Photo Tours – An Insider is Key!

by Anthony Bianciella

Photography and travel go hand-in-hand. But camera or not, I love trips that are special and off-the-beaten track. No big bus tours!  Life is too short to shoot through the window as you drive by.

I love to be immersed in the location and really experience the culture. But you need a friend on the inside who can show you things only a local would know. And that way your photographs can be as unique as your “insider” experiences!

For example, last May, while in France, our insider gained us exclusive access to a 900-year-old Templar church. Normally closed to the public (with photography impossible) the curator himself gave us a private tour, allowing us to photograph everything including bell tower, crypts, painted ceiling, altar, and even the hidden entry and baptismal font used to secretly baptize people during the French religious wars of the1500’s.

For lunch, the owner and chef of a 400-year-old bakery, friends of our ”insider”, opened just for us and held a private wine tasting in the warmly lit wine “cave” followed by a multi course gourmet lunch beside the original bakery oven. We had plenty of time to enjoy the food, have a photography lesson on off-camera-flash and to take pictures. After dessert, the proprietor himself showed us a tiny path covered in vines where an acrostic puzzle of Roman origins (about 2,000 years old) was carved into a wall…all there for us to photograph and enjoy.

 

On our trips, we cover photography techniques and tips each day. We have specific time set aside for formal presentations and photo reviews. We‘ve had travelers who have been shooting for 30 years and travelers who purchased their camera two weeks before the trip. So we design the photography topics in a way that challenges photographers of all levels. And since we’re traveling together, there’s time enough to work individually with each person’s specific interests.

I also encourage people to travel with their partner/friend who might not be a “photographer”. These places hold treasures whether you choose to photograph them or simply enjoy just being there. Plus, there is so much more than photography to involve you –markets, wines, sightseeing, hikes, shopping, dining… that everyone seems to find more than enough to feed their interests.

I really love experiencing these places in such a meaningful way. We laugh, we drink, we eat, and we have a really great time. We come home with amazing photos and new friendships, after being immersed in a wonderfully personal experience.

Our next trip is May 15-21, 2012 to Provence and Paris,France. Other dates are also available later this year.PS. I’m really excited…Rick Sammon recently posted about these photo tours on his Google+ page (February 18, 2012).

This wall is an example of living art in Paris. It says I love you in 250 languages!

as are the shops…
and the Parisian fountains…(even the empty ones)and the shop windows…
And, bien sur, the weddings themselves! Don’t forget those!  You can always elope to Paris!
Finally, to pay homage to the romantic tradition that resulted in Bliss Travels clients ending up on French television, here’s one of Anthony Bianciella’s amazing photographs of the very bridge on which it occurred!

We hope you can capture a moment with us to travel to France this spring or summer!

Second, you have no idea who the reviewers were in most cases. Readers? Diners asked for their opinion? What kind of taste do they have and what is their level of experience? How do you know what they call charming isn’t an awful place that microwaves their food? How do you know that what they call nice, isn’t pretentious? The simple answer is, since you don’t get to interact with them and ask questions about their recommendations, you don’t know their point of view about these things.

Third, it’s written and then done. It doesn’t revisit or speak to people or update itself for your trip…

Fourth, what if you have a problem, change your mind, or something doesn’t go according to plan? The guidebook is useless.

Here is a recent true experience that highlights all four of these points:

I had been reading about a great little restaurant, with a “brilliant” young chef for a while. The place was teeny, tiny. The location was good. And I thought, this will be great either for a private dinner for a small group of my clients, or simply to recommend to my clients for a night out in a charming, authentic and well priced, casual gourmet bistro meal. But, and here’s the big “but”. I never recommend a place I haven’t tried. So, I went.

I was told I could only eat at 7 or 7:30pm, though I booked well in advance. Okay. I arrived at 7:30pm. The place was adorable. The waitress was lovely. The kitchen was open and the chef was visible and quietly working. All good signs. After about 40 minutes, I had not been shown the blackboard menu, and my order had not been taken. For a solo diner, that’s really inexcusable. Seeing that there were still 6 people ahead of me who had to order (a little less than  1/2 the restaurant) and making some calculations given there was one chef and one waitress, I decided to invent a polite excuse so I could leave. I said I had a 9pm appointment and as it was a little after 8pm, I was certain I’d never finish in time, and was very sorry, but could I pay for my glass of wine. I’d have to come back another time, I said (and meant).  The chef was a bit brusque, and said, why? There would be no problem serving me and getting me out before 9pm as they had another seating at 9pm. Now, here’s where someone with experience clicks in….

