Bonjour Colorado

Snowboardcross World Cup: Telluride Goes International

Catching Air During the World Cup in Telluride

It was quite the scene here last weekend.  Actually the excitement grew over a two-week period which culminated with the Snowboardcross World Cup Finals at the Telluride Ski Resort last Sunday.  It was the first World Cup event to take place here and it certainly won’t be the last.  Aside from sailing over the course on the chairlift one afternoon early on, I didn’t see any of the events.  But I did breathe in the international flavor at a number of venues around town.  There’s nothing like that foreign flair and best of all, I learned that our international visitors were totally enchanted by everything Telluride has to offer.

Our stunning mountain resort does welcome a certain amount of foreign visitors during the winter and summer seasons but for this World Cup snowboard event, they came in throngs in the form of athletes, coaches, press, fans and more.  My first introduction to their descent onto to T-ride came early last week when my hunny, Steve, and I dined at The Peaks. Here their Great Room was loaded with young and fit athletes, clearly having a good time laughing, singing and drinking (although not too much beer swilling we remarked).  It was a glorious fashion parade since most were still wearing their team jackets and hats—yes, indoors as is the case at most après ski gatherings. Brands such as Fila and Colmar reigned supreme, with “the wet look” in jackets turning heads the most.  Steve and I agreed that the Italians won the prize for the best turned out team of them all.

The official kick off party of the World Cup came a couple of nights later at The Peaks, recently re-opened under new management as a Grand Heritage Resort & Spa. Half the town of Telluride showed up for that bash which turned out to be the “it” party of the season.

Still, I felt like I was missing out on something since I wasn’t able to attend any of the competitions.  So when I heard that the French team was staying right across the ski run from me at Mountain Lodge (which Steve also happens to manage), I wrangled a chat with some of the leading snowboard dudes just before they headed out for their race on Sunday.  My biggest dilemma was what to wear.  Suddenly my ski clothing seemed old and tired compared to what these world-class competitors were donning on and off the slopes. Fortunately I had picked up a new Eisbaer ski hat at Alpen Schatz, a Telluride boutique and online emporium of alpine treasures.  (Visit my Shopping Page to find out about the special discount you can receive from Alpen Schatz).  Eisbaer is the official hat of the Austrian ski team from what I observed at this World Cup event, the must-have accessory off the slopes.  (Everyone, of course, wears helmets while competing.)  My friend Mary Dawn, owner of Alpen Schatz, reassured me that I would be tops in this, especially since it’s such a hard-to-find item outside of Europe.

Eisbaer Hats: All the Rage

The guys met me in jeans and T-shirts and seemed totally unimpressed with my hat. (Wouldn’t you know? Although I did run into some other athletes at the lodge that were also wearing Eisbaer and I could have sworn they gave me a nod.)  I was disappointed to learn that the French team did not have a particular sponsor that outfitted them à la Yves Saint Laurent when he dressed the Air France flight attendants.  ”On est standard, rien d’éxtravagant,” they informed me practically in unison. Yet I did learn that their achievements—including numerous World Cup and Olympic victories—were nothing less than extraordinary.

We enjoyed chatting in French celebrating Franco-American relations for a brief moment within the cozy confines of Mountain Lodge.  I learned that they all thought Telluride was magnificent, “une très belle station,” and that the course was superb. As for Mountain Village, they found it to have a very European feel with its big old stones, more modern renditions of traditional ski lodges and concentrated configuration of buildings in the village core.  The town of Telluride was praised for its “esprit Far West” and they spoke just as glowingly about the American welcome they encountered here.  Polo de Lerve, bronze medal winner in the last Olympics, beamed when I asked about their impressions of American food.  He gave me a big thumbs up for La Coçina de Luz, a local’s favorite, and Rustico.  His friends, Pierre Vaultier and Vincent Valery, joked that Polo is the Gault & Milau of the World Cup.

Zee Snowboarders and Me (in Eisbaer!) in Front of the Mountain Lodge Telluride

So I guess Telluride is making its mark on the world map.  When asked if there was anything else that struck them about the area, they marveled about our natural beauty and most especially how trees grow at such a high elevation here—decidedly quite unlike the Alps.  They’ll be back, they promised.

I couldn’t help but wonder if next time they might be outfitted in le dernier cri des pistes, or the latest fashion of the slopes.  The French do have an image to uphold, don’t you think?

This is It: MJ and The Black Legend

No Words Can Describe this Black Legend

Leave it to the French. They’re always on the cutting edge of what’s hot. They’re usually the harbingers of the next big happening, the next thing with which we should be consumed. Just think of Louis XIV and the role he played in ballet—it’s largely thanks to his interest in this dance that ballet gained such prominence in eighteenth century France, a notoriety that has grown throughout the centuries. He did the same for hairdressing. And how about American jazz? Nowhere has jazz been so revered as in Paris.

