William the Conqueror: The Normandy Touring Game Created by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

William the Conqueror: The Normandy Touring Game Created by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Introduction

I chose the name William the Conqueror for this game, because he was the French noble who invaded today’s UK in 1066 and made himself King of England.

The French language became the language of:

-the royal family

-the local nobility, who displaced local Anglo-Saxon nobility (There are vestiges of the problems this caused in the tale of Robin Hood.)

-the tax collectors

-the courts

-all trade officials, including customs

-high culture creators (the wealthy art patrons spoke, read, and wrote in French)

Even Shakespeare sprinkled French here and there as in the play Julius Caesar when the assassinated Julius Caesar asks his dear friend with his last breath, “Et tu, Brutus?”

William the Conqueror launched the invasion on the UK from Normandy.  I have listed the two most famous Norman sites below as well as the two most famous American D-Day Invasion sites for Americans.

Sites in Western Normandy to Visit

Bayeux

The Reine Mathilda Museum (Wife of William the Conqueror) houses the 11^th century Bayeux Tapestry that depicts the Norman Invasion of England in 1066 by William the Conqueror, who would become the King of England.

Omaha Beach Museum

The new, private Omaha Beach Museum in Vierville-sur-Mer documents the entire D-Day invasion for the American contingent of troops.

(There are other museums throughout Normandy that document the Canadian and English contributions to the liberation of Europe during World War II.

I will write about the Canadian Monument to the D-Day Liberation in a later blog on Savvy Mom Ruth Paget.)

Arromanches-les-Bains

Arromanches should be on every engineer’s “to visit” list in France.

The Mulberry Harbours were developed by the British as artificial ports that allowed the allies to move 9,000 tons of materials per day from ship-to-shore to win the war – World War II.

Caen

Caen is the home of William the Conqueror’s tomb at the Abbaye-aux-Hommes.  Queen Mathilda is buried across town at the Abbaye-aux-Dames

The Château de Caen dates from about 1060.  It is a good spot to take photos. Many restaurants surround the Château.

Caen’s Food Specialty

The food specialty of Caen is tripes à la Caen – stewed beef tripe with carrots, onions, leeks, peppercorns, and cider.

Apples grow in Normandy, so I would drink apple cider with the tripe and a Calvados apple brandy after the meal.

These are all interesting places to visit outside of Mont Saint Michel.  Hotel concierges can arrange bus tours to Mont Saint Michel as well as for lunches of the famous omelets served there.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Louis Malle: The Loire Valley Chateaux Film Location Game - 10 Suggested Sites and Catering Ideas by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Louis Malle: The Loire Valley Châteaux Film Location Game – 10 Suggested Sites by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

  

Introduction

Louis Malle was a French film director, screenwriter, and producer, who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes for Le Monde du Silence and the Venice Golden Lion several times.  Malle’s autobiographical film Au Revoir Les Enfants is set in a Loire Valley boarding school during World War II.

All of the Loire Valley châteaux housed inhabitants at one time or another who were kings, relatives of royalty, finance ministers, or their wives and mistresses.  This historical cast of characters makes for an infinite number of intrigue-filled screenplays.

10 Suggested Châteaux for Film Locations

All of these châteaux have websites that list the principal inhabitants of the châteaux, main features, and contact information.

-Azay-le-Rideau

-Villandry

-Clos Lucé

-Langeais

-Usse

-Blois

-Chambord

-Saumur

-Angers

-Chinon

Catering Options and Local Film Licensing Laws

If you decide to look into shooting a film at a particular château, you might want to consider catering a good yet inexpensive buffet at the château instead of doing an expensive restaurant meal in town.

You should also ask to speak to a local film bureau about production and distribution regulations and laws at the local and national level.

I have listed several buffet rallye parties on this Savvy Mom Ruth Paget blog that are inexpensive yet nutritious.  Some of the ones that local businesses in the Loire Valley could provide include:

-Parisian Global Economy Rallye – featuring French, Moroccan, Japanese, and Vietnamese food with French, Italian, African, and American Music.

-Parisian Sandwich Rallye – Paul Vieneroisserie could provide these with advance warning

-Thai Buffet – the French, who can afford it, go to Thailand on vacation now, eat Thai food in restaurants, and have learned to cook it at home

-Vietnamese Buffet – the Vietnamese can do lovely cold buffets and are a minority group in France

-Neapolitan Pizza Party – Eataly in Bologna (Italy) could even cater this type of event, if they do not open a store locally. 

-Milanese Risotto Party – Peck of Milan (Italy) could cater this type of event, if they do not open a store locally. 

The first Renaissance in the Loire Valley came about as a result of the “Italian Wars” in Milan and other areas of Lombardy in Northern Italy.

-Moroccan Buffet – sliced roast lamb, mechoui, and a variety of cold salads would be a lovely buffet option that can be catered locally in France.  It is both halal and kosher.  (Paul Viennoiserie can also make kosher salmon sandwiches, if necessary.)

Film Location Wrap-Up Party

Learning to waltz from a certified instructor.  Every Catholic wedding party has waltzing.  It might work better than social media for finding a husband or wife.  

Learning Loire Valley wine drinking songs in French.that date from the age of Rabelais.

French etiquette and/or designer wardrobe building tips could be a good ½ talk with a question-and-answer session following it.

Glasses of Vouvray or Montlouis, sweet white wine, served with cream puffs covered in chocolate in carmelized sugar cages could be a nice dessert finish to the film location visit.

