Tailing a Dog in Provence

Sheron Long is an author and a retired publishing exec who, with her husband, Bob, divides her time between Carmel Valley, California, and St.Rémy. Sherry is the author of  "Dog Trots Globe--To Paris and Provence," a recently released photo book and enhanced ebook that recount the French adventures of her Sheltie, Chula.  Part armchair travel and part memoir with a dog's eye view, this fun read takes you through the big outdoor markets, lavender fields, and villages of Provence and along the streets of Paris. (Info on purchasing the book is below.) On a later trip to Provence, Sherry and Chula set out on the trail of a rumor that Buffalo Bill's dog is either buried or commemorated in a cemetery in Maillane, not far from St. Rémy. And if it is true, what’s the story? Here Sherry tells us what she found out.

Some pups spend all their dog years stuck inside a fence. Some sneak under the fence and explore the neighborhood while others—like Chula Wula D’Augue, our 10-year-old Sheltie—get to trot the globe. Last year she ended up with us in the South of France.

Chula thought she was pretty hot stuff until she heard about Buffalo Bill’s dog, who took an even more amazing trip to Provence many years before and supposedly is memorialized in the cemetery in Maillane, just a few kilometers from our home.

Rumor has it that Buffalo Bill Cody (1846-1917) brought his dog with him when he came to stage his famous Wild West Show for the 1889 World Exposition in Paris. Bill and his entourage, including a few hundred cowboys and Indians, buffalo, elk and other animals, tents, teepees, and a stagecoach, crossed the Atlantic by boat on a journey that took quite a bit longer--and was much more crowded--than the trip Chula made.

When the exposition ended in November 1889, Bill took his show on tour by train, first heading south to Provence and Barcelona, then over to Italy, Germany and other parts of Europe.

According to lore, Frédéric Mistral, who lived in Maillane, ended up with Buffalo Bill’s well-traveled dog. Mistral (1830-1914) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1904 and led the effort to revitalize the Provençal language, known as Occitan and originally spoken in the South of France.

We know that Mistral attended Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show in Provence, but exactly how he got Bill’s dog is more myth than fact. Some stories say that Bill met Frédéric and gave him the dog as a gift of admiration. Others say that the dog ran off from the train station in Tarascon and ended up finding Mistral in Maillane. With their goatees and large hats, Buffalo Bill and Frédéric Mistral resembled each other. Did the dog think he had found his owner?

However Mistral came by the dog, he loved him greatly. The dog must have died in Maillane, but was he really in its cemetery? Chula and I both had to know.

Off we went to tail the dog of Buffalo Bill and Frédéric Mistral. As we approached the cemetery, we were struck by the white horses in the neighboring field. These white horses are most likely descendants of the wild white horses in the Camargue region of France about an hour south of Maillane. We were impressed with how their white coats and blonde manes played off the old stone crosses in the cemetery.

Abiding by the “No Dogs” sign, we left Chula at a hitching post while we began the search.

We found Mistral's tomb easily as it was the largest in the cemetery. We searched the tombstones all around for one naming a dog, but never found it. 

Then we began to look more closely at Mistral's tomb. The face in one arch was a sculpture of Mireille, the main character in the epic Provençal poem of thwarted love that became Mistral’s definitive work. Hmmm. Perhaps the other sculptures held clues.

To our surprise, we spied a dog face in the next arch, and then we spied another! We learned from the very helpful guide at the Mistral Museum that one of the faces belongs to Mistral's beloved dog Pan Perdu, whose name is Provençal for French Toast. 

The other is Pan Perdu’s successor (perhaps his offspring), Pan Panet, which means Little French Toast. The guide verified that Mistral had attended Buffalo Bill's show, but said that the two versions I had heard of how Mistral ended up with Buffalo Bill's dog could be "more myth than fact."  Nevertheless, there are two dogs memorialized on Mistral's tomb, though  not actually buried there. (The tomb is the final resting place of Mistral, his wife  and his mother.)  We were so excited when we made the discovery that we bent the French law a little and carried Chula inside the walls to see these other lucky dogs. Pan Perdu and Chula had much in common. Both had crossed the Atlantic, learned to live in a new culture, and loved the thrill of adventure.

