Adventures
Off the Beaten Path in 2022
While it’s no secret that the last few years have really put a damper on, well, everything, but my love of traveling the countryside of France and then organizing small group experiences around these discoveries is strong.
For the past decade, my every trip to France has included exploring the Loire Valley… in particular near Chambord. It’s hard to not love that area; between the enormous, well known fairytale Chateaux and the intimate, secretive Domaines and Grande Maisons, there is much to discover.
Talented people have been busy bringing gorgeous historical palaces back to life, working in the gardens, and restoring astounding antiques that now have taken their proper place in the majestic rooms for which they were designed.
Many never before seen places are suddenly open to the public and I’m curating adventures around them! Go ahead. Click on the link below… your next adventure is about to begin!
MarieZ
Salut! I’m MarieZ.
Every adventure proposed to you has been thoroughly researched by me… I have walked every path, explored every chateau both large and small, and eaten everywhere we will enjoy a meal. And yes, of course, I will be there to share all the details and introduce you to these special places. My goal is to share all the big, and little, secrets with you. To reveal a hidden France most visitors never even glimpse.
You may be wondering how it is I came to creating these Off the Beaten Path Adventures in France and what about me makes these offerings worthwhile. So, here are a few details about my “one foot in the USA and one foot solidly in France” life:
MarieZ in Paris
My French grandfather, Leon Briet (known to me as Pépe), loved good food and wine. It was at his table that my adventures in eating and drinking began, and the passion of a lifetime born while holding his hand through the outdoor food markets of Paris. There was never a time in all my years in France that we did not shop this way.
It is this passion that led to my catering business in 1985 as well as the subsequent two restaurants I cooked in, owned and ran. Everything we prepared and served was seasonal, locally grown and, if possible, organic. Much of my produce came from shopping at the weekly farmers markets and some was delivered to the kitchen door by the farmers themselves.
Once upon another time, I was a working partner in a vineyard in Mendocino County, California. We produced a marvelous Pinot Noir under the label Gryphon Wines. We grew organic grapes on a 120 acre parcel that was untouched by pesticides or chemicals. I also had my own negociant label; Marie Johnston Wines, offering a Chardonay, a Syrah and a Pinot Noir Rosé which was sold through Whole Foods Market. The vineyard was sold in 2008. Since then life has been a see-saw between the US and France.
More recently I was happily living in France, intending to make France my permanent home… three years in, my children started having children and then everything changed of course, with Covid. After a two year hiatus, France seduced me once again this last Fall. I rented a car, returning to the Loire Valley for a deep dive of discovery… and wow! It’s taken a few weeks to figure it all out, get it on paper, sort through the hundreds of photos, and pull together adventures you are sure to love.
Please consider joining us. We’re going to have a blast! Bisous, MarieZ. / Nov 1, 2021
Because you read this far, read on a little further for a special self-guided day trip from Paris I think you will really enjoy!
Want to Check Out This Amazing Place?
The photos above are from the romantic city of Angouleme, capital of Charentes in Nouvelle Aquitaine. Known as the Balcony of the South West it is where I was living before returning to the US pre Covid. This is also the place Wes Anderson’s latest film French Dispatch was filmed.
This is a fabulous town to wander… with cobblestone streets, incredible views, lovely restaurants tucked away in small streets that open to the most charming squares. The old quartier of Angouleme sits atop a long extinct volcano within what once were tall, thick walls protecting the inhabitants from invading armies. The history of Angouleme is fascinating and ancient… dating back to Roman times!
A quick 1 hour train ride from Paris… you can easily pop down for the weekend ( I have a friend with a marvelous, perfectly situated Airbnb )
