Tain-l'Hermitage: Exploring Southeastern France

Welcome to wine country! While one might argue that the entire nation constitutes "wine country", this little town in the Drôme department blew me away for having the perfect mix of country side, maritime alps, and quasi-Mediterranean vibes.

Lyon may be considered "Southern France" by Parisians but I can guarantee that there's no lavender fields here. Hop on a train though and you'll quickly find yourself in warmer climates. Yes, it only takes 45 minutes before you cross the "bisous" border of two cheek kisses to three. (This is a good indicator of how south you are. More south = more cheek kisses.)

There's something really enticing about the south of France ... as indicated by the bisous-barometer, the people are friendlier. The physical landscape is kind of like if SoCal and Italy had a baby. Rolling hills, winding rivers, olive trees, doves, paradise.

And no heaven of mine would be complete without miles and miles of vineyards.

Now in late August, sagging with the weight of enormous, sun-soaked grapes.

You can see why I was glad to get out of the city for a bit and stay with my friends Nico and Françoise, whom I met in Eugene this year as part of a serendipitous yet longstanding language exchange :-)

While fleeting, I feel like I saw a lot during my stay! They showed me the coolest swimming spot in the mountains, the local castle, the Valrhona chocolate factory down the street from their house (it smells incredible and there's free gourmet chocolate inside: dangerous), and the vineyards, of course.

Standing on top of the hill looking down at the valley, Nico remarked that Tain-l'Hermitage received it's name from a knight who returned from the crusades to live there (like a hermit) and cultivate wine. I then asked about a mansion in the vineyard. He told me that a very famous, very rich cultivator lives there. And did I know the singer Rihanna? She's done wine-tasting with them. 'Also, there was an ancient Roman altar over to your right that no longer exists but we saved the cow-sacrificing block and it's in the center of town!'

It's cultural tidbits like these that I live for.

Overall, I'd give Tain-L'Hermitage a 10/10 on the Tiny French Town Scale. Very much looking forward to visiting again and forever indebted to my gracious hosts who have helped me come so far on this crazy journey of mine!

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