Contemporary, delightful cuisine at Le Patio, Amboise

Le Patio in Amboise did not disappoint. We steered fairly clear of the restaurants right in front of the Château after reading reviews such as "overpriced tourist traps...", and made our way to the contemporary Le Patio. With its modern decor and contemporary menu which did not offer the usual french fare, it also proved to be great value for money.

The delightful meal began with a creamy leek with magret du canard, and carrot with  prawn soups, and pan-fried duck liver on pear; which were followed by a roasted partridge -  a taste between chicken and duck; salmon and dorado from the menu du marché , and dessert of chocolate mousse on crème de la vanille and rice pudding brulée - the latter was the only disappointing selection from the menu. The restaurant also offers a tasting menu from their menu d'inspiration. Overall the experience was excellent and just what we needed in between our châteaux viewing.

Château d'Amboise and Clos Lucé, Amboise

The Château d'Amboise was our first stop in Amboise - a tour that lasted about 45 minutes. We we there during the week, so it was not as crowded as expected. Beautiful landscaped gardens and gorgeous views of the  river Loire. A short 10 minute walk from this château is the Château Clos Lucé - famous for being the official residence of Leonardo da Vinci between 1516 and 1519.

Scenes around Tours, Loire Valley

Tours makes for a good base for exploring the châteaux of the Loire. Small, animated - especially in the evenings- and a short drive from the famous Amboise and Chenonceau chateaux. Its famous Cathedral and old town are its main draws and while its château is not as remarkable as the others in the Loire, it is a lively city, with its university town feel, pavement cafés, cobbled streets and bustling Place Plumereau, which proved to be the perfect place for enjoying the warm late fall weather.

A taste of Tours at Odéon

One of the pleasures of travel within France is the ease of it. A fairly short train or car ride and you find yourself in a part of the country offering another piece of the country's history. We finally went to the Loire Valley - yes unfortunately the ease of travel must also equate with the availability of time - or maybe that's my poor excuse for why it took us so long to make a trip there.

As always though, despite proper planning we only just made it there in the early afternoon, which on its own is not a problem, but for my family always is. Food is always the first point of call, and you'd think knowing this we'd plan accordingly.

Faces & Co. at Galerie 59.

If you're a fan of Gregos' work, head to Galerie 59 on Rue de Rivoli, for an exhibition of his work, with 50 other artists. The exhibition is on until 11 November.

If you can't make it to the exhibition, keep your eyes peeled around the city - his work can be spotted in obscure, hard-to-reach places. Simple joys in the accessibility of street art.

Books: DARKNESS VISIBLE by William Styron

Title: Darkness Visible
Author: William Styron
Genre: Memoir
Published: 1990

This was a short read about a terrible illness. Styron writes consciously and matter-of-factly about his depression. Consciously because even before he had given it a name, so unaware of the extent to which the disease could be debilitating, he was well aware of his progression into the darkness of it.

Books: THE ASSOCIATION OF FOREIGN SPOUSES by Marilyn Heward Mills

Title: The Association of Foreign Spouses
Author: Marilyn Heward Mills
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2010

After having recently read Ghana Must Go, The Association of Foreign Spouses, a book based in Ghana, transported me right back to this country which holds a special place in my heart. Reading it was like reliving my years there, without the themes of domestic abuse and isolation, but with memories about the awkwardness of being a foreigner.

Award season has come and gone

Source: www.washingtonpost.com

I have added to my list of authors to read, Alice Munro, this year's Nobel Peace Prize in Literature winner. Yes, because she has won the Nobel Peace Prize, but more so because she is a prolific writer of short stories - a genre I am becoming more and more partial to.

With the announcement of the Man Booker prize winner last night, Eleanor Catton for her book The Luminaries - making her the youngest ever winner, with the longest ever book of this prestigious prize, we can now say that award season is over.

Books: THE COOKED SEED by Anchee Min

Title: The Cooked Seed
Author: Anchee Min
Published: 2013
Genre: Memoir

Anchee Min has written extensively about her life in China in the years prior to the Cultural Revolution, when she was chosen to be the star of propaganda films , and subsequent to that when China underwent a revolution that saw all and everything ever associated with Chairman Mao be destroyed. In The Cooked Seed she writes of the arduous journey from life as a peasant in the countryside; to a stint in a labour camp; to her years as a star of the propaganda machine; to her escape to the US as an art student to the Chicago Art Institute after the death of Chairman Mao and overthrowing of Madame Mao.

On brunching and catching up with old friends in the Marais

Brunch is one of those wonderful meals that can be extended from late morning to early afternoon with absolutely no guilt. It's even better when it's combined with catching up with old friends, simple pleasures all round.
I recently re-discovered the hidden treasures in the Marais  - more specifically around Place des Vosges.

