Friday, September 10

Day Two in Tarn et Garonne



I cannot say enough good things about Nikki Maxwell, founder of Picnics in Provence, or the beautiful farmhouse belonging to Kathryn Ireland.

The first two days have been punctuated with off the beaten track journeys, magnificent cuisine, incredible wines and charming locals.

The first evening began on the terrace for drinks and canapés followed by dinner in the Dutch barn. Chef Daniel de la Falaise, who was London trained at Harry’s Bar, locally sourced all of the food. A passionate food purest, everything he prepared was sheer perfection—crudités with basil aioli, foie gras, quail eggs with fennel flower salt, figs and veal.

Yesterday we made a trip to Albi to visit Cathédrale Ste-Cécile of Albi. Perched high on a hill above the River Tarn and built in the 13th century, the Cathédrale is the largest brick building in the world. The tour was followed by a long, leisurely lunch at Le Clos Sainte Cécile and a visit to the Toulouse Lautrec museum.



















New tour dates for 2011 have just been released:
11th to 18th May
7th to 14th June
17th to 24th June
20th to 27th July
1st to 8th September

16 comments:

pve design said...

Are you sure you do not need a traveling aide-de -camp....I would be your artist, sketching what ever you would need. All those images make me want to paint my way to france....I love the wine glass in your hand, that is the best!
pve

mary said...

I think you have just showed me a bit of heaven. Thanks for sharing.

peggy said...

Thank goodness I found your blog..I am in heaven!! loved the picture of you and the horse. xx pegbraswelldesign.com

Jeanette said...

Saving this in my travel file....would love to go there one day...wonderful!

cotedetexas said...

yawn. so boring. what else are you up to these days?

hehehehhe. You know I am sitting here absolutely green with envy. I might even actually hate you right now!!!! but I'll be more mature than that. not really.

I AM SOOOO FREAKING JEALOUS!!!!!!!!

quintessence said...

This is indeed a dream trip. Even the light in the first photo is beautiful. The farmhouse is gorgeous inside and out (love those maps!) and the foie gras is unbelievably mouth watering. I have a big anniversary coming up next year - perhaps I should look at those dates...

Unknown said...

I love the picture of you with the beautiful horse so much! That is such an amazing moment!

Maryam in Marrakesh said...

Ronda, you lucky, lucky girl. That sounds absolutely amazing. You had me at the barn and the foie gras!

La Petite Gallery said...

love this place, the food.
Wish I were there.

yvonne

La Petite Gallery said...

love this place, the food.
Wish I were there.

yvonne

Anonymous said...

That looks wonderful! You are so lucky! HOpe you are having a wonderful time which no doubt you are!

Jennifer
http://alittleluxe040708.blogspot.com/

ALL THE BEST said...

It REALLY is a magical place. I love the slow pace of life.

quintessence you really should look at the dates! You would love it here.

Francine Gardner said...

So glad you enjoyed my part of France!

Thatchers' Fine Timeless Fabric said...

Bonjour Ronda! It truly looks simply magnificent! I was hesitant to even look at the beautiful pictures, because I knew that this particular adventure would have been amazing...and relaxing! Perhaps you should add to your labels, "Heaven on Earth!" Looking forward to hearing more about it,
Tu amie, Becky

Pascale Tesi said...

Wonderful pictures. Enjoyed reading about your trip. I am glad I saw you on GMT and found your blog.

PT1968@att.net

Unknown said...

loved that you all had such a good time even without me!! Finishing to shoot Milliondollar Decorator for Bravo, fun then finishing up Summers In France which comes out next spring.

xxxxx see you here soon