So I should have intuitively sensed something last spring when I received a press release announcing the creation of The Black Legend Monaco, a new nightspot on the French Riviera that pays tribute to Motown Music. It captured my attention since it’s part of Groupe Floirat, the same family-owned company that’s behind the celebrated Hotel Byblos in Saint-Tropez and its legendary nightclub, Les Caves du Roy. Oddly enough Michael Jackson died tragically as the finishing touches were applied to this ultra swanky hotspot in the tiny Principality of Monaco. Was it providential for the French to place such a heavy accent on Motown Music or was it just a sure bet?

It doesn’t matter. I’m left thinking of that club tonight. I wish I could beam myself in to it and dance the night away to the music of Smokey Robinson, The Four Tops, The Jackson 5 and, of course, Michael Jackson. You see I just returned from the last showing of “This is It” from our historic Nugget Theater of Telluride. (Movies typically arrive here four to six weeks after they open nationally.) And I want to dance, I want to groove to MJ’s beat.

I pitied the poor person behind me in the theater since I didn’t stop moving my head throughout the almost two hours of the film. Tapping my foot wasn’t enough. Then when the movie ended I felt that I could sit back down and watch it all over again; now that’s something that never occurred to me before. I felt the music and dance in my bones and I just wanted it to keep on going. I felt somewhat consoled at the end of the film by these lines: Michael Jackson, King of Pop, Love Lives Forever. His music is love and that’s what will keep his memory alive.

The Black Legend Monaco opened October 29th with Prince Albert II and some 1800 privileged guests in attendance including The Supremes and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. What a party they must have had. I’m guessing the scene has been going off ever since. MJ would surely approve, especially since nobody does a nightclub like the Europeans.

I know what’s on my travel wish list for 2010. You just might want to put it on yours. And if you haven’t seen “This is It,” I suggest you do.

Visit This is It and The Black Legend Monaco to begin to get your groove on.

Interior of The Black Legend Monaco

Pondering Provence

A Quintessential Provençal Scene

Ahhhh, mid August.  Here in the mountains I’m already chagrined by a certain crispness in the air.  Fall and the first snows won’t be far off.  The weather has been glorious lately but I’m still longing for a blast of furnace-like heat, sweltering days that force me to retreat beneath a shade tree until the delightful oppressiveness of the day subsides and I can emerge to take in perhaps a cultural site or just sip a perfectly chilled glass of rosé on a terrace.  The desert isn’t far from where I live now and certainly it provides plenty of warmth.  But I am thinking of Provence.  Sun-drenched days, shady plane trees, a plethora of cultural offerings, delicious wines and so much more.

We are approaching le quinze août after all, the holiday of all holidays for Europeans.  Many people don’t even know that August fifteenth marks Assumption, a Catholic holiday that is hardly celebrated in Europe except for the fact that most everyone has the day off.  People typically take a whole week off around August fifteenth (if they can’t manage the entire month!).  So you can imagine it is the big vacation week of the summer, the biggest of the year in fact.

I have been in Provence during this period many times, battling crowds at the renowned markets of Saint-Tropez and Ilse-sur-la-Sorgue (you have to arrive early at these and most others).  Yet somehow I always managed and it was always worth it. 

But traveling to Provence in the fall offers a whole other experience.  Yes, you might still have difficulty reserving a table on the patio at the famed Oustau de Baumanière, but you won’t encounter the throngs of tourists that invade this most delightful region of France in July and August.  You’ll still find the weather to be glorious and the cultural offerings just as exciting.

Bea (on the rt.) with Le Mont Sainte-Victoire, Cézanne's Mountain, in the Distance

So why not consider a small, escorted tour composed of fellow travelers of discriminating taste?  I recently became in touch with Beatriz Ball, founder of Golden Bee Tours, a Brazilian-born woman that boasts a huge passion for France, especially Provence.  

The Golden Vineyards of Provence in Autumn

Since Bea’s Provence Arts and Scents Tour for the third week of September has sold out, she has decided to offer it the last week in September as well.  The highlight of this tour is certainly a guided visit to “Picasso-Cézanne,” a much-talked-about exhibition at the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence that explores Cézanne’s influence on Picasso.  Being ferried about a beautiful place with a delightful lady in the know—now that’s what I call a real vacation.

