Cerdon

Franck had introduced us to a sparkling wine with a light, dry taste a while ago, so we decided that it was about time to go visit the town in which it is produced: Cerdon. After a five minute internet reconnaissance, we decided upon Lingot-Martin as the vintner of choice. We had also cleverly timed the car ride so that the kids could get some sleep.

In addition to the wine, they also have a sparkling non alcoholic cider which while delicious, did not meet with Zoe's approval ("TOO FIZZY!")

Alex seemed okay with it, however

Chloe needed something with a little more kick, however

We ended up buying quite a few bottles, which we will avail ourselves of in Monetier in a few weeks time!
Next, we went to the town of Cerdon and wandered around for a while



And then walked to the copper forge, which was unfortunately closed. Alex did take the opportunity to dunk his sunglasses in the copper fountain, though.

And then we checked out this cool still

Before meeting up with the Aussie clan for drinks at the cafe under an awning (it was quite hot). After a while it was time to retreat to the safety of an air conditioned car. I could see cliffs down the valley, so I couldn't resist driving out to see if they were equipped, but alas they were not. It was an uneventful drive back, with the exception of seeing a pretty fabulous looking car dealership called GT spirit, which we will have to stop at next time!

Papa's day!

Today I awoke to Zoe bringing me a present wrapped in blue construction paper that she had made at school. It was a book about planting things (candies, musical notes, words, kisses, crayons) and the kinds of trees that grew out of them. When you plant a candy wrapper, a bonbon tree apparently grows out of it! It was beautiful, and quite honestly one of the best gifts I have ever received. She had apparently also been rehearsing it in school, so despite not really being able to read, she was able to recount most of it to me (stopping every once in a while to tell me that the book was "verrry special!". I think most of us have had moments like this described to us by friends and family, but it turns out to be one of those intensely personal experiences that defies description. Suffice it to say that I was overcome with emotions and ended up getting a little teary.


Later on, I went for a mega ride into the chartreuse: 80km and 1900 vert meters of elevation gain. I was pretty tired by the end.

Town

Peuil bouldering

We headed out to Peuil for some bouldering today


After trying out a few boulder problems, I wandered off with Alex, to practice walking for a while: he walked quite far and expressed his strong displeasure at having to turn around.

When we got back, however, I was greeted with the aftermath of a rather bad fall off the top of a boulder, with concomitant blood and scrapes. Luckily, nothing was broken.

Here is Zoe, a few seconds before sweeping her hand through a stinging nettle

even more ice cream

(best flavor=caramel, beurre salé)

Mille martyrs

Rode to Mille Martyrs today and checked out some of the route for the Criterium de Dauphiné. There were road closure signs, and the sprint signs had already been installed. It felt pretty good, and I had my fastest time up Placette. The last climb up to Layat was kind of brutal though.

Haircut!

dinner

Franck, Silvia and Artur came over for dinner tonight, the highlight of which was Franck's excellent Raspberry cake. I was thinking about grilling, but the weather was not cooperating.

In town

for ice cream, etc

Storm

It was storming, so I rally car drove up the road to Mont St. Martin, got the grear out and stood in the rain under an umbrella

Back to Grenoble

Today we made the onerous four hour drive back to Grenoble. Just kidding! I know how lucky we are to be within a four hour drive of Lago Maggiore. We checked out, took the by now familiar ferry back to Stresa, loaded up the car and then went off in search of coffee. Mom wandered off to look at the stores, and we were soon laden with amaretti, wooden pinnochio dolls and a fancy cane for dad. I checked out some engravings of Isola Pescatore, but the prices were a little to high. At this point our plan had been to use the famous Osterie & Locande d'Italia: A Guide to Traditional Places to Eat and Stay in Italy to find a restaurant at which to have lunch, but I gently suggested that we skip it since we had already eaten countless megacalories. As soon as I mentioned it, mom looked visibly relieved and we agreed to stop somewhere with simpler fare. I tried to find something about street food, since I had heard mention of local specialities, but the only thing I could find in the area was something called "farinata". The best I could do was find a place on the outskirts of Torino with "Farinata" in the title, so we plugged it into the GPS and set out. Unfortunately, the GPS brought us to a narrow cobbled road

which required some very delicate maneuvering and a turnaround flanked by gaping pits.

After a while, we found a way out of Stresa without the GPS, and not on dirt roads or hiking paths. From there it was autoroute time again, until Torino. It was a bit of a maze in Torino, but we made it to the Farinata place without major hijinks. The neighborhood looked dodgy, so I left mom and Zoe in the car while I ran out to get a few portions of the much anticipated food. One problem was that I had no idea what farinata actually looked like, so I could not point to it, using the standard tourist pantomime (followed by 2 fingers held up to specify quantity). Instead, I just said "Farinata?" hopefully, and the server nodded and pointed to a few triangular grey pieces of food next to the pizza. I bought three and brought them back to the car in a pizza box. We broke it open as soon as I was back at the car, and I tasted a corner of one. Unfortunately, it tasted like deep fried cardboard, but without the delicious cardboard flavor. Worse still, the grease managed to adhere to your tongue, so I was tasting the greasiness for the next fifteen minutes. Also, it might have been a coincidence, but a few minutes after eating a chunk of farinata, I got a headache. My theory is that it was loaded with MSG. Anyway, Zoe was quickly relieved of her slice of the deep fried vileness, and we set out in search of better food.

