It was a rainy day, but a day of discovery.
We ventured out for a drive in the drizzly weather in the countryside.
First stop the village of Les Arques, home of the Zadkine Museum...a famous sculptor.
The village is also well known because of a book" From Here You Can't See Paris" written about daily life in the village and the schoolhouse restaurant...La Recreation.
From Here You Can't See Paris , is a sweet, leisurely exploration of the life of Les Arques (population 159), a hilltop village in a remote corner of France untouched by the modern era. It is a story of a dying village's struggle to survive, of a dead artist whose legacy began its rebirth, and of chef Jacques Ratier and his wife, Noëlle, whose bustling restaurant -- the village's sole business -- has helped ensure Les Arques's future.
I set out to explore the inner workings of a French restaurant kitchen but ended up stumbling into a much richer world. Through the eyes of the whole family, one discovers the vibrant traditions of food, cooking, and rural living, and comes to know the village's history. Whether uncovering the darker secrets of making foie gras, hearing a chef confess his doubts about the Michelin star system, or absorbing the lore of the land around a farmhouse kitchen table after a boar hunt, life in Les Arques turned out to be anything but sleepy.
"From Here, You Can't See Paris is a delightful tale of how an American discover le pays, the little France where the roads on the Michelin map are the thinnest of lines. It is the story of a young couple's restaurant and the ancient French village that it brings back to life. Rather than idealize what he sees, Michael Sanders' report is all the more remarkable for its clear-eyed honesty."
--Patrick Kuh, author of The Last Days of Haute Cuisine
All material ©2005 Michael S. Sanders
Next we discovered a Fortified Church in the village of Thediarac and some lovely gardens in Rampoux.
At the end of the day, K & M visited the Prehistoric Caves.
It was another busy day!
