Balkenbrij and Zuurkoolschotel

Ria's menu                                                                                     balkenbrij met appel

Last night we had a delicious traditional "like mom used to make" Limburg dinner at the home of our Dutch friends, Ria and Thieu. Jim met these wonderful people at Cafe Sjiek, just after he arrived in Maastricht. They were having dinner there with their son Luuk, a graduate of Maastricht University. Jim told them that I would be arriving in Maastricht in September, and Ria said she would invite us to their house for dinner after I arrived. We went for drinks with them at a little bar in late September and made plans to have dinner together later on. We finally got around to it last evening!

Our first course was Limburgse balkenbrij met appel (bloodsausage with apple). Ria browned slices of balkenbrij in butter, along with tart apple slices. She spread appelstroop (a thick molasses-like apple butter) on small thin slices of brown bread and placed a piece of the sauteed balkenbrij and an apple slice on each. 

Lekker!  (DELICIOUS!!)

The next course was Ria’s zelfgemaakte tomatensoep (homemade tomato soup), also very lekker! 

Ria's mom's recipe: zuurkoolschotel

The main course was Ria’s mother’s recipe for zuurkoolschotel, a casserole made with sauerkraut (zuurkool), ground beef, pork wurst, mashed potatoes, and pineapple.  This is real Dutch comfort food! The zuurkoolschotel was so delicious that Jim and I had second helpings...not a good idea, since Ria had TWO desserts ready for us!




The first dessert was amandelkoekjes met zomer fruit and zlagroom: almond cookies with summer fruit (berries) topped with a whipped cream/mascarpone concoction. Ria served it in lidded Bonne Maman jelly jars, a great serving idea that her son Luuk came up with. Erg lekker!!!

Ria & I enjoy amandelkoekjes met zomer fruit                                          Jim & Thieu with bowls of tomatensoep.

Before our second dessert Thieu made espresso for us, and brought out a variety of liqueurs. Jim chose brandy and I decided to try  Els La Vera, a bitter-sweet Dutch liqueur flavored with wormwood and star anise. Els is made in Beek, which is close to Maastricht. Ria told us that her dad loves this drink, and she always brings some to share with him when she visits him. I can see why her dad likes the Els...it leaves a nice warm feeling...and if I’d had another glass I think Jim would have had to carry me home (Els is 34% alcohol!) 

To top off this wonderful meal, Ria brought us slices of her favorite dessert, kruimelvlaaai (Limburg streusel-topped vanilla pudding pie). It’s amazing that we had room for this... we shouldn’t have had that second helping of zuurkoolschotel...

Jim and I loved our Dutch meal with Ria and Thieu. The food was great, and the conversation was great, too. They are wonderful, generous people and we feel so very fortunate to know them! We hope that Ria and Thieu will come to Pennsylvania sometime so we can return the favor.

Thanks, Ria and Thieu for our lekker gezellig evening at your beautiful home in Maastricht!

Els La Vera and Limburg kruimelvlaii

A Papal Palace, the Pont d'Avignon, and the Princess and the Pea

Palais des Papes, Avignon

One day we traveled from Arles to Avignon to see the Palais des Papes, the huge palace fortress that was the Papal residence in the 14th century. Seven popes resided in Avignon during the period between 1309 and 1378. The Papacy was moved from its traditional home in Rome during that time because of political upheaval in Italy.

The Palais is a huge complex of ancient buildings that have pretty much been stripped bare. There are no furnishings, and only a few of the original wall frescoes remain. Throughout the massive buildings were very good descriptions of the original use and decoration of each room, in English. You had to use your imagination to “see” the grandeur of this place in its heyday. It was impressive, and even in its bare bones state you can get a sense of the Papal excesses that built it.

Unusual beds at the Palais des Papes

There was a contemporary art exhibit in one of the cavernous halls of the Palais, titled Les Papesses (the female popes). There were lot of very unusual pieces, including huge metal spiders and sculptures that looked like parts of dead horses. We were amused by two of the artworks. One was a “bread bed” whose mattress was made of loaves of bread. Another installation was a very tall pile of mattresses! The Princess and the Pea’s bed come to life! 