We were hoping to stop at the Sacra de San Michele, since we had missed it on the way there, but by the time we arrived in San Ambrogio and managed to find a place to eat, we were all too tired to face the thirty minute drive up to the Sacra. Lunch was a few very basic sandwiches, and fresh squeezed orange juice, which Zoe got to watch the making of. From San Ambrogio, I was confronted with the usual dilemma of whether to trust the signs or the GPS, and choose poorly: the signs for Frejus take you on a half hour drive right next to the autoroute on small roads. Once on the autoroute, we went into the series of tunnels that eventually take you back into France, and along the autoroute that taunts you with signs for famous cols (Galibier, Croix de Fer, Glandon). After getting through grenoble traffic, we finally made it home.

Lago Maggiore Day 2

Today we went to the Villa Pallavicino. After taking the ferry into Stresa, we had lunch in the central pedestrian only area

And then bought tickets to the villa. Getting there involves a small train (also very exciting for Zoe) that barely manages to fit through the tiny streets of Stresa, and climbs into a spectacular set of grounds which now house an impressive variety of flora and fauna.




The highlights for Zoe were definitely the Zebra, followed by the Wallabies or possibly the very animated Toucan. It was a hot day, and after a trip to the gift shop to buy Zoe a t-shirt with baby Zebras, it was time to go back to the island. We had left Babu there, and Zoe was by now overheated, tired and in no mood for sightseeing. We stopped by the car to drop off a few things, and then hopped back on the ferry:


And then went back to the hotel room to relax. I walked every foot of the island looking for wifi while Zoe was "napping" with mom, and found one network with which I could catch up on emails. I'm sure I looked like a junkie sitting there on a stone bench with my iPad!

Unfortunately, Ristorante Italia was closed, so we had to look for a new place to eat. The best option looked like it was the hotel Verbana, and it turned out to be a fantastic choice. The setting is of course magnificent: views of the lake, mountains and Isola Bella from a perfectly manicured terrace.

The waiters were also very nice to Zoe, stacking two chairs for a clever and improvised kid seat, and bringing her a special amuse bouche and some Parmesan.

The meal was fantastic again, of course. I am addicted to the local hams, so I ordered that again, and my mom ordered a scallop puff pastry


followed by lobster fettucine

mom ordered shrimp pasta

And then there was dessert:


Mom's was a zabaglione semifreddo which was the clear winner, and was soon dispatched by Zoe.

We were treated to more stunning views of Isola Bella on our way back to the apartment

Lagio Maggiore, Day 1

Today mom, Zoe and I set out for Italy. I had originally planned on going to the Italian Riviera: the cinqueterre perhaps, or camogli, but was having too much trouble finding a place to stay. Instead, I found a fantastic looking place in northern Italy, familiar to many, but so far unvisited by any members of the clan: Lago Maggiore. I also looked a little into staying near the nearby and much more famous lake Como, but was immediately swept off my feet when I found an apartment for rent on the isola Pescatore. I was so excited, in fact that I immediately called my mom in the states and emailed her a picture. Soon after, I booked the apartment (apartment Da Giusi, which I found here). Beyond booking the apartment, I hadn't really spent too much time planning the trip, and we got off to a rocky start, driving past the restaurant at which we had hoped to eat lunch, and not arriving early enough at the Sacra di San Michele monastery in enough time to visit it. Instead, it was autoroute food for us, which turned out to be excellent and fresh! never underestimate Italian food, even in the most humble surroundings, I guess. From outside of Turin, it was a relatively short and uneventful drive up to Stresa. Although the posted speed limit is 130kph for most of the drive, it seems that that number is only a basic rule of thumb. However, since I was getting frequent speed camera warnings from the GPS, I kept it at 130. I was amazed to watch a moped pass me at this speed - he was probably doing 150 kph, which I did not even know was possible on a moped!

The apartment owner told us to park in Stresa, and catch a ferry from there to the island. For some reason, I had pictured Stresa as a sort of run down lakeside town -- a poor mans Como, if you like. Neither my mom nor I were prepared for the swankiness of Stresa. Upon entering the town, we were amazed to see gigantic beautiful villas lining twisting mountain roads. We eventually arrived at the riverfront, where we drove past stately hotels with sprawling grounds, just on the edge of the lake. There was also a beautiful and never ending lakeside park, with shade trees and an abundance of benches and fountains. After circling a little bit trying to figure out where to park, we eventually made it to the ferry terminal, where we got onto a ferry bound for Isola Pescatore. The boat was a source of much excitement for Zoe, of course!

We passed Isola Bella on the way, with it's impressive terraced gardens and palace, and after asking a few people eventually found our way to the apartment. The entire apartment looks like it has been recently refinished, with granite stairs and a cheerful coat of yellow paint on the exterior. It is hidden in the central shaded street which runs the length of the island. After settling in, getting a gelato or two

and taking a few photos

Zoe got some water time, and then it was time for dinner. The apartment proprietress recommended a restaurant at the end of the island called "Ristorante Italia"

As we were sitting down, a boatload (literally!) of musicians and instruments pulled up to the shore for a private catered dinner in the large dining room. We were out on a small gravel terrace, shaded by trellised jasmine vines. It had been a hot day, so the temperature was perfect, with a gentle breeze blowing in from the lake. There was also a beautiful view of the lake, and a young host (the son of our waitress), who immediately brought pens and paper out for Zoe to draw with.


The meal was wonderful: My mom chose the seafood salad, and I ordered a plate of Piemontese charcuterie


And we both ordered the Grigliata Mista -- which I always order, no matter where we go in Italy! It did not disappoint:

And finally, there was dessert:


Which was soon claimed to be "mine and only mine" by Zoe:

I should also mention that around 7:00 PM, the island totally clears out. It coincides with the last public ferries to the shore, and transforms Isola Pescatore into a quiet island village, mostly devoid of tourists like us. The waitress' son showed Zoe around the shore near the restaurant after dinner, calling for her attention by saying "Nina!" and then pointing to various things (sticks, flotsam that had washed up on the shore).


A few more photos: