Follow up on “Truck Stop” restaurant experience
My friends Dennis and Linda sent these pictures of our rural France dining experience. I’ve detailed the experience in the post dated April 18.
If things don’t go according to plan…change your plan! Le Petit Paris Restaurant
I’m in my “European Planning Mode”, and last weekend I took two days to methodically inspect my summer tour schedule. I am one of those guys who enjoys piecing together the individual tour elements in order to make a stress-free and seamless travel experience. Yesterday, I was talking with a friend who is considering studying architectural design. As the conversation went on I began to draw a lot of parallels between constructing a building and building a good group tour. You can do most of the planning up front and lay it out on paper just like a blueprint, but eventually there is always something that crops up to change your plans.
Brunelleschi, the designer and architect of the dome atop the Duomo in Florence, encountered many such problems. Did you know that he wrapped a series of chains and timbers inside the dome just so the gently sloping dome would be pleasing to the eye? Even today you can climb inside the dome and see where he had to alter his original plans to make the final product even better.
A few weeks ago I was taking a group from Interlaken, Switzerland to the Burgundy region in France. It was a Sunday morning and our route took us through the Jura mountain range and some pretty remote countryside. There were 23 of us on the bus and many needed to make a toilet stop. Unfortunately, villages were few and far between and none had any services available. Things were not going according to my plan. You see we were supposed to make a stop at a big restaurant on the highway just before leaving Switzerland. Well we either missed the place or it had moved since the last time I was through the area.
It was almost noon when we came to the town of Pontarlier. I had Peter, our driver, pull the bus off the road and I walked up “Main” street to find a toilet, an ATM, and somewhere to eat. We did find an ATM machine, but that was it! Back on the bus we finally came to a group of fast food highway restaurants. But much to everyone’s dismay, I had Peter drive right by them. We certainly were not going to have our first Sunday lunch in France at a McDonald’s!
I knew from experience that France is covered with little mom and pop run “truck stop” restaurants serving gourmet home cooking meals at a value price. I had my fingers crossed that we’d run across one of these restaurants and it would be open for Sunday lunch. Finally we came upon a lone restaurant. There were no cars but the lights were on inside. I had Peter stop and I ran inside.
The place was empty. I could here some people banging around in the kitchen out back so in my best French accent I shouted bonjour. Out came two ladies and I began my stilted French explanation about a bus full of people, could they serve us lunch, how much would it cost, and is there a toilet nearby. After a few moments we came to an agreement and I went back outside smiling and motioned the group to “come on in.”
You should have seen the two restaurant ladies! At first they were startled that I was even in the restaurant. Then I shocked them again with my lousy French (I am sure they wondered why an American was so far off the beaten tourist path). Their eyes got as big a saucers when I asked if they could serve 23 people. I think they thought I had not learned to count correctly in French. “Vingt-trois,” they exclaimed in unison. “Oui, oui, vingt-trois,” I said as I pointed out the window to the huge 50 seater bus. They looked around, spoke rapidly in French, ran back to the kitchen and took a peek into the refrigerator and return a bit calmer with a nice menu proposal.
By the time I got the group inside the tables had been rearranged with fresh sets of wine glasses, silverware, and napkins all neatly in place. The stressed and panicked looks which had been on their face just minutes before were replaced with kind and understanding expressions. They spoke no English, we spoke very little French, but we all managed to understand what we were ordering and how it would be served.
This began a two hour dining experience where we enjoyed the food, local wine, friendship, and most importantly , the hospitality of the staff. All this was offered at a cost of 17 EURO per person. (Had we had a remotely similar experience in the United States it would have been in a 4-star restaurant and at a cost of $60 or more, not including the wine). I think I can speak for everyone in the group that this was a good decision as our first impression of France. So when my best laid travel plans don’t seem to be going just right…I look for something better!
Restaurant “Le Petit Paris” was completely filled by local folks by 1:00 p.m. Obviously it was well known for good home cooking. We were offered three courses, each having several choices. I had homemade vegetable soup, pork sausage with wine and mushroom sauce, vegetables, and a pear tart for desert. Many of my friends said the “house” salad was to die for! The restaurant is located on route 57 between the towns of Pontarlier and Besancon, about 40 km north of the Swiss border. The owners are Laurence and Patrick Dufau. They can be reached at Tel. 03 81 60 04 42 and only speak French. Closed on Sunday evening and all day on Wednesday.