Before we left Avignon we climbed to a park high above the town for a view of Avignon’s famous bridge, the Pont Saint Benezet- better known as the Pont d’Avignon. The bridge was built in the 12th century. It fell into disrepair in the 17th century, and a catastrophic flood swept away many of its arches in 1669 (only 4 arches remain today). Overlooking the bridge, of course we sang the famous song...

Pont d' Avignon

Sur le Pont d’Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le Pont d’Avignon
L'on y danse tous en rond

On another day we took the train to Marseille. We hiked from Marseille’s beautiful train station, high on a hill, down to the Vieux Port (Old Port) to see the famous harbor. This place was first used as a port in 600 BC when Greek settlers set up a trading post on a nearby hill. Today the Vieux Port is jam-packed with sailboats and other watercraft. You wonder how anyone can find their boat in that jumble! 

The Vieux Port of Marseille

We ate lunch at a fish market/restaurant named Toinou near the harbor. We ordered raw oysters, clams and mussels. The “chef” walked to the outdoor seafood market in front of the restaurant and selected our shellfish from the display! Delicious...

Choose your lunch at Toinou in Marseille

We continued our train journey, traveling from Marseille to Aix-en-Provence. The tracks had a steep incline when we neared Aix, and off to our right we saw a spectacular sight- Mont Saint Victoire. The massive face of the mountain looked to be snow covered, but it was actually the bright sunlight reflection off the limestone mountainside that we were seeing. We arrived in Aix after 4 pm, too late for any museums. We just wandered around the town's hilly streets and stopped to drink Oranginas in an outdoor cafe. It’s a lovely little town with picturesque pedestrian streets that are lined with beautiful shops and eateries. A nice place, somewhere we’d like to spend more time exploring in the future. 

We left Aix-en-Provence just as it was getting dark. It was a long train ride back to Arles, where that wonderful ancient Roman amphitheater was waiting to welcome us back.

Aix-en-Provence

What You Can’t Do in Paris & Other Inexplicable French Things...

After Arles we stayed in Paris for two nights. We’ve already seen many of the famous sights and museums in the City of Light, so we decided to take it easy during our single day here. We walked around, drinking in the beautiful architecture...and the funny wordless signs that seem to be everywhere. Some were easy to understand, others were puzzling.

"DO" & "DON'T" signs at the entrance to a Paris park. 

And this interesting sign, which we found at the top of a down escalator in a Carrefours Supermarket. OK, I understand the two outside signs. But what is the middle one telling us to NOT do?: 

An Inexplicable French Thing...

This HUGE sign was hung above the entrance to Paris' Gare du Nord (North Train Station). A photo of a leopard walking down steps covered with cups of hot chocolate! No title, no explanation. What Jim calls "another inexplicable French thing." Poor leopard. The humiliated look on his face says "why are they making me do this?" We wonder why, too.

Jim wanted to go inside the Cathedral of Notre Dame (of Hunchback fame), so we queued up with all the other tourists to enter. On the way in we were amused by the wordless signs telling tourists what they CAN’T DO in the Cathedral. One must be silent and respectful, of course. And you can’t bring a suitcase in, or take photos with a flash. Our favorite “don’t” sign showed pictures of the kinds of hats that can’t be worn in the church. Baseball caps, knit toboggan caps, and fedoras are forbidden. Apparently ladies’ dress hats are OK, and of course the head coverings that Muslim women wear. Skull caps are surely acceptable as well as the pointed miters that bishops and popes wear. Is it OK to wear a cowboy hat in the cathedral? A straw boater? A tiara? Next time I visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame, I’m wearing my tiara.

And what happens if you are caught wearing one of the forbidden hats in the Cathedral? Jim thinks that the punishment is illustrated in the carved arch above the Cathedral’s central door. It depicts Judgement Day. Christ sits on his throne, surrounded by saints. Below him are lines of people headed to the left and right. The souls on the left, faces raised upward, are being led by an angel to heaven. The miserable souls on the right, agonizing, are being led in chains to eternal damnation. These are the trespassers who wore the forbidden hats in Paris’ Cathedral of Notre Dame...