Like Chula, Pan Perdu and Pan Panet had a good life. In France during the 1800s, dogs were generally kept for their usefulness in hunting, herding, or chores and not for their companionship. The Mistrals, however, treated their dogs differently, taking them along everywhere, showing them great affection, and enjoying their companionship. You might say they paved the way for the good life that Chula and other dogs find under the bistro tables in France today. 

Obviously, the Mistrals had great love for their dogs. How many pups do you know who end up represented on the tomb of a Nobel Laureate? We were suitably impressed. And so was Chula—so much so that she has asked for a little sculpture of her pretty dog face when she, too, becomes French Toast. 

So it was that on this fine day in Provence we learned something new: Lucky dogs get to trot the globe, and even luckier ones get their smiles set in stone.

If you visit the Mistral Museum: You'll find Mistral's home preserved just as it was when he lived there in the late 1800's until his death in 1914.  It includes his furniture as well as many documents, photos, sculptures, and paintings reflecting his literary life and times.  There is even a great old photo of Mistral with one of the dogs and a beautiful vase presented to Mistral by the SPCA for his love and attitude toward animals. Across the street is the home where Mistral was born. Today it is the Maillane library and the Mistral research center. The cemetery is a short walk from the museum. 

To purchase a copy of Dog Trots Globe:  The Apple iBookstore offers the enhanced eBook (with 4 videos, original songs, and music embedded). To purchase, click here. The hardcover version is available at  OIC Books or Amazon, which also offers a Kindle ebook.  Readers who choose the hardcover or Kindle ebook can access the videos and other enhancements online at OIC-Books.com/Extras. Meanwhile, you can follow Chula’s continued adventures on her Facebook page. To reach the author, email her at Sheron831@gmail.com.  

 Images and Text copyright © Sheron Long. All Rights Reserved. 

Michelin Names Its Newest Three Star

Today Michelin announced its latest restaurant ratings for France and there's a new three star in town: Flocons de Sel (Flakes of Salt), housed in a chalet in the mountains of Megève, in the Rhone-Alpes region of the southeast. Michelin calls Flocons de Sel "an indispensable destination for lovers of mountain scenery and fine cuisine." This newest addition brings the number of three-star restaurants in France to 26 but Japan still has the lead with a grand total of 32. There are just two three-stars in the Provence region: Le Petit Nice in Marseille and Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo. 

The new Guide Rouge also lists 83 restaurants in France with two stars (10 of them new), 485 with one star (58 new) and 124 new Bib Gourmand (good value) restaurants. Among the ten new two stars are two in Paris (Sur Mesure par Thierry Marx and L'Abeille) and two in Provence: Mirazur in Menton and Chantecler in the Negresco Hotel in Nice. 

The new Michelin Guide Rouge for France (in French only) will be in bookstores as of March 1st (2,016 pages, €24) and a free Michelin iPhone app is being offered (until March 31st) for each purchase of the book.  (The iPhone app, available in five languages, contains all restaurants and hotels listed in the 2012 Guide Rouge, searchable by city and name, along with customer comments, maps and more. Normally, it's €7.99.) To read the press release about the 2012 Guide Rouge, click here. To read the Flocons de Sel press release in French, click here. For a list of all the three-stars in France, Bloomberg has published that here. And for a list of all the three-stars worldwide, click here.

Meanwhile, bravo to Flocons de Sel chef Emmanuel Renaut for being named one of the very-top chefs in France! 

You Get to Be on TV. I Get $500.

You know those TV shows about families who take the big leap, move abroad and then set out to renovate some old dump a charming but needy old house? Ever wonder how they find the folks to feature...or how your family could get chosen? Yes? Then you'll be interested in this email I just received... 