Dollar Stretching Strategies
- Book as much of your trip in US dollars as possible. Search the Web, make some calls, ask your travel agent, ask me. There are a lot of travel providers that allow you to reserve air, hotel, and car all in one transaction using US dollars. Look at Expedia and Travelocity. We have some great options on our Travel Links pages as well.
- Explore Europe on a group tour. Many tour companies (including Exploring Europe) offer all-inclusive group tours. These tours typically include meals, lodging, transportation, guided tours, and attractions all at one fixed price. You’ll pay for your tour in US dollars and not worry about the exchange rate at all.
- Watch the fine print. Many tour companies (NOT Exploring Europe) have a clause buried in the fine print of their contract allow for an increase in the tour cost should the dollar’s value drop.
- Choose a hotel with fewer “stars.” Almost all hotels in Europe are rated by the number of “stars” their government hotel inspection agency gives. Don’t be fooled, in most cases the “stars” have no relationship to the quality of the hotel. Hotels are given “stars” for such things as trouser presses, big elevators, hair-dryers, cafes, a bar, restaurants, bathtubs, and many rooms. Most often this has nothing to do with the cleanliness, location, safety, and atmosphere of a hotel. Shop around before squandering your Euro needlessly.
- Consider a small town as opposed to a big city. Hotels are usually less expensive outside big metropolitan areas.
- Eat out less often. You’ll be amazed at how much you can save by cutting down on your food budget. Consider picnicking, eating only one big meal a day, and visiting fast-food markets.
- Take the train or bus. For a small group public transportation is always cheaper than a taxi or rental car.
- Consider fly on Europe’s cheap and efficient budget airlines.
- Purchase water or soda in bulk. Buying bottled water near tourist sights can cost $2 or more for a pint. Plan ahead and stock up at a grocery store in your hotel neighborhood where 2-liters of water can be purchased for $1 or less.
- Pay with local cash, not credit cards. Credit card companies charge merchants up to 3% or more for their use. The cost has got to be passed on to someone, usually the consumer.
- Uses your ATM card. Don’t use expensive fee-loaded credit cards. Your ATM card from your hometown bank will spit out the local currency in almost any country in the world. It is safe, convenient, and offers the very best exchange rates.
We’ve got a lot of tours going to Europe this year. Why don’t you consider saving your dollars and stretching your budget. Let us show you around Europe at an affordable price.
Slow down and enjoy your dinner!
Last night I had a fun time visiting with friends at a Carrabba’s Restaurant. We don’t get a chance to see much of each other and I wanted to spend a couple of hours eating and talking about our lives, our travels, and what’s new. Sometimes that’s tough to do at a restaurant where the focus is good food, quick service, and rapid table turn-over. By suggesting that we slow down and order one course at a time I was able to get the message across to our waitress that we wanted to enjoy our meal and conversation. I was lucky, she got the point and helped make the evening pleasant.
My travels have taught me that dining can and should be the main event for the evening, a culinary culmination to the day’s activities. You see we Americans are often so focused on doing stuff, that we don’t take an opportunity to slow down and enjoy the moment. Sometimes we think eating is a necessary evil…something that’s wedged in between other things we need to do. That’s not the way it happens in Europe…there, dining is taken seriously and when you reserve a table for dinner it is yours for the entire evening. There is no rush, just time to relax and enjoy!
So my challenge to you this holiday season is to slow down, enjoy the moment, go out to dinner with friends and make dining and visiting the evening’s focus. You’ll be amazed at the experience.
Bon Appétit!
Undiscovered Umbria
“Gubbio, what is there?” That was the response of my tour group as we floated out of Venice and hopped aboard our bus. It seemed we would never get out of Mestre, the industrial town just to the west of Venice. Finally we broke through the tangled web of tractor-trailer rigs and were on the Adriatic coastal road heading south into Italy. As the afternoon wore on we passed one small town after another. The little two-laned road seemed to never end. Finally we cut inland across the mountains and into the region of Umbria.
Gubbio, our homebase for the next three nights, lay at the foot of Mont Ingino. Peter, our driver, and I navigated our way into the town center but soon came to a dead-end at the town’s main square. The roads were all too narrow for our bus, but our hotel lay somewhere up ahead. I got out, walked through the square and continued up the small cobbled street looking in all directions for the hotel. I had the address, but that did not seem to help in this medieval tangle of one-laned alleyways. I was on the correct street, but it seemed to continue uphill forever. By luck I discovered a small iron gate inscribed with “Hotel Gattapone.” There was a buzzer nearby, I pushed it. Momentarily I was greeted by a monotone voice, “Bouna sera, Hotel Gattapone.” I responded in my best Italian, “mi chiamo David McGuffin con gruppo.” “Si, bienvuto, io basso,” the monotone voice responded. The gate sprung open and I headed down the stairs to the ground level.
