Chez Giffard

Day two of la Toussaint holiday was perfect for a spontaneous tour of a local company that makes liqueurs- one of the three still around since the sugary distilled beverages started being made in the region around the end of the 19th century. Popular French thought might lead to the assumption that it was the pharmacists who first created liqueurs for medicinal purposes but it actually began with the monks (you learn a lot at these tours!) The pharmacist Giffard started his business in 1885 in Angers with a guignolet liqueur made of a bitter and a sweet wild cherry.

Below are the "big bag(s) de sucre" because sometimes its cool to use English for these things...

Liqueurs, crèmes, and sirops (listed in order of alcohol percentage- with sirop containing none) are being bottled below. In France it's a typical drink for kids to have a glass of water with sirop added. This is the bright green mint drink that I'll see people all over town drinking at the cafés.

At the end we tried a few different kinds of Giffard. First it was the Guignolet d'Angers. Every year they make a new flavor and last year was elderflower, fleur de sureau so we sampled that next. And then I tried the Menthe Pastille- my favorite that can be an apéritif or a digestif depending on how/when it's served. It was named after a popular candy for soar throats. And lastly the crème de cassis because it is the most popular in Angers. In the States Giffard is only available at professional establishments but in France it can be purchased even at les grandes surfaces, supermarkets.

 

 

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Une soirée raclette

Is usually a no-brainer in the summer when friends get together for dinner, you barbecue. In the winter I can't think of an equivalent, in the US. But in France there is one, the raclette!

There is a little grill on top to warm up the charcuterie and then individual pans beneath that for warming up the raclette cheese, which isn't a "great" cheese but it's delicious and melts well. And then, because it's winter and eating light isn't at the top of the list, you have potatoes that you put in your bowl and mash up, then add your melted cheese and the meats and mix together. Yum! But I was having raclette with Americans who don't mind messing with time-honored traditions, so we added vegetables (and hot sauce) to the mix and honestly I don't know why everyone doesn't.

 

 

And then, as if a bowl of cheese, potatoes and charcuterie isn't enough, a baguette is always served too. And on a cold day, one added benefit is the warmth you get sitting around the hot raclette during a nice and long French dinner. A cozy, tasty fun time bien sûr!

 

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samedi

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny fall day...

 

 

It was perfect weather for setting up and then celebrating our "Roaring Anniversaire", a joint birthday party my friend David and I planned. It was a roaring fun time and the soupe Angevine we made was a hit. This is made with ingredients from Angers: 1 bottle of Crémant de Loire (or a bubbly wine) and a ladle of Cointreau (we used triple sec), and a ladle of pulco (lemon syrup) and a ladle of simple syrup.

 

 

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Indian dinner

A professor invited us over to his and his wife's 200 year old house overlooking the Loire to enjoy an Indian dinner, made by his friend from Sri Lanka. The food was A-mazing. And I never thought before I liked Indian food. It was so great to have spicy food for once in France! The chicken had bones in it still, because it gives the chicken more flavor apparently. I trust him too, after that delicious meal.

My walk to the bus stop

Walking along stunning old houses on one side and a vineyard on the other side to find the professor's house

 

 

Among other highlights from the night, I include this one... We were trying to figure out what the capital of South Sudan was, when the host stood up, and went to get the encyclopedia. When was the last time you saw someone do that? And Dan helped out, getting a better glimpse of the map in the light...

I went over to take a look and said I think it must be Juba, to which they agreed, and at that point of course someone consulted a cellphone to verify. I'd like to thank The Economist for my slightly lucky slightly educated guess. ;)

 

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Bonbons

I happened to run into the English assistants today and they introduced me to an English candy shop. So yummy:)

I came home with this pretty glass jar filled with English sweets, to maybe take to my co-birthday party tomorrow. Maybeee.

 

 

 

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Indian summer boat ride

It was a perfect Friday afternoon for a boat ride yesterday after a day of work-well work for everyone else. I'm off on Fridays:) The sunshine along with the temperature in the upper 60's was appreciated exponentially more after all the rain last week. So a friend with a vintage boat took three of us out on the Maine. We started by Bouchemaine and went chasing the sun towards the Loire, because 60-some degrees isn't exactly warm unless the shine is shining on you. It was simply beautiful out there. I enjoyed so much being on the water... very happy to have been invited!

Here are some sights we passed along the way...

 

 

 

The gents got us to shore,

so that we could walk around a fascinating little island called Béhuard, which used to be a pilgrimage destination for fisherman before the 15th century. The church Notre Dame was built on a rock in the 15th century under Louis XI

 

Outdoor services are held here

and the houses surrounding the church date from the 15-18th centuries.

 

Pine cones and a little used door.

 

Finally, back on the water things were going alright and the sunset was fine...

 

the moonrise was autumn perfection,

when the engine fan fell off and the motor stopped running! So, the fellas pulled the boat ashore while I stayed dry and warm. Good thing [understatement] the Loire is mostly a shallow river.

So we got a ride home from the parents and Roman went to fix his boat this morning, so all was well in the end. And that was my first boating adventure in Angers!

 

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