Arles, France: Vincent van Gogh & Soupe de Poisson

Roman Amphitheater in the center of old Arles

Much of Vieux Arles (the quarter that is the old city) remains the same as it was way back when. It’s easy to see why Vincent van Gogh was inspired by this beautiful place. Soft ochre colored buildings with shutters in pastel hues line the streets of the old town, and a massive, well preserved Roman amphitheater is right in the middle of it all. The amphitheater was built in 90 AD. These days it’s used for summer concerts...and bullfights! Arles' very popular bullfight festivals are in April and September.

Hotel Calendal's cafe tables
 overlook the arena

Our hotel was just around the corner from this ancient wonder- it was the first thing we saw when we stepped out into the street each morning. At night the amphitheater is even more spectacular, all lit up. And it’s so quiet at night...kind of spooky. You can almost imagine the ghosts of Roman gladiators wandering around in the amphitheater arena after midnight!

View of Arles from the top of the Roman Amphitheater

Vincent van Gogh lived in Arles between February 1888 and May 1889. Many of his best-known works were created here. The city has marked 10 places where he painted, with panels showing the painted image near the actual site of Vincent’s subject. Some sites look very similar to the original image. Sadly, some are unrecognizable. The “Yellow House” that Vincent painted in 1888 was bombed during World War II; a Monoprix supermarket occupies its site. One site, at the Maison de Sante, has been restored and is now called L'Espace van Gogh.

Maison de Santé psychiatric hospital (Vincent admitted himself after cutting his ear off!); his painting of its garden.

We spent part of one afternoon strolling in the Alyscamps, which was Arles’ principal burying ground for over 1500 years. The Romans who occupied Arles (called Lugdunum in those days) buried their prominent citizens there. In the 4th century there were already several thousand tombs in the Alyscamps. During the Middle Ages this peaceful place was a tourist attraction of sorts. Pilgrims from all over Europe would stop to see the precious religious relics in the church of Saint Honoratus at Alyscamps, and to view the tombs of famous ancients. Today the Medieval church is in ruins, and all that remains of the tombs are empty, worn stone sarcophagi that had been looted in the 1400s. A huge chunk of the original Alyscamps has disappeared into the surrounding neighborhood development; much of it was ripped out to make way for a canal and train tracks during the 19th century. In spite of this, Alyscamps is still a lovely, tranquil spot. Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin painted there side by side in October 1888.

Gauguin's and Vincent's paintings of the Arles Alyscamps; empty sarcophagi lining the path.

On our last afternoon in Arles we ate lunch at the Hostellerie des Arenes, a little restaurant adjacent to the amphitheater. Provencal's famous soupe de poisson (fish soup) was on the menu. Each bowl of dark reddish-brown soup came with an another plate that held toasted slices of baguette, a fresh garlic clove, shredded parmesan cheese and a tiny bowl of saffron colored rouille (a thick, garlicky sauce with an indescribably yummy taste). Our patient waiter gave us soupe de poisson instructions: rub the raw garlic clove on the toasted baguette slice; place a dollop of rouille on top and float the slice in the soup; sprinkle the concoction with shredded parmesan cheese...et voila! The soup was DELICIOUS, a soup we’ll be dreaming about until the next time we’re in Provence. A nice way to end our visit to the town that inspired van Gogh. 

Provencale Soupe de Poisson comes with extras.

While we were eating we were entertained by the antics of a black cat who was playing in the street  between the arena and our cafe. The kitty was very friendly, and allowed anyone who passed to pet him. He was gone by the time we left the restaurant. But we saw him again, lounging on top of some tables on a hotel terrace. What a life! I'd love to be that kitty, living in that beautiful little corner of Vieux Arles...

48 Hours in Lyon, France

View of Lyon from Fourvière

Jim and I are in Lyon, France for a short visit, on our way to Arles in Provence. We’ve been here only 2 nights...long enough for us to fall in love with France’s “Second City.” There’s a battle with Marseille for that title, the two cities having about the same population (second in size to Paris). But there's no dispute about another of Lyon's claims to fame: this beautiful city is truly the Gastronomic Capital of France. Our short experience with Lyonnaise cuisine would back that up.

