Discovering the Vendée

Even though I have only been to the Provence in the South of France (besides Paris), I always wanted to discover other areas of France such a Burgundy, Brittany or Bordeaux. The Vendée was never a choice because I did not know of its existence!!!

Luckily –  through this blog –  I discovered the Vendée since I decided to take a photography course with famous British photographer Roger Stowell, who lives in this region.

So I am not going to make the “usual” thorough description of the Vendée since one can google it and find all kinds of information about it (and I am lazy these days!). However,  I will point out some info that I really found interesting about this region:

• It has more than 100 miles of long, sandy beaches;
• It is one of the top touristic destinations among the French;
• It has a microclimate similar to that of the South of France so you have lots of sunshine throughout the year;
• Its economy is based on agriculture, food processing and tourism;
• It is famous for its high quality of poultry and lamb.

source Wikipedia (and Roger Stowell!!)

As Roger kindly drove me down the beautiful countryside of the Vendèe, I took some panoramic pictures (poor Roger I don’t remember how many times I asked him to stop for pictures!!!). I think the cows below were trying to tell me: enough Ambrosiana!

During my last day of the course, Roger took me to lunch to Coulon, a beautiful village of the Marais Poitevin.

As soon as we stumbled upon this street, Roger told me: “take a picture of this, it is so French!!”..wasn’t he right?…Thanks Roger!!!

A beautiful church with stunning colors

We went to lunch at Hotel Le Central, where Roger explained me that this is the kind of place to eat “correct” French cuisine. What he meant about correctness of eating in a French restaurant is the way food is cooked and served according to cuisine bourgeoise tradition. Since French families usually eat at this restaurant, they expect a certain table setting – with the right silverware, glassware and table clothing. They also expect food to be prepared and presented in a proper way – using the right utensils and serving plates. Even serving the right kind of bread matters!!! Below a delicious vegetable terrine.

I continued with a mouthwatering rack of lamb – cooked to perfection and carved in front of us!

And le grand finale – assorted ice cream…so delicious!!

Even though I am not French and have little knowledge of French cuisine, this is the kind of meal I would “expect” from a great French restaurant!