Sauveterre-de-Bearn

View from the terrace.


L'Eglise St. Andre, 13th century.





Remnants of the infamous Bridge of Legend.


A while back I visited the lovely town of Sauveterre-de-Bearn, and simply forgot to write a little something about it on my blog. It's only a short distance from Salies, however, the main reason I went was to admire the view from the terrace of its 13th century chirch, l'Eglise St. Andre. The view is beautiful and looks over a bend in the river and the Bridge of Legend.

The bridge won its name from an event which took place in 1170 when the viscountess Sancie was accused of murdering her newly born and malformed son whilst her husband, Gaston V, was away. Note: Rumours of witchcraft were rife at this time.

Her brother, the King of Navarre, ordered that she be submitted to the judgement of God and thrown into the river, with her hands and feet firmly bound. She ended up surviving the incident and was thus declared innocent.

The town was originally built as a walled refuge during the tumultuous times of the Dark Ages and grew in importance as its legenday bridge was on one of the main routes to Spain – used by pilgrims on the way to Santiago de Compostela. From what I could see, not much remains of its once glorious fortifications, however, enough remains to spark the imagination of what this once important town must have looked like.

Favourite Things: O&Co.

During our visit to Geneva, we popped into a fabulous little shop after our gallery visit and lunch. It was called O&Co and is located in Old Town Geneva (although I believe there are several locations, none of which are in canada, of course).

They dub themselves the Mediterranean food merchant, as they cultivate and offer an extensive selection of olive oils and delicacies from across the Mediterranean. They have everything from everyday use olive oils, finishing olive oils, specialty olive oils, vinegars, tapenades and spreads, sauces and pasta, crackers, truffles, seasonings, kitchen accessories and skin care.

I particularly loved their specialty olive oils, with a range of delicous flavours from lemon, basil and bergamont, to mint, mandarin and chili pepper – just to name a few.

The staff were also happy to hand out free samples of their olive oils and vinegars on little ice cream spoons. My favourite was a combination of bergamont olive oil and white wine vinegar with honey and ginger. Delicious! It will be perfect drizzled over a summer salad , sushi, or as part of a seafood marinade. The possibilities for these two culinary delights are endless. This was of course the combo that I ended up purchasing, couldn't resist. However, a close second was the mint olive oil and apple vinegar combo. So hard to choose.

More Funny Photos...

Below is a link to some awesome photos taken by Laura and Michael during my visit. A must see.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mprandall/2010_08Andrea#

Evian, Trip 2

Sorry about the infrequent posts the last few days, but I only just got back from another great visit with Laura and Michael in Evian. I was there for about a week and had a great time. I decided to brave the long 9 hour drive so I could bring Rypien along, instead of putting him in a kennel. Our week was full of great food and wine, hiking, swiming, fireworks, gallery going and lots of laughs. Below is a peak at some of the highlights:

HIKE 1: THE MEMISES MASSIF
Our first hike, just above Evian, which had sumptuous panoramic views of Lake Geneva, alpine pastures and forests. Fabulous!




Almost there. Laura, Michael and Rypien.




View of Evian and Lake Geneva. Beautiful.


At the Top.


Walking along the top of the Memises.


The Gondola ride down. Rypien decided at the last minute that he didn't like the idea of getting into a rickity gondola, so I had to wrestle/throw him in.


Happy Days.


A LITTLE CULTURE: THE MUSEES D'ART ET D'HISTOIRE, GENEVE

Comprised of seven different sites, the Musees d'Art et d'Histoirse constitues one of the largest museum groups of Switzerland. Conceived with a multidisciplinary approach, the Musees maintain collections in the fields of archaeology, fine arts and applied arts, and bear witness to the history of civilisations from prehistoric to modern times.

Currently the Musees is showcasing an exhibit titled Art and its Markets: Flemish and Dutch painting of the 17th and 18th century. The exhibit has two objectives. On the one hand, it presents a part of the Musees collection that is as important as it is little known: a selection of Flemish and Dutch paintings from the 16th to the 18th centuries. On the other hand, it illustrates a consequential phenomenon that first emerged during this period in the former Low Countries: the rapid expansion of the art market.




Musees d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneve, Entrance


Musees d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneve, Entrance


Musees d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneve, Exterior


Musees d'Art et d'Histoire, Geneve, Exterior


HIKE 2: St. LUC, SWITZERLAND

Located on the sunny eastern slope of the Val d'Anniviers, the town of St. Luc enjoys a majestic panorama. Spectacular scenery, attractive walking country and the ultra modern astronomical observatory will keep boredom at bay.The countryside surrounding St. Luc in the summer months is a veritable paradise for hikers and mountain bikers.

We hiked a great footpath from the town of St. Luc up to the Weisshorn Hotel at 2337m (our lunch spot), constructed at the beginning of the last century by English entrepreneurs, with an expansive view across Val d'Anniviers to the Matterhorn.

The Planet Trail begins below the FXB Observatory and runs opposit the impressive 4000 meter-high peaks of the Valais Alps, at an altitude that stays between 2,200 meters and 2,500 meters.
The Path is 6 km long in total and tells you about the 9 planets in our solar system. Two separate scales are used: 1 meter to 1million kilometers for walking distances and 1cm to 1000km for the diameters of the planets.


About to start the climb.


I had three butterflies land on me that day, it was pretty cool.


Rypien! Best Day Ever!




Amazing Waterfall.


Most of the Hike up was beside this beautiful cascade.


Meadow Trail, Beautiful.


Hiking along the upper meadow trail. Photo courtesy of Laura and Miichael.


Our lunch destination, The Weisshorn Hotel. Guests who stay here have to walk up. No cars allowed.


Lunch with a View. The Val d'Anniviers, with the Dent Blanche on the left and Grimentz in the valley. Photo courtesy of Laura and Michael.


Laura and Michael.


Really nice Swiss gentleman named Peter who was part of our hiking group.


The Daily Specials.


Specialties: Chanterelles. Mmmmmm!


I indulged in the Chanterelle Salade for lunch. Superb!


Dessert: Tarte Myrtilles! Delicious!


The town of St. Luc, where we started from.


Saturn! Our descent was on the Planet Trail, positioned for scale. The Earth and Sun are straight ahead. Pluto is over 4km behind us.


On the Planet Trail, Saturn and the Hotel Weisshorn in the background.


Passing a Swiss farm that sells cheese and butter. This type of pot is used to make cheese.


At the Sun! Earth is a three minute walk back to the left.


Hotel Weisshorn (the speck above the tree line), with the Matterhorn and Dent Blanche on the right.

HIKE 3: ALLINGE, a 10th century Monastery and Castle near Evian
View East from the Monastery/Castle, with the Memise (Hike 1) visible in the distance.


Approaching the Castle.


Approaching the Monastery.


The 10th century Monastery from above.


Sunset on Swiss National Day, August 1st. Photo courtesy of Laura and Michael.


View across Lake Geneva to Lausanne and the Swiss National Day fireworks. Happy Swiss National Day! Photo courtesy of Laura and Michael.