Hi Julie,

I came across your blog while doing some research for a new HGTV show I am working on for Debbie Travis and thought you might be able to help me out. You probably meet many people who dream of moving to--or who have recently moved to--the South of France.

Debbie Travis is well-known on the home decorating front throughout North America and around the world. She's an international television personality, bestselling author, syndicated newspaper columnist and Home Collection designer. A link to her biography is here. 

This is a new home reno show featuring Canadians and Americans (families, couples or individuals) who have recently moved abroad (within the last six months) or who are about to move...and whose new home needs to be "done up." A purchased property is ideal, but we are open to looking at rental situations as well.

We want to document what it's like to move to your dream country and what challenges someone who makes a big move like that faces. What's wonderful about it and what's difficult or surprising.

We haven't finalized the name of the show yet (it's brand new) and are still working with the network on that. We'll be shooting the pilot in April, then other episodes to follow in the late spring, summer, and fall.

The show will air on HGTV in Canada and the US. 

The participants will get their home made over, designed by Debbie. It will be different for each one, depending on their needs and wishes.

I know from your blog that you've been abroad too long for our show, but we're offering a finders fee of $500 to anyone who refers someone who is then chosen for the show. So I thought you may know, or run into, expats in France (or elsewhere) who might perfect.

A link to the casting call website is here. 

Thanks for your time - any help spreading the word would be appreciated! Your readers may also email me at: renoabroadcasting@gmail.com 

Kind Regards,
Linda Rae

Montreal, Canada 


Photo by Navid Baraty. No word on whether this little fixer-upper is for sale...

I'm a Picker, I'm a Grinner...

My love of brocantes and antiquing goes back to childhood: my grandfather owned a used-furniture store in Milwaukee and I loved playing around in there. In Provence there are outdoor brocantes just about every weekend but also shops that sell the same stuff, often at much-lower prices. These stores often have "Troc" in the name and my friends tease me that I can smell a Troc from miles away. (I always find something fun at the one near the TGV Station in Avignon, hidden away near the carwash in the Carrefour parking lot.) 

Not far from my house, in the countryside outside Eygalières, is a big independent one called Le Dépôt Vente and even though it's been there since 2006, somehow I hadn't been in 'til this week. Abondanza! 

Owners Gilles and Manu are antique dealers who buy and sell just about anything; their warehouse (pictured) is piled high with clothing, jewelry, art, books, furniture, kitchenware, lighting, tools and chotchkies galore. (The guys from the TV show American Pickers would love this place.) I'm not an expert by any means but the prices at Le Dépôt Vente are definitely fair: I picked up two St. Remy souvenir plates (one marked Limoges, one "Porcelaine France," plate hangers attached to both) for just 3€ each. If you can't make it to the store you can also shop online...but nothing beats wandering the aisles and coming upon that perfect something. And best of all, when you grow tired of it, you can sell it back...


Le Dépôt Vente
Route du Mas de Branquay
Eygalières
provence-depotvente.com
larmadio@wanadoo.fr
04-90-94-35-63 
Directions: On the website

A Gourmet Provence Bike Tour

Last week I told you about my pal Kit Golson's Chic Provence Design Tour, for lovers of interior design, décor, art and antiques. But there's another Provence trip coming up that I wanted to mention as well. This one is for bikers and it's led by another friend of mine, a terrific American chef named Jon Chiri who has lived and worked in Provence for many years. After successfully running the cooking school at the gorgeous Avignon hotel called La Mirande, Jon is now the chef at the one-of-a-kind La Verrière, a spectacular property up in Crestet, in the AOC Mont Ventoux wine region. The property encompasses a vineyard and winery, "extreme" wine school, elegant and high-tech conference center, seven-bedroom villa-style hotel, restaurant and more. (If you want to rent La Verrière for your group or a very-special occasion, it's yours for 25,000€ per week. And don't worry, there's definitely a place to land your helicopter!) The very genial owners of La Verrière give Jon a week off every now and then to lead gourmet culinary bike tours through the company Gourmet Cycling Travel.  And I can't think of a better person to bike Provence with! 