Immediately, that brought three major problems to mind:

1. They planned to serve me 3 courses (first, main and dessert) along with a check within 45 minutes? That meant they’d be able to prepare 2 of the 3 (assuming dessert was pre made) within 10 minutes. That meant it had to be microwaved Or precooked and microwaved…You can’t cook a duck breast in only 5 minutes etc. Not a good sign. Plus given the tables needing to order, and the one chef, it meant nothing whatsoever was made on the spot, not a pot on the stove.

2. That then made me wonder how fast I was going to have to eat….If it took them 5 minutes to prepare each microwaved, or cold plate, then that gave me about 7 minutes per course before their next seating. That sounded like a lot of stress!!!

3. There were NO SMELLS in the restaurant. There were two very  friendly diners next to me, eating a braised lamb concoction (that truly did need to be made well in advance –and was better prepared like that) but there was no smell of food in the restaurant. Also, the couple on my other side ordered dessert, which had to have come directly from the fridge –as it arrived in less than 30 seconds. Not a great sign.

So instead of deciding to return, I’ve decided that the reviews and the hype were inaccurate and Bliss Travels clients will not be going to this restaurant…Pas de tout!

Bliss Travels will be eating things like the below 70% cocoa chocolate tart with caramel (as they did yesterday):

Or the below pistachio cake with grapefruit, and “grapefruit paper”. Gone in a flash!

Our favorite “private”  chef in Paris treated us to a new treasure!

(Bliss Travels clients have tasted his amazing creations –everything from goat cheese flan with roasted tomatoes to chicken roulade stuffed with foie gras in a mason jar on a bed of seasoned vegetables, plus a side dish of  cold artichoke and vinaigrette, accompanied by starters of homemade breadsticks and an eggplant dip. Not to be outdone, dessert was a roasted and caramelized pineapple with homemade nougat. And we’re talking a PICNIC he made for one of our train rides….So, yep, you get it now, don’t you?  So, when he said, “Allons Y” or Let’s go, we did! Tout de suite!)

Off the beaten track. Great chef. Warm welcome. So fun, we closed the place down. (Sorry, Chef, next time we’ll peel carrots to help with the mise en place for the dinner service!) Christian, Pierre and Serge along with their wonderful staff made us feel utterly at home!

First course was a boudin terrine with chestnuts, and a great, salad.After came a pintadeau with thyme, on a bed of lentils, carrots and parsnip. Lardons bits were cooked with the lentils, and potatoes on top were like nowhere else! There was also veal chop, cooked rare, topped vegetables and in a black truffle jus….oh, ho hum. I know you have this every day!
Just to put the icing on the cake, as it were, we were treated to an outstanding view, and we learned that our chef is willing to give private lessons to Bliss Travels Clients!

                                           An excellent Millefeuille (what we call Napoleon.)

All of which prompted me to blurt –”oh, it’s too late!” Of course, it is, as Michel pointed out, in French fashion, “never too late.”

Angels sleeping the way you will after enjoying this wonderful wine!

You have choices! And tomorrow is a new day. You can always go to the afternoon market and buy pleurottes, a Provencal mushroom (and sauté them in garlic, olive oil and parsley), then herb crust a lamb shoulder (yum)…Or you can come with us to France, and experience Bliss -in person -both in the restaurants and in the markets –with or without your camera!

So, “Jamais Trop Tard” for those on our trips! Below, one of Michel’s incredible drawings!

Among our discoveries were 36 month and 48 month aged Comtes. Some of the best we’ve tried.

Bertrand, the shops owner, agreed to do our Parisian tastings himself, either at his shop or personally delivering to our venue! I’m very excited by this because the quality of his products was superior, even for a French cheesemonger.

Among the other choices was a truffle stuffed Camembert

After visiting 4 cheese shops in search of specific artisan products, I determined this was the best, by far!

We provided clients some late afternoon fortification against the Paris cold! See you soon!

REMEMBER TO contact us if you want to take advantage of our early booking coupon OR if you are attending our wine and cheese tasting in Paris!

A Bientôt,

Wendy

wendy@blisstravels.com

www.blisstravels.com

Much like wine, chocolate is harvested, fermented, liquified and “made” into the final product. The “terroir” and the “maker” bring much to the final product.

