L'Etivaz, an education in cheese-making

Bonjour mes amis! In Gruyères, Feb. 19, someone suggested we should travel to a village called Château d'Oex to tour a family run fromagerie, where we could view all the steps in the process of making cheese. Once we arrived in Château d'Oex, we found that the fromagerie was no longer a cheese-making facility but was instead a restaurant. A very nice Swiss lady in the restaurant directed us to L'Etivaz, a fromagerie in a small Alpine village 30 kilometers away. It is amazing the people you meet who are always willing to help out. So, back in the car, we set out to find L'Etivaz. We found a small Alpine village, and a fromagerie where the owners took us on a tour of their facility. They explained that L'Etivaz is a cheese somewhat like Gruyère yet there are specific perimeters associated with L'Etivaz cheese. First, the cows providing the milk, graze between 1000 and 2000 meters on natural grass. The cheese is produced over an open-wood fire on a daily basis between mid-May and mid-October. This cheese is produced "on-site" in the Alpine mountains and brought weekly to the Cooperative for salting and curing. This process lasts several months as the cheese ages. The cheese is turned weekly. We had a tour through the aging facilities. We bought some 2010 and it was delicious! Our drive back to Chambéry was absolutely breathtaking! Enjoy the pictures. I have to wonder if Europeans appreciate their scenery as much as we do!!

Mme. Wallace

There's more to Gruyères than cheese!

Bonjour mes amis! Lee and I visited Gruyères yesterday. Gruyères is a beautiful medieval village in Switzerland. It has a typical Swiss landscape with green hills, cows, and nearby mountains. Gruyères is small, with only one main street, and there's nothing modern in the village. We visited the Gruyère castle, located at the top of the village. It was built between 1270 and 1282 as a fortress. Later, it was converted into a "grand residence". In 1849, the castle was purchased by two families who restored the château and redecorated the interior. Today, the château has beautifully decorated rooms with wall paintings and antique furniture. There is the H.R. Giger museum nearby. Giger is the artist who made the design of the "alien" movies. We had lunch in the village of Gruyères at an outdoor café. I had a crêpe avec du fromage gruyère - c'était délicieuse!

Mme. Wallace

Côte d'Or: a region of vineyards and charming towns

Bonjour mes amis! This past weekend, Jason, Katie, Lee and I explored the Côte d'Or region around Beaune. Côte d'Or means "golden hillside" and these hillsides were so named because of the beautiful fall picture of these hillsides in late October as the leaves turn. We began our journey in Aloxe-Corton, a tiny town, with a great reputation among wine enthusiasts. From there we headed up the hill to Pernand Vergelesses. We then followed the signs to see a Panorama of the hectares of vineyards below. It was beautiful! Then, we headed down the hill and followed signs to Savigny-les-Beaune. There, we saw Le Château de Savigny. This château had fighter jets parked in the side yard, and antique cars in its museum. We loved the hillsides and charming towns of this Côte d'Or region!

Mme. Wallace

Cave du Père Tienne - A visit in Sologny, France

Bonjour mes amis! Jason, Katie, Lee and I decided to explore the southern part of Bourgogne around Mâcon. We had lunch at La Maison Mâconnaise which has been in business since 1958. Then we set out traveling north towards Beaune to see where it would take us. Our first stop was Berzé-le-Châtel where we found an interesting old château. From there we saw some small signs leading to a small cave and vignoble, Cave du Père Tienne, in Sologny, a nearby village. We knocked on the door and were greeted by a very friendly lady, Agnès Panay. She and her husband, Eric, ran a small business of "Mâcon" wines. She showed us their five hectares of vineyards and then gave us a tour of their cave. She explained each kind of wine that they made. This, to me, is the "best of the best" in meeting French people, seeing their homes and businesses, and learning about their lives. What a find for all of us! Merci to Eric et Agnès!!

Mme. Wallace

Mont Blanc - on top of the world!

Wednesday, February 9, we traveled with Katie and Jason to Megève so that they could ski with views of Mont Blanc. Mont Blanc means "White Mountain" and is the highest mountain in the Alps, Western Europe and the European Union. It rises 15,782 feet above sea level and is ranked 11th in the world. The mountain lies between Italy and Haute-Savoie, France. It has not snowed in Megève since December 24. The last time we traveled to Megève with Kendall it was so cold that we couldn't take our gloves off for even one minute. This time it was so warm that people were sunning on lawn chairs and we ate outside on the terrace, en plein air. It was a beautiful, sunny day. Some people were skiing in sweatshirts. Ski enthusiasists are quite upset with the lack of snow since Christmas in the Haute-Savoie region. They feel that if we don't receive any more snow in the next two weeks, ski season will be over! C'est dommage!

Mme. Wallace

Jason and Katie bring Texas to Lycée Vaugelas!

Monday, February 7, Jason and Katie visited my première class (11th graders) to talk about careers and educational choices in the United States. Katie talked about her education to become an interior designer and had one student who was quite interested in such a career. This French student said that there were few options to pursue such a career in France. She felt that she would have to leave France to pursue such an education. Jason then talked about his job in professional sports. He had good dialogue with some boys who follow professional sports in Europe as well as the U.S. He ended the discussion by showing the class an autographed picture of their own "Tony Parker" and giving each student a coyote mascot doll representing the San Antonio Spurs. It was good interaction and discussion concerning educational options in France and the United States after completing high school. Merci bien, Katie and Jason, for sharing your time with French students!

Mme. Wallace

Croissant aux amandes - notre pâtisserie préférée

Bonjour mes amis! Last weekend, in Reims, Lee and I returned each morning to a wonderful Pâtisserie-Boulangerie to sample their freshly made croissants aux amandes with our café au lait. This is our favorite French pastry. Originally developed as a way to use "not so fresh" croissants from the day before, they are simply croissants filled with almond cream, sprinkled with sliced almonds and then, baked again, until the cream has set and outer pastry has crisped. They also exist in a pain au chocolat version, called pain au chocolat aux amandes. These wonderful pastries and breads are found in the Pâtisserie-Boulangerie shops on almost every street in French towns and villages. The Pâtisserie is the type of French bakery which specializes in homemade pastries and sweets. It is a legally controlled title that may only be used by bakeries that employ a licensed maître pâtissier. This pastry chef must have completed a lengthy training process, typically an apprenticeship, and passed a written examination. The Boulangerie is often found in partnership with the Pâtisserie. The Boulangerie offers a range of home-made breads, of which the baguette is by far the most popular. When my husband, Lee, is asked if he does much walking in France, he replies that he does alot of walking but the problem is that he walks and STOPS by many Boulangerie-Pâtisseries!!!!

Mme. Wallace