ms. Pfeiffer, a married couple that must escape the mob through the witness protection program.  They land in a small French village in the Normandy (Orne) region of France.  See the location...

Shabby chic meets Provence in one of my favorite French go-to blogs for inspiration.  At emagDECO there's plenty of great room decor and French products to explore.

A cute and scenic romance about Kate (Meg Ryan) who befriends a Frenchman, Luc, (Kevin Kline) while trying to make her fiance jealous in the City of Lights (Paris).  Above they travel to Cannes where her fiance and his new French love are vacationing. Paris and the American Embassy above. 

I s potted these very vintage postales and papers from vintage-papers.com.  What lovely patterns and designs for the Euro lover, especially Paris lovers...

"The best croissant in Paris is simply a good one within sleep-walking distance of where you happen to be staying" according to Paris by Mouth writer Eric Kayser.  He was in search of the best croissant at this time. What is better than a baguette or a croissant? Oui, I remember the aroma from the bakeries wafting through the tiny streets near the Sacre Coeur is merely tempting the senses.   Most Europeans frequent their boulangeries/patisseries on a daily basis to get a supply of the fresh baked goods while Americans constantly worry about carbs. There's just something special about the crusty fresh baked breads in France... Here's the top 10 baguettes in Paris...

Lovely maison de maitre with garden  bordering a canal in Capestang, France...

Flipping through the French real estate market, I found these lovely decorative French cottages.   I created the palette for future projects.  Voila les coloeurs...

If you've read some of my posts, you know that I love blues and whites, almost as much as the earth tones painted on the stone villas everywhere in Italy.   I've used many colour themes so check out some of my other posts at the end of this one. It  doesn't get much bluer than the sea near and around the famous arches in Capri in the Mediterranean Sea (left).    See more blues and whites...

I come from the land of cotton, grapes and dairy farms in the great Central Valley of California.  Bruce Springsteen sang about the early immigrants living and working along the Central Valley agricultural producing trails.  When I was growing up, I knew people who worked in the fields and I even picked tomatoes one summer.  On a recent drive by some of the many fields in our area, I realized it was close to harvest time and the cotton will soon be gone.  Here's just a small tribute to its wonders, handmade from Europe...

I was inspired by the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, today as I watched her make authentic French bistro foods.  She finished with a beautiful outdoor table scape, French style naturally.  Ina  cut fresh lilies from her own estate garden.  She  mastered the Julia  Child's French Cook Book and enjoys cooking the French way with her own twist of making it simple.  I loved her simple Apple Tarts that she made today.  You can see that recipe at the end of this post and the link to her favorite shops in Paris...

Versus pronounced vair-ZHOO), sometimes spelled verjuice, is a French term that when translated into English mean “green juice." It is a medieval condiment that was once a staple of French provincial cooking and is now enjoying a worldwide revival. In medieval times the term verjus could refer to the juice of a variety of unripe fruit - from grapes to plums. Today, Verjus is made from semi-ripe and unfermented wine grapes. The grapes are hand-picked from the vine during a period called veraison (when the grapes change in color and the berries begin to soften enough to press). Grapes are thinned to reduce the crop load in our vineyard. The thinned grapes are high in acid and low in sugar. Sugars at this harvest can range between 13 and 15 brix. In Oregon, veraison occurs sometime in mid August. Because  verjus is made from wine grapes and shares the same acid-base as wine, it is an elegant and delicate alternative to vinegar and lemon juice as it is “wine friendly” and will ...