Voyages de Presse

I've had the chance to do a number of fun trips for work in the last few months, and I'd share some images with you. Journalism is a tough career no doubt, but these are the kinds of trips that make you want to keep cracking at it!

Marseille, the oldest city in France, is an ancient port town that lacks the luster of Paris, but has its own charms for sure. I went down to discover the renovations of the waterfront that have preceded Marseille's turn as European Capital of Culture in 2013.

My trip included stops at the stunning new museums dedicated to Mediterranean that have been built on abandoned docks.

I got to spend some time with my friend Tom and his girlfriend Marion, who I met through my friend Ken and who live in Marseille now, to eat at a trendy restaurant, see the port full of revelers for the big launch of the Year of Culture, and get covered with feathers (part of the festivities).

We visited the pool where Tom works doing mental preparation coaching for Olympic level swimmers, and stopped by their apartment to see their (very nice) view of the Mediterranean sea.

I visited a former hospital called Hotel Dieu that is being transformed into a luxury hotel, and had lunch with the future chef of their restaurants.

And I got to finish my trip with a visit and amazing sea bass dinner with my friends Alain and Deborah, who are expecting their first baby very soon.

For the second time, I headed back to Saumur in the Loire Valley to meet some of the most avant garde winemakers in France at the Dive Bouteille Wine Fair, held in the underground caves of the Chateau Brezé. Quite the experience!

I went to Brittany to write about a chef named Olivier Bellin, who currently has two stars in the Michelin restaurant guide, and is working to get three. As it turned out, his restaurant is in the village of Plomodiern where Perrine and I were married, and the chef is the son of the mayor who married us!

Jean-Guy offered to come along and help drive me to the restaurant (and share in a meal with me!) and his friend Simballa came along  to share in the fun too. We even brought Milo with so he could have a weekend with his Maminou, grandma Françoise.

There is a nice view over the Bay of Dournenez from the Aubege des Glazicks, the restaurant and hotel of Olivier Bellin. The story of the restaurant is neat, it was started by Oliver's grandmother, who served soup to the clients of her husband's blacksmith shop while they were having their horses shod. Olivier's mother kept running the restaurant for local laborers after the blacksmith shop closed, and catered weddings on the weekend. Olivier got the cooking bug from his mom, went off to train in famous restaurants around France, and came home and over the last decade has turned the old workers cafeteria into a real gourmet restaurant, celebrating traditional Breton produce and dishes revisited in modern ways.

The dining room, recently renovated

Quiche Lorraine

Langoustine

Turbot

Olive / apple dessert

Lastly, my press association in Paris organized a private visit of the Chateau de Versailles (with the President of Versailles as our guide!) to see the different renovations that have been done, for example to the Hall of Mirrors, and others projects currently taking place.

Talking with the press association vice president, Eleanor Beardsley of National Public Radio