Soon I was out the front door walking just a short distance back to the main square to retrieve my friends who had patiently been waiting on the bus. We unloaded our luggage with what seemed the whole town looking on. I don’t believe they were all that accustomed to having a tour bus in their town. We rolled and carried our bags up the hill, across the cobbled streets and into our hotel. The gentleman at the desk and I spoke, a little in English, a little in Italian, but we got everyone a room and settled in for our three night stay in Gubbio.
Umbria is a little region sandwiched in between the two biggies of Tuscany and Latium (Rome). This region is often overlooked on the tourist’s itinerary. However as we found out it has much to offer, especially in the area of cuisine! Later that evening we dined at the Taverna del Lupo, a five-diamond rated restaurant just around the corner from our hotel. For a starter we were served cured ham sprinkled with bits of apple, pineapple, and peaches all smothered in a delightful sauce. The tangy fruit complemented the rich and wild taste of the ham. Our pasta came next lightly seasoned with tomatoes and peppers giving it a bit of a zing. The main course consisted of tender veal in a mushroom and truffle sauce accompanied by roasted zucchini and potatoes. A generous serving of bruschetta and special fried bread rounded out the main course. As if we needed more, the meal was followed by home-made ice cream with a berry sauce for desert. Water and wine was included with the meal all for the fantastic price of about $30!
One morning I decided to walk through town and up to the Basilica di Sant’ Ubaldo on Mont Ingino. I began early, wandering through the steep cobbled streets taking in the peacefulness of a town just waking up. At this hour only a few shopkeepers were out tidying their storefronts and settling into the day. Quickly I discovered it was impossible to take just a stroll in this town. In the direction I was headed the streets snaked their way continuously uphill making my heart race and blood pump at a faster pace than normal. I took a break at the Palazzo Ducale finding a little courtyard with a magnificent view of the town spilling below and the valley beyond. There was even a little cafe where I purchased a Magnum Bar (my favorite ice cream on a stick) and enjoyed the view.
From the palace the road ascended steeply beyond the Doumo, turning into little more than a one-cart cobbled path. Finally I reached the Porta di Sant’ Ubaldo, one of the six remaining medieval gates into the town. Here the road turned to gravel and slowly wound its way through the olive groves and evergreen 
forest. As I trudged on, I was treated to a cool breeze and more awe-inspiring views of the Umbrian hills. I meet a gentleman coming down at a much fasted pace than I was going up. I greeted him with a cheery, “buona sera.” He chuckled, correcting me in Italian, “boun giono,” pointing to his watch and saying, “e nove.” “Good morning, it is only nine.” I too chuckled, winced, and realized I had greeted him at nine in the morning with a “good evening” instead of “good morning.”
Half an hour later I arrived at the Basilica standing on the mountainside overlooking the town. The Basilica has gone through several remodeling jobs over the centuries and what stands here today is from the 16th century. It is worth a look inside to see the giant “candles” (ceri) which are carried uphill during the annual festival of Corso dei Ceri. Even more interesting is the withered corpse of the local patron saint, Ubaldo, forever preserved, and on display, in a glass casket high above the alter.
I was running out of time and decided to take the little funicular down the mountain. This one-man “cable cab” is operated by the local monks and consists of a small cage just large enough for a person to stand upright in. I paid my fee, walked out to the monk and was hurried into the moving cage. In a moment I was suspended high above the hillside en-route to the town below. Once I got over the initial feeling of falling, the ride became enjoyable and a pleasant way to end my morning adventure.
In contrast to Tuscany’s amber and red tiled villages those of Umbria take on a white, almost angelic tint. Obviously it is the character of the local stone from which the buildings are constructed. As in Tuscany, Umbria’s towns are often situated on a hilltops overlooking sweeping vistas of amber grain filled valleys, framed by distant hills covered in olives and evergreens. The setting is “classic” Italian hilltown! However, the biggest contrast between Tuscany and Umbria is in its tourism. While the towns of Tuscany are loaded with tourists day in and day out, those of Umbria lazily sit in their simple existence inviting the savvy traveler to come explore!