Cocoa grows near the equator, and the heat and type of plant (like wine) create distinct flavor profiles. Cocoa beans are harvested and then fermented. They are dried and processed and eventually ground, roasted and broken down. Finally, they go through a process called “conching”, which is akin to constant kneading–and determines the texture of the chocolate. At this point the chocolate is then used as a raw product for artisans and large manufacturers to make their bars, ganaches, clusters and other candies.

Each manufacturer adds his/her own special mixture of ingredients –vanilla, sugar, cream, spice, nuts. Different cultures tend to produce similarly styled chocolates. American chocolates tend to be sweeter, less pure (i.e. milk v. dark) and larger. Belgian and French tend to use much less sugar, rely on thinner more delicate shells for their filled chocolates, use pure creams in the centers (not ‘creamy’ sugar fillings),  and produce higher percentages of purer (i.e. more dark and less milk) chocolate.

This blog is going to focus on Pairing French Wine and Belgian or French Chocolate, of course!

Here are 7 tips and pairing suggestions to sweeten your Valentine’s Day at home or abroad.

1. Pair Champagne with chocolates. Especially with lighter less rich chocolates, or fresh filled Neuhaus creams. Also, this pairs well with chocolate fruit combinations.

2. Pair a French Burgundy (Pinot Noir) with mild, but rich dark chocolates, and dark chocolates with mild spice, roasted nuts or ripe berry fruits. So, consider chocolates with cardamom, hazelnut or dark cherries for these wines.

3. Pair Rhone wines, such as a  Chateauneuf du Pape (and other Grenache heavy wines) or wines with rich spicy flavor and high tannins with highly spiced complex chocolates that can match the power of the wine. So, consider chocolate and chili pepper or chocolate with pink peppercorns or strong tea flavors and spice mixtures as good combinations.

4. For purists, wanting to experience the depth of one flavor,  use a single origin chocolate with a single grape wine. You can focus on the subtly of each more easily.

5. Pair a dessert wine, we prefer a Muscat de Beaumes de Venise, with a salted chocolate or salted caramel chocolate. Make sure you use a rich full flavored deep chocolate. Not a milk chocolate.

6. Have a Cognac with a chocolate –either complement it with a cognac flavored truffle or find a very low sugar, almost pure, dark chocolate.

7. Come with Bliss Travels where we do custom pairings and tastings of these things all over France, and in Brussels! At all the best spots! That’s why we call it Bliss!

Here’s a taste of Bliss in Burgundy:

Below is the private lounge we use for our breakfasts, and an afternoon aperitif. There are only 4 rooms in this stunning private property.

Below is the living area  for one of the 4 rooms (2 of which are suites)
One of the baths:And  one of the 2 non suite rooms. Notice the original antiques and art!

After you’ve relaxed, we visit vineyards and taste wines. The tastings are private and custom.

Visit the centuries old cellars of a winemaker for a private barrel tasting.

Have a private wine tasting of premier cru and grand cru Burgundy wines by candle light

Visit the famous villages, markets and winemaker’s of the region.

Then, finish in Paris, the City of Lights for fine dining, custom menus and special experiences

Contact us now to be part of this very small, special trip. wendy@blisstravels.com

A Bientôt,

Wendy Jaeger

Owner, Bliss Travels

609 462 6213

Need further proof of Burgundy’s prominence in the world? Just look at the below results of the recent auctions, as reported by the Wine Spectator:Move Over Bordeaux: Burgundy Steals the Show at Asia Auctions

Recent sales lead top auctioneers to wonder if Bordeaux may be toppled as the premier blue-chip collectiblePeter D. Meltzer

Posted: November 29, 2011What’s top on the buyers’ wish lists? ….all of which have achieved record prices in recent sales. Vintages in demand include 1985, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2002 and 2005.As a category, the 102 Burgundy listings tracked by the Wine Spectator Auction Index rose 16.42 percent from the third quarter of 2010 to the third quarter of 2011….

There are many reasons behind Burgundy’s escalating popularity. Limited supply contributes to Burgundy’s appeal. “The quantities of great Burgundies on offer are so small that we never get much to sell,” noted Sotheby’s wine CEO Jamie Ritchie. “By value, in 2010, only 17 percent of the wines we auctioned were from Burgundy. The realization that these wines are extremely scarce has created a new-found appetite.”

This is what we’ve been saying for years! That’s why we go to Burgundy. On our most recent trip, we focused on 1999, 2005 and 2009 wines. Yep, that’s right! And they were amazing! The 2007′s and 2008′s needed time and breathing space.

 Harvest in Burgundy. Our annual trip to discover the year’s harvest and tastes wines as they are being made! It’s unique to Bliss Travels !