My favorite kind of shopping... a lovely covered food market in the heart of southern France bursting with burgundy peonies, wild violet asparagus, and fragrant ewe’s milk brebis cheeses. Chef Alain pulled me aside to a display of very fresh looking poultry and asked for his “special” order. Carefully placing a paper wrapped package into my arms as if were fine china, Chef Alain cautioned me to take special care of our, “caille”, quail that we’d be cooking together later that day. A little later that morning there I was, honey white wine in hand, crisping the quail in olive oil and fresh basil picked from the garden... my first cooking lesson in France... what a memorable experience for a foodie like me!

This was my first trip to Biarritz and I came back thoroughly charmed with the area's beauty, the magnificent, pounding ocean, the lovely towns, the gorgeous Pyrenees, the range of interesting activities, the people, the food and more! Even though we have "family" we love in Marseille and have visited the Nice and Cannes areas a number of times, I prefer the Biarritz/Basque area for the beauty of the coast, the vibrant Basque culture and the warmth and lack of pretension of the people. I think this is a perfect area for an in-depth experience.

Heading up into the wild country of the Pyrenees Mountains of southwest France in four-wheel drive vehicles, we were motioned to take a sharp right down a steep path. In 2-3 minutes we arrived at a shepherd’s hut where, under a simple pergola, VillaHost Wendi had arranged a sumptuous lunch prepared by a local artist. Sipping wine with our backs to the simple hut, drenched in sun, there wasn’t another soul in sight, just the towering Pyrenees keeping us company.

The scene was reminiscent of southern California, with a definite French twist... as the long waves rolled in off the ocean with wetsuit-clad surfers trying to stay on their long boards, high on a bluff throngs of locals were boisterously calling out for drinks at the beach bar before the sun began to set. Next door the old Basque men were oblivious to both the ocean waves of Biarritz and the sundowner party going on... they were intently tossing large steel balls in the air, trying to gamely knock their opponent’s balls out of the way... welcome to petanque...