Books: GHANA MUST GO by Taiye Selasi

Title: Ghana Must Go
Author : Taiye Selasi
Published: 2013
Genre: Fiction

Ghana Must Go centres around the Sai family; Kweku Sai, his wife Folasadé and their children. Theirs is a love story of two young, confident and ambitious Africans - he is Ghanaian and she is Nigerian - who move to the United States where he studies medicine and goes on to become a renowned surgeon, and she gives up on Columbia Law in order to support him and raise their children.
It is a story about a family, and secrets, and issues left unresolved that manage to finally tear the family apart.

Swan Lake with an African twist

Photo courtesy: www.biennaledeladanse.com

I went to see Dada Masilo's Swan Lake a couple of nights ago with an unlikely date, my son - who came out of his first ballet experience, somewhat underwhelmed. I, on the other hand, together with the entire Wednesday night audience was blown away.
After the final dramatic scene,  which has an interesting twist, the audience got to its feet and gave an overwhelming ovation. It was not Tchaikovsky's classic ballet as you know it, but more a raucous combination of classical ballet and African dance.

Books: THE BEAUTIFUL STRUGGLE by Ta-Nehisi Coates

Title: The Beautiful Struggle: A Father, Two Sons and an Unlikely Road to Manhood
Author: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Published: 2008
Genre: Memoir

I read this in two days. I enjoyed it that much. I had also wanted to go to a reading that the author was giving at the American Library of Paris, and thought it best to at least attend the reading, having actually read the book. I did not make the reading however, but I learnt a great deal about what growing up in the West Baltimore, in the years post the civil rights era was like.

Places : Château de Chantilly

Château de Chantilly is located 40km north of Paris - an approximate forty-five minute drive. Wikipedia lists it as a historic château - aren't they all historic though?
As part of our historical reading in my french class last semester, we read the memoirs of Madame de Sévigné, and our french teacher advised that we visit the Château de Chantilly as this was where where some of her writings regarding the life of the court were set.

Eating at Milton's, sampling the catch of the day in Pylos, and Asian fusion food at Inbi.

Once of the reasons I started this blog was to share, at the time, my culinary discoveries in Ghana. I soon realised though that I loved eating food more than I do writing about it. I can talk about it endlessly, and even photograph it fairly well, but somehow the words do not seem quite adequate when trying to tell about a tasting experience or culinary surprise that left my heart beating just a bit faster.

Books: POWDER NECKLACE by Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond

Title: Powder Necklace
Author: Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond
Published: 2012
Genre: Fiction

Powder Necklace tells the story of 13/14 year old Lila who is uprooted without warning by her mother from London to Ghana. Although Ghanaian by birth, Lila has never lived in Ghana. She is at the cusp of her teenage years, and although she is not an out-and-out rebellious teenager, her divorced, single and overwhelmed mother, wanting to remove her from the influences of London and 'needing a break' sends her to a girls' boarding school in Ghana.

Golden Baobab's 2013 Longlist announced

Now that African wanderlust will also also be hosting its book blog  - all book-related posts will make their way here.

This is slightly belated post, but Golden Baobab announced the longlist for its much coveted Children's Literature Prize. All details on their website.

Paris Fashion Week 2013 Spring/Summer is here

If you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know that living in the fashion capital of the world is wasted on me. Yes, I love looking at beautiful clothes, and every so often I will spend a morning window licking shopping - I love that the french phrase; lèche-vitrines for this translates as window licking- and I love nothing more than sitting at a pavement café, nursing a café,  people watching and  admiring the many and varying fashion styles of the Parisians, but I have yet to understand the obsession with Fashion Week.
As it happens, it is almost that time of the year again when the city is abuzz with events that herald in  what fashion-savvy people will be wearing next Spring, or is it Summer? What fascinates me most is the excitement around an event that will showcase clothing which the fashion-savvy will declare as so very last year, next year this time.

The year ahead for African wanderlust

The rentrée came and went without too many glitches and we're all on our way into a new year. Welcome back Dear Reader. Having reviewed last year's activity on this blog -  it could definitely have used some guest bloggers or someone more committed than I was.
Some changes around the corner though. I will be posting on a more regular basis and will also include the book reviews that were on my writing blog, which I have decided to stop running. So many blogs, so little time. All past posts from that blog will be moved onto this one.

All comments and suggestions are always welcome, I will still be keeping with the themes of African wanderlust: some restaurant recommendations, many book reviews, a smattering of profiles, photography on the photoblog and of course the random musings.

Thank you for visiting if you're new to this page, and thank you for coming back again and again to all you readers clicking on daily.

(Almost) la rentrée again

Sunset in Costa Navarino, Greece

The leaves are beginning to turn, which just goes further to confirm that it's almost over. Les vacances with their hot summer afternoons and warm long evenings are coming to an end. The temperatures are dropping ever so slightly in the evenings, and the mornings are just a tad nippier than they were a few weeks ago.

It is almost the beginning of my favourite season, Fall. When the days are still gloriously sunny, the evenings still balmy and even the turning leaves signal rejuvenation. Am I ready for the rentrée? Absolutely not. I have formed some weird and wonderful habits over this summer, some of which I am not ready to let go of, but reality calls unfortunately.