06 August 2011

Food and drink of France, and bikes

These are the things that intrigue me lately
I got over my Tour de France withdrawal by reading about the recent Tour of Poland and the Tour of Denmark and the Tour of Portugal and anticipating the Tour of Utah, and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge (not called the Tour of Colorado). But that does not mean I have gotten over thinking about France.
I have been on a quest to find a good rosé wine from the Navarra, Spain region, and instead have stumbled upon a good (and not expensive) sparkling wine - Jaume Serra Christalino. I am also happily trying other good French wines - 2009 was a good year for French wines. I've had fun searching for a good quality Creme de Casis, because there are all sorts of great drinks one can make with casis, including Kir or Kir Royale, classics in France along with pastis, that drink they are always drinking in the afternoon on patios. 
My favorite local French bakery in Denver moved locations recently, they are now 5 miles away, rather than 2.4 miles away and no longer on my route home after swimming at Denver University. Life changing really. Instead I have filled my time watching documentaries on French pastry in place of eating pastry, including this excellent movie titled Kings of Pastry (netflix!) I had no idea there was a Meilleurs Ouvriers de France (MOF) award for excellence in pastry in France.
With an awareness that most cycling bloggers blog about their own cycling, I suppose I should mention cycling at least once this summer. Although these other topics have filled my summer with delight. Finally I am very happy to report that after 9 months of painful recovery from breaking my pelvis and injuring my spine (I just found out) last October while mountain biking in Moab, Utah, I have rejoined the ranks of being a road cyclist. I look forward to chasing the USA Pro Cycling Challenge for a week and joining some of you by bike on Independence Pass and Vail Pass in August to cheer on the riders. I have learned to never take riding a bike for granted. Bikes rock!