If you choose to film at the châteaux you are visiting, you might want to serve a champagne such as Veuve Clicquot, Taittinger, or Moët and Chandon.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Eugenie Grandet: The Anjou (France) Touring Game Created by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Eugénie Grandet: The Anjou (France) Touring Game Created by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Introduction

I named this game Eugénie Grandet after Honoré de Balzac’s novella of the same name that is set in Saumur (Anjou, France). De Balzac wrote a series of 100 novellas set in the Loire Valley mostly called the Comédie Humaine.

Anjou is the French department region close to Chinon and Tours in the Loire Valley region that most tourists are familiar with for visiting.  Both Anjou and the Touraine are full of châteaux, wonderful food and wine, and great souvenirs.

Fontevraud –

The Royal Abbaye houses the tomb of Eleanor of Aquitaine.  Eleanor of Aquitaine was the queen of both France and England.

The Cloisters outside the tomb area are great spots for photos.

Saumur –

The château here is the home of France’s famous Cadre Noir equestrian school and museum.

The caves in the homes along the Loire River are called troglodyte homes.  Some can be rented for vacation stays from the local tourism office.

Cholet –

Cholet is a good spot to stop for a quick lunch at Paul Vienroisserie for sandwiches in an air-conditioned mall or heated mall depending on the season.  These malls usually have 20 -30 bathroom stalls to handle a busload of tourists.

Malls have places to let tourists off, fill up the gas tank, and park while tourists eat and buy souvenirs.

Cholet is known for its clothing and textiles.  Most malls have French baby stores with christening gowns, layettes for newborn babies, and silver spoons and dishes.  (The Chinese emperors used silver rather than gold dishes, because silver turns color when poison touches it.  I learned this in Beijing –China when I toured the Forbidden City with an inner-city youth study tour to that country in 1979.)

Angers –

The château houses the Apocalypse Tapestry that has been hidden and pieced together several times throughout history

Angevin Souvenirs

-Crémant de Saumur

Manufactured using the méthode champenoise.  Ackerman is the winery for this product that is similar to Asti Spumante from the Piedmont region in northern Italy where Barolo is produced.

-Côteaux de Layon

Sweet white wine that is good with cream and mushroom sauces on poached, freshwater fish like most of the sweet white wines from the Anjou regions. 

I would also drink some of the sweet whites from the Anjou region as a light cocktail before a meal.

-Quarts de Chaume

Very sweet white wine that resembles Sauternes from the Bordeaux region

--Bonnezeaux

Another sweet white wine from the Anjou region

-Savennières

A sweet white that can be used a pre-dinner cocktail, especially with blackcurrant liqueur as a not-so-fancy kir cocktail

-Cointreau Liqueur

Orange-based liqueur

-Combier Triple Sec

Combined sweet and bitter orange liqueur used in margaritas

-menthe pastille

peppery mint liqueur

Other Good Souvenirs

Lautellier Tesson Couture

Sur Measure Wedding Dresses by Dior and other French Designers

Artisan Boot Maker

Joel Albert

Other Tourist Attractions in Anjou

-Bioparc at Doué-la-Fontaine

This “zoo” has more than 700 species in it, including 40 species on the endangered species list.

-Parc Oriental de Moulévrier

This is the largest Japanese garden in Europe.

-Camifolía at Chémillé

This is a sort of botanic garden wit aromatic plants and herbs cultivated in Anjou.

-Balloon Rides

There are several places that offer balloon rides along the Loire River.  Check with local tourism offices for information.

Château Hotel Rental Agencies

These agencies rent in châteaux all over France and Europe.

-bienvenue-au-chateau.com

-relaischateaux.com

-chateauxhotels.com

-grandesetapes.fr

Recommended Reading

Honoré de Balzac’s Comédie Humaine.  There are more than 100 novellas in this series set in the Loire Valley, mostly between Saumur and Tours.  The novella Eugénie Grandet in this series uses Saumur as the backdrop for its story.

Film to Watch

Seven Days…Seven Nights starring French actress Jeanne Moreau.  Moreau is from Angers (France).  She won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for this film.

The Chartreuse de Parme by French author Stendahl is a similar book about Italy, but there is an older aunt taking care of a younger nephew in this book instead of a cousin as in Eugenie Grandet.

Have fun planning a trip or trying something new to eat or drink.

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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Spirits: The French Eau-de-Vie Game Created by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

Spirits: The French Eau-de-Vie Game Created by Savvy Mom Ruth Paget

France is famous for its musketeers, imbibing spirits, eau-de-vie, in novels such as The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, Gil Blas by Alain-René Lesage, and Cyrano de Bergerac by Edmond Rostand.

When I worked in Chicago and Paris, many visiting businessmen did want to take French brandy home as gifts, because it was hard to export it to Japan in the 1990s.  Now it is easier to export brandy, but people do not know what all the different products are.  I have listed some different French brandies below that might interest people besides cognac.

Also, if I do not have vanilla for cakes, I will use cognac or other brandies in its place, since most liquid vanilla has alcohol in it.

If you are just going to visit Paris, there are two main stores that you can visit that have a selection of food products.  These stores can package the eau-de-vie, insure it, fill out customs papers, and ship it, so you do not have pack bottles of liquid in your suitcase.

The stores that are set up in Paris for food and alcohol sales to foreign tourists are Fauchon and Hédiard.  Film festival venues might consider setting boutiques for these stores and souvenir pick-up points during film festivals to increase sales tax.

Eau-de-Vie Suggestions follow:

-Calvados – apple brandy from Normandy

-Mirabelle – yellow plum brandy from the Lorraine

-Poire William – pear brandy from Alsace

-Cognac – grape-based brandy from the Charente region

-Armagnac – grape-based brandy from the Gers, Landes, and Lot-et-Garonne Regions

By Ruth Paget, author of Eating Soup with Chopsticks and Marrying France

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