Blogs > News-Herald Food and Travel

Food and travel captivate Janet Podolak, who chronicles both for The News-Herald. Get the back story of her three decades of stories here. Guest bloggers and fellow News-Herald staffers also periodically share details of their trips.

Friday, April 30, 2010

back to france? you decide

The volcano giveth as it takes away.

A trip by the France Tourist Office, cancelled because of the Iceland volcano, has been rescheduled.

I've been invited back to France in June, at least partly because of the astonishing contest success of a series I wrote for The New-Herald last summer about following in the footsteps of several artists in the south of France. Find Following Picasso, Light Leads the Way and Enduring Magic at http://tinyurl.com/2dt97oc or just key in Picasso at www.news-herald.com

This trip is to the Languedoc region in southwest France, a remote, little known area of dramatic scenery, small villages and France's equivalent of the Grand Canyon. One overnight is in a 16th century chateau, and a dining stop will be in a building that once housed shepherds in remote meadows with their flocks. We'll be hiking, including a walk along a trail used by pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela, an ancient pathway also known as the Way of St. James in Spain and eating food that's fresh and rustic, like the surroundings.

The French Tourist Office will be hosting me and other writers and will provide us with English interpretation and cultural insights for our stories. If I go, I'll be traveling with a laptop so I can blog, as Ive done in the past (see archives here), I'll be bringing my camera to capture images and this time I'll also be bringing a small video camera. It's work, indeed, but it's good work and I love doing it.

But time is valuable and I have a lot of other commitments here for Wednesday Food, Thursday Health, Saturday Religion and Sunday Community plus Travel, most of which I'll have to do before I leave home. Before I commit I need to get a sense of whether these will be stories you want to read.

Weigh in here. I'd like to know your thoughts and if there are other places you'd rather read about, let me know that too. These trips are hosted so I must depend on the hospitality of others who know what valuable folks you are for their destinations. I need to decide in the next few days, so don't delay...should I stay or should I go?

17 Comments:

Anonymous Daily Reader said...

Your travel articles are the best part of this paper.So enjoyable and if you can't travel they bring the places into your living room. Keep up your great work and by all means take the trip.

April 30, 2010 at 5:58 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Please, please, please DO go to the south of France. I'm anticipating a visit there next summer and would love to hear more about the area.

May 1, 2010 at 8:52 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Never mind what The Clash sang ("Should I Stay or Should I Go?").

GO, because most readers won't get the joy of seeing such spectacular places, and your travels and feature stories are consistently the best part of the newspaper.

May 1, 2010 at 12:15 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Absolutely go! The travel section is my favorite part of the paper. I probably wouldn't subscribe otherwise!

May 2, 2010 at 12:35 PM 
Anonymous Boomergirl said...

I LOVE your stories, Janet and I know you are the best at sniffing out new stories based on the trips you have taken to Canada. I say go. Your readers will love you!

May 3, 2010 at 9:09 AM 
Anonymous Dr. Brad said...

I depend on travel articles to decide where my family will be heading for vacations. Articles such as the ones you write provide great information and are enjoyable to read. Do go to France as we are heading to Paris this summer and would like to read some more about this country.

May 3, 2010 at 10:39 AM 
Anonymous Paul said...

Please take that trip. Your articles take everyone right there with.

May 3, 2010 at 11:35 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have wanted to go to this area of France for many years, but do not know enough about it. I would LOVE to read about this trip. so i say oui oui!

May 3, 2010 at 12:45 PM 
Blogger Anna Watson said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

May 3, 2010 at 12:54 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Absolutely go!! The Languedoc is one of the most fascinating and under-explored regions of France, and I would love to learn more about it. Please take us with you :)

May 3, 2010 at 12:55 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I want to know more about this area. I hope you can go.

May 3, 2010 at 12:58 PM 
Anonymous Kathy O said...

Please go! It's nice to hear about places I might not be able to see or know where I should visit if I do get the chance to take a trip overseas.

May 3, 2010 at 3:20 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

You should go, we always enjoy your articles and look forward to them.

Tom

May 3, 2010 at 4:24 PM 
Blogger kfrisby said...

Absolutely, you should go. What a wonderful opportunity for the News Herald and their readers. Your writing is informative and descriptive...many can only experience these places as result of your travel and articles.

How about putting Travel/Food on the header of the News Herald's website. I had to scroll down to find this most popular part of the paper.

Kathie

May 4, 2010 at 8:19 AM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Go, girl, go! We need an infusion of French food and culture. Thank you for your past stories. I've enjoyed them.

May 7, 2010 at 9:57 PM 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Go to France! That is just the kind of 'off-the usual' tourist spot that is so helpful to read about. Anyone can learn about Paris from guidebooks, but you're insights are really helpful. Your last trip/story about France has inspired my husband and me to begin to make plans to take a trip to France -
Thank you for your great stories.

May 9, 2010 at 9:15 PM 
Blogger louis vuitton spring summer 2010 collection said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

May 15, 2010 at 3:52 AM 

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