On our first evening we met my young French cousin and her husband for dinner at Brasserie Léon de Lyon, a Michelin-starred restaurant that didn’t disappoint. I ordered Quennelles, a Lyonnaise specialty. These are delicate souffle-like dumplings (mine were made with minced fish and served with sauce Nantua). Soooo delicious! 

Yesterday we started our day (and culinary tour of Lyon) with cups of cafe au lait and a plate of tiny delicious sweets at the Grand Café des Négociants, a short walk from our hotel. Expensive, but worth the price to enjoy the elaborate decor of this Lyonnaise institution. 

Then we wandered all around Lyon, from top to bottom (starting with a funicular ride to Fourvière hill, where we had a spectacular view of the city). Our favorite area was Croix Rousse, perched on another hilltop. We rode the wonderful Lyonnaise Metro to get there, and worked our way down a steep hill through that artsy neighborhood, stopping for a cappuccino break at a very cool coffee shop named Mokxa. 

Mokxa cappuccino                               Cafe au lait at Grand Négociants

    One of Lyon's many beautiful fountains                                       Steep, colorful street in Croix Rousse

The second to the last stop on our long walk was at La Bouteillerie, a wine bar owned by a trained sommelier named Christophe (today I learned that a sommelier is a knowledgeable wine professional, usually the person in charge of wines in a restaurant). We intended to sample only one glass of Burgundy, but Christophe was a very engaging guy and his tiny wine bar was so cozy and comfortable...we left feeling very rosy after THREE glasses of delicious red! Our charming host steered us in the direction of his favorite neighborhood restaurant, L'escale des Saveurs, which (fortunately) was just around the corner. Christophe had called the restaurant to make our reservation- a good thing, because it was a very busy, packed place despite it's out-of-the-way location! Our meal was another memorable Lyonnaise culinary experience. I had pork, Jim had scallops. The sauces served with our entrees were amazing! My tender pork came with a creamy red sauce that had the unlikely flavor combination of beets and mint. Jim's scallops came with a pale yellow sauce that had a hint of mustard, and other wonderful flavors that he couldn't identify. A great meal to end a great day, in a GREAT city.

                                                      Our new best buddy Christophe, sommelier extraordinaire.

Delft: The Girl With a Pearl Earring

Delft's canals are used for transportation, and also to manage excess water in this town built beneath sea level.

We traveled to Delft at the end of September. It’s a beautiful little city, built around numerous picturesque canals. Delft is known for the pottery that bears its name. Delftware first appeared in the 1600s, imitating the popular blue and white porcelain that was being produced in China at the time. At one time the Delft pottery works was the main tourist attraction, but these days the 17th century painter Johannes Vermeer is the main attraction in Delft.

In 1999 author Tracy Chevalier wrote a best-selling book that was inspired by Vermeer’s painting The Girl With a Pearl Earring. A 2003 movie of the same name, starring Scarlett Johansson, was based on Chevalier’s book. As a result, Vermeer’s fetching image of a young girl with a pearl earring has become a Dutch icon. And nowhere in the Netherlands is The Girl With a Pearl Earring more popular than in Johannes Vermeer’s hometown of Delft. That’s where Vermeer painted the majority of his works, including this one. 

There’s not much left in Delft that’s “original Vermeer.” The house he lived and painted in was torn down in the 18th century to make way for a church addition. And sadly, Delft does not have possession of any of Vermeer’s original paintings. But reproductions of his work are everywhere- in the shops, restaurants, hotels, and in the streets. And no image of Vermeer’s work is encountered more than The Girl With a Pearl Earring. We found her EVERYWHERE, and in some surprising forms. 

Girl With a Pearl Earring mosaic, posed photo portrait, abstraction, and mural

Delftware, a finger puppet, Girl With a Pearl Earring liqueur, and candy tins

And...OF COURSE...a Girl With a Pearl Earring bicycle!