by Sandra Crittenden

During a trip to Bordeaux last fall, I stayed at the bed and breakfast at Château La France , a modern five room boutique hotel located between the cities of Bordeaux and Saint-Emilion in the commune of Beychac-et-Caillau. Visitors are greeted by a huge cock proudly overseeing the vineyards. The monumental sculpture was created by artist Georges Saulterre from sheet steel mirror. The rooster's appearance changes from silver through gold as the day progresses and the lighting changes. The property is over 200 acres and is classed as one of the largest estates in the region. Château La France was built in 1830 on the site of a former Gallo-Roman villa. The actual château can be rented out as well, it contains six bedrooms, has a private pool and can house up to 14 people. I did not stay in the main house during my time there as it was rented out by a wedding party so I was unable to tour it but you can see it on video  here . My room was the Chambre Merlot, a single level roo...

In the Beychac-et-Caillau commune in the Gironde in southwestern France, you'll find  Planet Bordeaux  which is both the headquarters for the winemakers association and a recommended place for you to begin your tasting tour of the Bordeaux wine region. I visited there in the fall and was surprised to discover that behind the nondescript entrance was a unique and thoroughly modern wine experience waiting for me. In addition to housing the association, Planet Bordeaux is also the tourist center for the wines from the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur wine appellations. They have guides to help out visitors and can do tours in several languages. They offer attractions like educational exhibits and audio/visual installations covering a range of wine-related subjects along with wine tastings and cooking classes. The center can help with the planning of visits to local chateaux as well.  It is not just for wine consumers and tourists, it is also a hub for visiting w...

During our Mother/Daughter trip to Europe, we made a point to visit one of my favorite Champagne houses, Maison Ruinart. I have written about the sparkling wines of Ruinart on numerous occasions so I was very excited to take this tour. I also thought it was appropriate that my daughter's first visit to the Champagne region should begin with the first established House in Champagne. It is a truly informative tour followed by an equally informative tasting. The wines were exquisite, as expected. I would highly recommend taking this little jaunt if you will be vacationing in Paris. It is a quick trip by train. Things to know if you want to enjoy this tour as well: Visit the  website  at least a month prior to your trip to set up your touring time. Be on time, not early, you will wait outside (in the rain, in our case) until the exact time that you were told and if you are late, you will be left behind and not allowed to tour. Dress for cold weather, it is chilly do...

During our 24 hour stay in Reims in the Champagne region of France, my daughter and I chose the tasting menu at Le Millenaire  for the one dinner that we had time for while there. This Michelin-starred restaurant by Chef Laurent Laplaige offers a regular menu along with the option of different tasting menus, we checked our opinions at the door and waited in anticipation to see what the kitchen would offer. Though the restaurant is not large, the tables are well spaced in the modern dining room. Dark carpets, neutral walls and white tablecloths add a sleek look to the elegant space. When in Reims, there is only one way to begin. Though we were touring the Champagne house the following day, we each ordered a glass of Ruinart Champagne, one blanc de blancs and one r osé to start. T he magic was quickly underway with amazing bites of deliciousness arriving to the table. We enjoyed everything though I don't believe that I can describe it all. My favorites were the delicately pre...

After our extravagant lunch, we had planned to have something fairly low key for dinner but it seems the travel gods wanted to smile upon us.  We had strolled over to the Eiffel Tower tourist-style to take some pictures at night and happened upon Les Ombres along the way. Far more modern and pricey-looking than our original street cafe plan,  armed with a credit card and  not knowing anything at all about the restaurant,  we took a chance and went in. I believe we were lucky to get in without a reservation and our good fortune did not end there.  Les Ombres is located in the  Musée du Quai Branly and  has an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. It has an understated elegance in the dining room where the design is all about the panoramic view of the City of Light. We were seated with a prime view of our surroundings and were quickly served two glasses of Champagne and a fabulously fresh lobster salad.  The restaurant had a busy vibe and the s...

One of our favorite lunches in Paris was at the Michelin-starred  Il Vino d'Enrico Bernardo .  The restaurant states on-line that its concept is "A place for those who live the art of table sharing the pleasure of the senses and the intellect." That perfectly describes my daughter and I, so, off we went after our morning at the Louvre. The elegantly designed contemporary eatery boasts a multi-course tasting menu with wine pairings by world re-known sommelier Enrico Bernardo. We were served wine in black blind tasting glasses with each course. The menu was innovative, everything was delicious and the pairings were perfect. It was an exceptional way to continue a morning of art appreciation, the tasting lunch at Il Vino d'Enrico Bernardo is a highly recommended way to spend your afternoon in Paris.

It would be easy to spend days walking through the Louvre slowly perusing the exhibits.  It is over 600,000 square feet in size and has more than 380,000 objects on display. During our short trip to Paris, we only allotted one morning to take in the offered culture. We arrived promptly for the 9:00 opening to allow ourselves approximately 3.5 hours to see some sites before our lunch reservation. My daughter's main goal was to see Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, one of the most heavily sought objects in the museum. We immediately got directions upon entering and headed that way. There was a tremendous crowd to take in the famed piece of art, it took longer than we expected but we did see it. Once that primary goal was accomplished, we were able to meander through the various exhibits and thoroughly enjoy our morning there. In addition to taking in the Renaissance paintings, we really enjoyed the large collection of ancient Egyptian, Roman and Greek artifacts. An obvious s...