In terms of dates, you have two options: June 24 to 29, 2012, and September 2 to 7, 2012. Both trips start and finish in Avignon. You'll bike ten to 40 miles per day in rolling hills, experiencing world-class scenery, cooking classes, colorful outdoor markets, wine and chocolate tastings, gourmet restaurants, Medieval hilltop villages, lavender fields and so much more. You'll stay at La Verrière and at the Chateau de Rochegude, a Relais & Château that dates to the 12th century, overlooking the vineyards of the Côtes du Rhône. Jon will bike with you every day and be on hand to answer all your questions, about the local food, wine, culture, history, expat life...you name it.

Travel + Leisure Magazine recently named Gourmet Cycling Travel's Provence Luxury Tour as one of "22 Best Life-Changing Trips." And who among us couldn't use a life-changing trip? Plus, as a reader of Provence Post, you get a $250-per-person discount. For more specific details, including a full itinerary and pricing, click here. 

But wait, there’s more. Gourmet Cycling Travel is also running a special bike trip in July (July 16 to 23) that allows serious bikers to experience four thrilling stages of the Tour de France. (Yes, that Tour de France!) Cyclists will challenge themselves up some of the most-famous mountains of the legendary bike race, like the Col d'Aubisque, Col du Portillon and the Col du Tourmalet. You’ll ride the Tourmalet just hours before the race and then relax at a prime viewing location to cheer on Cadel, Alberto and Andy as they battle for the summit. Non-cyclists are welcome and will enjoy separate guided activities on non-tour-viewing days like a full-day guided tour of Paris, a cooking class in Spain, mountain hikes in the Pyrenees and more. Full info on the Tour de France trip is here. Or, feel free to call or email for info on any Gourmet Cycling trip: jon@GourmetCyclingTravel.com or US phone 888-327-2283. 


Photos from top: Postcard-perfect views; trip leader Jon Chiri; Château de Rochegude will be one of your two hotels on the Provence Luxury Bike Tour; a Château de Rochegude guestroom; the gorgeous La Verrière in Crestet will provide your second accommodations for the week.

Another Great Big Grenache Tasting

Yep, the Grenache Gang is back at it again, buoyed by the success of their last "G-Night" event, held in Avignon in November. Occupy Grenache will be Monday, February 20 at Bab Restaurant and Lounge in the town of Lattes, 10 km south of Montpellier. My friend Kelly McAuliffe, an American sommelier and Rhône wine expert, tells me it's going to be a blast. 

The event coincides with the first night of ViniSud, the international exhibition of Mediterranean wines and spirits taking place Feb 20 to 22 at the Parc des Expositions de Montpellier. The bi-annual ViniSud is the largest wine event in the South of France; this year 35,000 people are expected. Occupy Grenache is one of many "off" events being staged during ViniSud. For a list of others, click here.

In addition to Grenache-based wines from 35 top domaines in the Rhône Valley and beyond, Occupy Grenache will feature artisinal beer, light hors d'oeuvres, music, dancing and more. The wine starts flowing at 7:30 pm; dancing and beer follow at 10:30.  If you click on the invite above, you'll be able to see the map (sort of). Admission is free but you must reserve. For info or to book: marlene@grenachesymposium.com. 

Kit Golson's Design Tour de France

One of the many super-cool people I've met in the blogosphere is Kit Golson, a California-based interior designer who's crazy passionate about Provence.  Kit just rang up to tell me that she still has a few spots left on her upcoming Design Tour of Provence,  May 11 to 18, 2012.  Mid May is a glorious time to be in Provence and if I wasn't already living here, I'd sign up for sure. But I'm totally planning to schlep along one day if the gorgeous-and-talented Kit lets me.