Bea, a recent guest on Travel Fun, chatted with me mostly during our interview about why so many artists have been lured to Provence over more than a century.  ”I remember being so impressed with the quality of light the first time I traveled to Provence many years ago,” Bea said.  Indeed the skies are so clear and vivid that they offer up a kaleidoscope of colors that changes throughout the day.  Certainly this is largely why Picasso, Cézanne and countless other artists sought to capture this region of France on canvas.  ”The region celebrates your senses,” Bea added and I concurred.  It didn’t take much for my thoughts to drift off to the ever present crick-crick-crick of the cicadas, the wafting smells of rosemary and thyme, the taste of a rich tapenade spread over crusty bread, the feel of rubbing a sprig of lavender between my palms, the vision of Abbaye de Sénanque in all its Romanesque splendor on a late summer’s afternoon.

Ah—haaaa.  Mid August.  I should either book a flight to France or go buy myself a nice bottle of Bandol and a few olives.  No wonder it has captivated so many people for so many years.

Thank you to Bea and LCI/CDT VAR for the use of the above images.

Paris and Marrakech in the Springtime

La Tour Eiffel Bien Sur!

Anyone that possesses even a vague interest in France, can’t help thinking about Paris in the springtime.  I’ve made it a tradition on Travel Fun to do an April (or Springtime, if I’m a little behind schedule) in Paris program every year.

This year I whisked my listeners off to the French capital with the help of author, Diane Johnson.  I’ll confess right off that I’m a huge fan of Diane’s novels, particularly “Le Divorce,” “Le Mariage” and “L’Affaire,” all intricately woven works that explore the cultural differences between Americans and the French with keen insight.  A two-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and a three-time finalist for the National Book Award, Diane is the best-selling author of fifteen books including her newly released “Lulu in Marrakech.”  She divides her time between San Francisco and Paris, a city that has taken center stage in her most recent books.  

“Many wonderful books have been written about France,” Diane explained in our interview.  “My publisher is always sending me books about France and the French,” she continues.  “I’ve noticed a constant theme that involves people dreaming about France as the ideal place.”  I’ve found that to be true with so many people over the years as well.  Most seem to embrace a romantic vision of France, especially when it comes to Paris.  And it seems as though that image is rarely shattered.

To understand this more, I suggest you read Diane’s above mentioned books!

As for “Lulu,” Diane once again shines at spinning a tale that holds you in rapt attention with its people, place and story.  She delightfully captures the sights, sounds and smells of this exotic Moroccan land in this novel about a California blond that finds herself living all kinds of adventures—romantic and otherwise—as a spy in an Islamic country.  Diane beautifully describes all the subtleties of ex-pats abroad set against a colorful backdrop painted with vivid images of mosques, minarets, souks and the call to prayer.  

L'Exotisme du Maroc

Diane lived within this culture for quite some time with her husband, a prominent doctor specializing in tuberculosis research, many years ago.  She wrote about many of these experiences in her book, “Natural Opium,” a compilation of travel stores.  Diane’s current project delves into even more adventures she had while traveling the world with her husband to faraway lands including Japan and China.  Can’t wait to see what that will bring!

When asked about her thoughts on Americans abroad, Diane sounded insightful about her compatriots behavior outside of the U.S.  “Americans are more polished and culturally sensitive than they once were,” she said.  

I’m sure Diane is partly responsible for this—at least when it comes to France and now in terms of Islam, I thought.  She is extraordinarily gifted at helping us understand other cultures, especially the French.  And, of course, there’s always that je ne sais quoi, that inexplicable something, that makes many Americans so charmed by France.  Especially Paris in the springtime.

Diane Johnson’s Advice to the Traveler to France

“Read a few good books on how to negotiate the trains and other necessary matters in France.”

“Don’t be the loud American.  Don’t try to speak French by speaking English louder.”  

Last Words from Diane

“The mood is good in Paris these days.  The restaurants are still full.”  We both agreed that food is an essential part of life in Paris.

Book Picks

“Le Divorce”

“Le Mariage”

“L’Affaire”

“Into a Paris Quartier”

“Natural Opium”

and many more by Diane Johnson!

Food, Wine and Giving Thanks

We’re all foodies today.  No matter how or where or what is served up, Thanksgiving marks the one day out of the year when we Americans collectively reflect on what we are grateful for and then feast on hearty helpings of mashed potatoes, turkey with cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie.  When I lived in France, I can remember it being said that Thanksgiving was the day when Americans ate the best, even better than the French.  Although somewhat off-handed, that was quite the compliment, especially considering the chauvinistic attitude often exhibited in France toward fine cuisine.  

Warm Hokkaido Squash and White Bean Salad: Clotilde's Possible Choice for Her Thanksgiving Potluck

Thankfully we have super foodies out there blasting the blogosphere on a regular basis with food and wine information that tantalizes our taste buds year-round.  I invited two of them, Clotilde Dusoulier and Ronald Holden, to be guests on Travel Fun this week for a Food and Wine special.  Both live with one fork (or should I say, one glass raised?) in France and America, a not-so insignificant fact that in my opinion lends more credo to their gastronomic perspectives.  

