Bill Morton
On Travel
I ran into an old college friend a few weeks ago in — no surprise to me — a restaurant. My Seattle friend, Frank, is a psychologist. But his deeper identity, down in his soul, is a gourmet.
More than anyone I’ve ever met, Frank loves fine cuisine. With no children in their lives, Frank and his wife, Lynn, have pursued the finer things with a passion and a dedication that is absolute. Wines, foie gras, escargot, pate, truffle oil infusions — delicacies that many of us were introduced to in our 50s were known to Frank in his 20s.
He’s a man of the world, and for him that world need be no larger than France or any more complicated than a fine table with a chef who cares.
Twenty years ago, while strolling the Rue de Rivoli near the Tuileries, I spied Frank — who I hadn’t run into for three or four years — across the street. He was at a sidewalk caf/ with Lynn, who was seated across the table from him. Frank’s knife was poised, a smile was on his face, a ray of sunshine was splashing their table and a chortle was emanating from deep down inside Frank’s ample mid-section. But of course, we would run into Frank at a restaurant in Paris.
When we crossed the Rue and greeted Frank and Lynn, we learned that our college friends had touched down in Paris a mere two hours earlier. We asked about their itinerary. They brought out a book, “Relais & Chateaux,” and we, the uninitiated, then learned that every day of their vacation involved staying at a different chateau. Every evening, they knew not only in which dining room they would be, but precisely what they would be ordering. They were doing France a la palate.
The chateaux and castles that Frank and Lynn would be staying at were all at least 100 years old, we learned, but more importantly, they all had Michelin stars. Frank explained the great advantage they saw in enjoying a world-class meal and wines and cheeses, and then falling into bed, or perhaps crawling down to the cigar room to gather oneself after the repast. They would be traveling the far corners of France, but they were going no further than their Relais & Chateaux guidebook to set it up.
Since those distant days, Judy and I have always tried to treat ourselves to a night or two at a recommended Relais & Chateaux property, or at a minimum, to enjoy at least one meal at an “R&C” restaurant. Unlike Frank and Lynn, we are no gourmands, but we are happy to follow in their footsteps.
Our most recent sojourn to Europe focused on two regions of France that demanded more depth of exploration. The first was the Southwest corner, in the hills and pastures of the Pyrenees Mountains, home to the French Basques.
One of the unanticipated consequences of the historic uniting of Europe has been the lesser emphasis on national identities and the stunning re-emphasis on regionalism. The Basques are a perfect example. Since the European Union was formed, more Basque children are learning Basque in school. The Basque colors fly high and are more apparent than the French tri-color. Street signs are in Basque. The same regionalism is occurring among Welsh and Scottish in Great Britain, and Bavarians and Rheinlanders in Germany.
For travelers, it’s a bonus. European money is standardized. The borders are gone. And yet the variety and differences within Europe are becoming more pronounced — spicier. These, then, are good days to visit the Basque Pyrenees, from the power of religion and mysticism displayed at Lourdes to the Atlantique seashore at St. Jean de Luz. Historic nations such as Italy, France, Germany or Britain are no longer pressing regions to hide their regional differences and standardize along national lines.
The spiritual capital of the Basque region is the town of Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port. Saint Jean is a very ancient mountain village that was the final habitable stop before crossing the pass to Spain for hundreds of thousands of pilgrims en route to Santiago del Campostela. It signaled the home stretch for pilgrims from Italy, Austria and even Russia.
Today, Saint Jean serves as a hiking center where day hikes are common, with good Basque cooking awaiting those who take to the mountains. Our hotel, Les Pyrenees, is the only Relais and Chateaux hotel and restaurant in the region, and its 14 rooms and four suites are the best and largest in the region. We liked the wood accents, the wonderful fresh mountain air and sweet garden aromas that surrounded the heated pool and patio area. Firmin Arrambide, the owner and chef, is known as one of the most inventive of the more than 400 chefs in the R&C family. Using the red peppers, onions and unusual cheeses of the Pyrenees, Arrambide creates dishes that go beyond the standard Basque treats.
Cambo les Baines is a smaller, quieter town a few kilometers from Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port. Cambo has built a retirement trade around its natural thermal springs. The Chaine Thermale du Soleil (www.chainethermale.fr) operates a new and gorgeous spa facility that includes numerous heated pools, exercise pools, massage rooms and treatment rooms designed to help people lose weight and recapture their youthful vigor. The sun-splashed pool arena is hyper-clean, mirroring the clean, green meadows and forests that surround Cambo. For travelers from America, I recommend a couple of days at any of the 21 spa resorts run by Chaine Thermale de Soleil as a way of getting a different taste of France while pampering your body. Incidentally, a visit to their Web site will show that the majority of their spas are located in the southern portion of France.
En route to Paris and our return to Seattle, we decided on a couple of days in the Loire Valley. An old Seattle friend, Nicole Preveoux, grew up in Chinon, a small river town known for excellent wines and located about five miles off the Loire. We found another Relais and Chateaux property, the four-star Chateau de Marcay, located among the fields and vineyards five kilometers south of Chinon. The centuries-old limestone castle (actually 15th century, to be exact), complete with rounded turrets and mansard roof tiles, proved to be a relaxing antidote for us after being a bit road weary. Even though the day was cool and overcast on our arrival, we took the opportunity to use the large, warmly heated outdoor pool to stretch muscles and justify the multi-course meal to come. Glad we did. The menu included tastes of all nature’s bounty in the garden of France that is the Loire region.
The following day, we toured the Chateau de Marcay’s sister property, also a four-star Relais & Chateaux property, the jaw-dropping Les Hautes Roches. This 18th-century chateau was built directly into the limestone cliffs that line the north shore of the Loire River. Many of the rooms are completely encased in golden limestone with the exception of the window wall that faces the river. A good night’s sleep is almost guaranteed when your room sits under 80 feet of rock and 30 feet above the roadway and river below. The dining room and bar area is completely underground, and the effect of a meal in this cozy space with its romantic lighting is wonderful and practically unique. Clearly, prehistoric people lived in those caves for millennia, and I would opt to be a caveman myself if I could live there. The location of Les Hautes Roches is equal to that of Marcay. Les Roches sits near Tours, a good shopping city, not far from the famous chateau of Amboise. Both Chateau de Marcay and Les Hautes Roches are quite affordable, with rooms and suites priced between 125-315 euro ($185-$467), and Les Pyrenees rooms start at 100 euro.
Bill Morton can be reached at www.secondhalf.net.
