Cruising on back into France, our ship docked at the busy and bustling port of Marseilles. Although this large old city had a rough and not so stylish past it has rebounded as a big tourist destination with its historical sites and landmarks, shopping and restaurants.
However, I’m only in the Provence for a few hours, my guide today, Sebastian, (Iamnotatourist) had some special out of town visits planned for me. First on the list is the absolutely charming restaurant, Le Bistrot du Paradou in the equally charming and stunning village of Le Paradou. Sebastian tells me that this quaint and off the beaten path restaurant is a favorite for the local Provencal people and one of his number one picks in the region. The interior is classic French country with bare stone walls, long wooden and marble top tables and all kinds of photos and pictures hanging on the walls. There’s a pretty outside seating area surrounded by oleander bushes and herbs and the noisy, roaring sound of the cicadas.
We are there on a Friday and the special is Aioli, not just the sauce, but a dish of hot vegetables along with a fish, served with the special aioli sauce. I follow Chef Quenin into his kitchen where he is painstakingly stirring the sauce made of garlic, olive oil and eggs. This is the traditional meal that is prepared and served every Friday. Sebastian and I are served this huge plate of food (with salted cod) as well as salad Provencal and some local wine. As if all that were not enough, we are served a platter of cheeses and French bread and I am given a glass of Pernod to wash it all down.
Having cheese on the brain now, we head off to Fromagerie Des Alpilles where owner Mr Sequin and his family have prepared a tasting of more than just a few of their goat cheeses. But first, I get to spend time with goats again, (remember the goats in Corsica)! After a tour of the small farm we head into the house where the cheese-making takes place. Very briefly, the milk is put in big plastic vats to ferment. (Rennet is added after a few hours to help curdle the milk). 24 hours later the “cheese to be” is transferred to individual molds for further fermenting and drying out (salt is added at some point). Another 24 hours later this becomes edible, delicious fresh goat cheese. Some of the cheese is left to ferment and mature even further, where Mr Sequin’s claim to fame (adding herbs and various toppings and coatings) is applied. This is what he had lined up for me to taste. I loved the black pepper coated creamy cheese and one coated in tarragon too (well, I loved them all and wish I could have taken some with me).
Time to wash that all down with some good wine. Driving through the beautiful countryside we come to Les Baux de Provence and Le Chateau Dalmeran. The magnificent winery is located beneath the Alpilles mountains and owner Beatrice Joyce, and her dog Elliott, take us into the heart of the vineyards to do a tasting of her wines. It doesn’t get better than this.
We have one more visit before having to re board the ship and can’t help but stop to take in some of those spectacular views surrounding us.
Arriving at one of the best olive oil producers in the region, Moulin Castelas, we meet owners Jean-Benoit and Catherine Hughes. While there’s no production taking place at the mill now, it’s still very special to hear the passionate story about why and how this olive mill was started in 1997 and the love the Hughes’ have for the land.
I have a tasting of a few oils that are rich in aroma and taste. The oils here are like the wines, dependent on the terroir, climate, varieties of olives used and how ripe the olives are. I was quite happy to be given a couple of small tins that I could quite easily fit into my suitcase!
Sète
I have one more stop in France on this spectacular Mediterranean cruise. This time it’s the busy port town of Sète in the Langudeoc-Roussillon region. This town is sometimes referred to as the Venice of the Languedoc because of its canals, bridges and pastel painted houses. However, it’s most known for its fantastic seafood, perhaps some of the best in France. It’s built around Mont St. Clair and is located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Etang De Thau, a saltwater lake that supplies the abundance of oysters and mussels.
I meet my friend Sophie Bergeron, a local guide that has arranged a fun tuk-tuk ride up the mountain to see the views from lake to sea. She points out the restaurant Les Desmoiselles Dupuy in Bouziques on the shores of the Etang de Thau where we plan to eat some of those freshly caught oysters and mussels.
Back down in the town, we have a wander around the Central Market filled with all kinds of fish, produce, cheeses and delicious pastries, some of which I was able to sample. What seemed to be in almost every stall was a specialty of Sète called La Tielle, a fish pie, usually made with cuttlefish and prepared with tomatoes and spices. (We didn’t have any there but I got some later on.)
Arriving at Les Desmoiselles Dupuy, little did Sophie know that owner Romain-Dupuy would offer to take us out on his small boat to see his lineup of oyster beds before feeding us. We see rows and rows of strings hanging from racks and submerged into the lake water and this is where the baby oysters are cemented in bundles and left to mature. But, they have to be checked regularly to make sure they don’t get eaten by other fish and separated as they grow to give them enough space to develop fully. It’s usually about a year before they are ready to be harvested. Back at the restaurant, Sophie and I are served baked oysters and mussels as well as the Sète special fish pie, definitely an acquired taste (I’m glad I had some local white wine to help wash it down). But, as if all this wasn’t enough, they decide to barbecue fresh mussels with garlic and a special sauce in a huge pot right on the beach that are likely the best mussels I have ever eaten.
Good thing I really love oysters since our next stop was a boat ride with Jean-Michel Caumier, another major oyster farmer in the area. We meet him on his touring boat where he has invited what seems to be most of his family to join us. After our ride and another quick lesson on shellfish, we have a fresh oyster tasting and white wine toast right on the boat. Thank you to all the Caumiers.
What’s left to do in my last hour in the Languedoc region? Visit a winery of course, and we head to the area of Mèze and the beautiful Chateau de Font Mars winery. The grounds of this estate are magnificent, and after a tour of the facility, owner Jean-Baptiste de Clock, brings us to the stunning garden where he has arranged to have a tasting. I hear about his Dutch family making wine in Bordeaux in the 1600’s and at this estate since the 1800’s. This particular area has numerous soil types and contributes unique characteristics to the Picpoul de Pinet, Cabernet Sauvignon and Rosé (made from Syrah.) Picpoul is the main white wine of the Languedoc-Roussillon region and here it’s peachy and fresh with a long lasting mineral finish. It’s the perfect wine to drink with all the seafood you get here. I liked the rosé that seemed soft and pleasant with enough acidity to stay refreshing. I was surprised by the Cabernet that was full and fruity and quite easy to drink on its own. How nice of Mr. De Clock to give me a bottle to enjoy with the crew later on.
On our way back to the ship, we were fortunate to have perfect timing for the start of the annual jousting competition on the canal. This sport, invented by the Ancient Egyptians, is a tradition in the Languedoc region and the first competition in Sète took place in 1666 to commemorate the opening of the canal. I stood by the stands as thousands of spectators and I watched a long wooden red boat with 10 men and a long wooden blue boat with 10 men row towards each other. As they passed, the man standing at the raised bow of the boat holding a padded shield and lance tried to knock the other one into the water. The first time, no one fell so the audience sighed and moaned. But, the next time, out fell the guy and everyone roared with applause and cheers. This was a first for me and glad we got to experience it.
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