En Vacances. On Vacation.
Enfin! At Last!
That’s all the French you need to know except “Bonjour & Merci” to have a great vacation in France. Usually, I try to take off on a short road trip (les vacances) before the post-July 14th crowds, and wanted to share a travel tip when road-tripping in the French countryside. The others are in the above issue of A Gascon Year. These are the most important things for me to do, having done #1-#5 from my previous article in A Gascon Year-Juin’s issue, “47 Tips for a Great Vacation in the French Countryside. #1-5 Taking Time”
Tip #6- Le Pique-nique
Sharp knife, corkscrew, and glasses are the essentials here. But why not prepare a mini-pique-nique basket so you are ready to go at any time. No need to bring sharp objects on the plane. Make this your first souvenir shopping when you hit France at la quincaillerie or hardware store. A 10 Euro market basket, that Laguiole pocket knife/corkscrew you have been coveting, a fresh new Provençal or Basque table cloth, a couple cheap wine glasses that you can leave behind, a cutting board you find at une brocante or un vide grenier... that’s all you need to get started…
July seems to start with all sorts of holiday /national celebrations- Canada Day on July 1, The USA’s Fourth of July, and then soon enough France’s la Fête Nationale on July 14 (more to come later). But like every month this year, I offer my loyal paid and supporting subscribers a downloadable pdf of the A Gascon Year series embedded after the paywall. This month’s July issue is full of my favorite tomato recipes, a classic ratatouille and caviar d’aubergine, fabulous melon ideas, and a delicious deep pink Bellini Sorbet. The price of a monthly subscription this year is the same as the e-book; all 12 past issues are in the archives.
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