Paris-based food writer, Clotilde Dusoulier, took center stage first, largely chatting about her blog, ChocolateandZucchini.com, that she founded five years ago.  (It started off in  English, but after much pressure from her countrymen, she finally began to post a French version a year and a half ago.)  “I wanted to create a space where I could document food adventures in general,”  she said.  A cornucopia of recipes are posted on her site, most of which come with a story.  Not surprisingly Clotilde cooks a lot with vegetables and loves to bake (I’m sure with copious amounts of chocolate).  Veggies, however, dominated our interview, talk that made me yearn for the glorious produce of France where virtually everything you buy tastes twice as flavorful as in the U.S.  “I find myself designing meals around the vegetable part and then adding protein.  I get inspired by the season and the offerings at the green market,” Clotilde said.  If only I could beam myself into France on occasion to do my marketing!

Clotilde from ChocolateandZucchini.com

Clotilde planned to join some American friends in Paris today for a Thanksgiving potluck.  When she told me this I didn’t comment on it, but in the eleven years I lived in France I neither attended nor hosted a potluck—a very American tradition that’s terribly un-French.  Perhaps the country is becoming even more Americanized than I realized.

The ever-so entertaining Ronald Holden had me practically clinking glasses with him over the airwaves.  Ronald, who created Cornichon.org, is a terrific food and wine enthusiast, however, we focused mainly on wine in our segment.  (I was fortunate though to extract from him his special cabbage side dish recipe—a Thanksgiving tradition in his family—which I’ve posted below.)

This being the season of Beaujolais Nouveau, we began our interview chatting about the first release of the new year from Burgundy, a fun French institution of sorts that Ronald recommends you drink with turkey or other fowl.  “It’s a wine that ferments very quickly, so everything explodes with flavor.  You have to drink it within the first few months,” he said.  “It’s a party.”

Ronald Holden

I suppose a lot of wine appreciation is about how you approach the nectar.  Ronald feels it’s unfortunate that most Americans are still drinking “Coca Cola flavors” such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.   “The more adventuresome might go for Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, Syrah or Sauvignon Blanc,” Ronald said.  Instead he advocates selecting more international flavors such as wines from the regions of Emilio Romagna in northern Italy, Provence in southern France and Navarra in Spain.  For Provence, Ronald enjoys the various Côtes de Provence that come in a palette of pale pink shades.  “They’re wonderfully refreshing,” he said.  “They’re a far cry from the more heady rosés that I’d refer to as wines for tanning.  People would drink a lot of those wines, fall down in the sand and get sunburned.”

We wrapped up our interview with talk of other more affordable, super tasty wines.  “I’d recommend the wines of the southern Rhône and the Languedoc,” Ronald said, forever true to his apparent predilection toward French libations.  And what does he buy in his native Seattle?  “Right now I have a bottle of Red Beret on the kitchen counter.  It cost under $10. and it’s perfectly acceptable.  I also recommend Steakhouse Red and Fishhouse White, both from Washington state.”

Ronald is also the Global Gourmet for Examiner.com and the Director of Wine Tours for The International Kitchen.

I wish both Clotilde and Ronald and all you other foodies (as well as everyone else!) a Happy Thanksgiving.  May the spirit of the holiday and its sweet and savory flavors remain with you throughout the year.

Ronald’s Cabbage 

A side dish, not a salad. Make several days ahead.

Chop 1 medium onion, sauté in olive oil (or, if doing kosher-style, in goose fat). Before the onion browns, add 1 big head red cabbage, chopped & rinsed.  Don’t bother draining.

Once cabbage begins to wilt, add 1 cup red wine and 1/2 red wine vinegar, 1 tsp salt, a bay leaf, and, if desired, a ham hock and a peeled & chopped apple or pear.  Cover & simmer gently up to 2 hours, allow to cool.

Next day: stir in 1 cup red currant jelly.  Reheat to dissolve the jelly.  Taste & adjust seasonings.  You’re looking for a sweet-sour flavor. 

Allow to cool again. Reheat before serving.

Book Picks

“Chocolate and Zucchini,” by Clotilde Dusoulier

“Clotilde’s Edible Adventures in Paris,” also by Clotilde

Ronald’s Book Picks

“He Said Beer, She Said Wine,” by Sam Calagione and Marnie Old

“Wine Politics,” by Tyler Colman

“I’ll Drink to That:  Beaujolais and the French Peasant Who Made It the World’s Most Popular Wine,”  by Rudolph Chelminski.  This tells the story of Georges Duboeuf, the greatest marketer of French wine.