The week-long tour includes plenty of antiquing, visits to design ateliers and fabric shops, an optional cooking class in a 13th-century chateau, a 12-mile electric bike ride through the vineyards, optional yoga and massage, work with a digital photography coach, market visits, plenty of shopping and sightseeing, fabulous meals with local wines and accommodations in a gorgeous villa in L'Isle sur la Sorgue, a major European antiques center.  I mean, come on...is there anything in that list we don't love? 

You can find all the info on Kit's blog here. Or, feel free to email or call her: kit@kitgolson.com or US phone 650-302-6883. Hope to see you in Provence in May!

Photos from top: On Kit's trip, you'll...stay here; have breakfast here; shop here; perhaps sleep here (sleeping man not included in rate); want to buy some of this; eat lots of this; and see lots and lots of these.

W Hotel Set to Open in Paris

W Hotels will make its debut in France on Valentines Day with the opening of W Paris-Opéra, at 4 rue Meyerbeer in the 9^th arrondissement. The five-story hotel is set inside an elegant 1870s Haussman-era building, opposite the Opéra Garnier, close to the Galeries Lafayette and Place Vendôme. Historic features, such as ornamented columns, vaulted ceilings, marble staircases, stained-glass windows and fireplaces, have been partially restored and are now juxtaposed with contemporary elements. The general manager is Olivier Servat, who came over from Le Méridien Etoile. 

When it came to the kitchen, W went after and lured a big name: the exec chef is the Barcelona-born, Madrid-based Spanish chef Sergi Arola, who trained with Ferran Adria at El Bulli in Spain and with Pierre Gagnaire in Paris. He now holds two Michelin stars at La Broche (Madrid) and also runs restaurants in Barcelona, Sao Paolo and Santiago. His second in command is chef de cuisine Torsten Sällström, formerly in charge of the kitchen at Gastro in Madrid, and Sällström will oversee the kitchen when Arola is back home in Spain. The hotel restaurant, Arola, offers an "interactive" concept called Pica Pica: instead of a traditional three-course meal, there will be a variety of dishes and tapas served family style, merging Catalan cooking with French ingredients. Arola also created the menus for the W Lounge (a wide variety of tapas and montaditos) and for in-room dining as well. Behind the bar you're likely to find Aurélie Panhelleux, who was recently named France's National Cocktail Champion. (Who knew France had a National Cocktail Championship?!)

The new W Paris was designed jointly by W Global Brand Design and Rockwell Group Europe (RGe), the Madrid office of New York-based Rockwell Group. Known for world-class projects such as the sets for the 81st and 82nd Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles, two restaurants for Alain Ducasse in New York and scores of other major buildings, hotels, restaurants and theatrical venues, architect David Rockwell and his Rockwell Group have a long association with W Hotels, stretching back to 1998 and the launch of the very first W Hotel, the W New York. (I'm a huge fan of David's work and you can see a wildly impressive list of his completed projects here.)

The new five-story W Hotel has 91 rooms including 20 suites and two Extreme WOW Suites (W’s version of the Presidential Suite). With soaring ceilings up to three and a half meters high, rooms and suites feature offer stunning views of the Opéra Garnier and Parisian streets. "Our goal was to transform this historic building into a W Hotel that literally shines with innovative and unexpected details, materials and technology," RGe’s Managing and Creative Director Diego Gronda says. Rooms have pillow-top, signature W beds with 350-thread count sheets, terry robes and the Bliss-brand amenities...while the hotel itself has a fitness center, 24-hour room service, 24-hour concierge and W's signature "Whatever/Whenever" service.

Rates begin at 350€ and special packages are available, such as the "Free Nights" offer in which you pay for three and get the fourth free or pay for four and get two more free. 

Meanwhile, the next European W openings will be in Athens and Milan, both in 2013. The company is on track to reach 60 hotels worldwide by the end of 2015. 

For more info on the W Paris or to book, call +33 (0)1 44 77 10 68 or click here.  


*Interested in other recent high-end Parisian hotel openings? Click here and here. Or, if you're looking for less-expensive options in Paris, click here and here.