02x03 - France: the Secrets of Saint-Tropez

[bunniefuu]

[intercom chiming]

[Eugene Levy]

They say to travel is to live.

Well, maybe, if a day at the airport

doesn't suck the life out of you first.

I mean, where else would you be told

to arrive two hours early

- [metal detector beeping]

- only to become dangerously close

to being two hours late?

Still, I think my travels last year

were good for me.

They seemed to broaden my outlook.

To a degree.

So now, I'm taking on what is apparently

a must-do for any respectable traveler.

[intercom chiming]

I'm doing Europe.

All right. Where are we, exactly?

I'm going all continental

from the very top to the very bottom.

I'm heading off the beaten track

to discover some real hidden gems

Are you getting this?

and embrace

this budding spirit for adventure.

Look at me. No hands.

Oh.

They're right here. What is this, the bow?

I'll be educating my taste buds

- [laughs]

- Wow, that was so good.

[whistles] Grapes are ready.

- and trying to live like a local.

- [dancers singing, cheering]

- Welcome to my village.

- [laughs]

- [Levy] This is insane.

- [sheep bleating]

I just saved your life. Remember me.

I'm packing any worries in my luggage

[imitates moose call]

Here they come. Here they come.

You never know what the body's gonna do

when it's in abject terror.

I don't think I've done anything

quite like this since I was a kid.

- [cheering]

- and I'm about to utter three words

I've never said before.

Ready for takeoff.

[seagulls squawking]

So, after Scotland and Sweden,

my European journey brings me to

the most visited country in the world.

France.

I'm here in the billionaire's playground

of Saint-Tropez.

The getaway spot for the world's

most glamorous people.

Hopefully,

they'll make an exception for me.

This couldn't be more different from

seeing my mom's humble origins in Glasgow.

It really added some unexpected warmth

to my stay there.

But in search of new adventures,

I've left the shores of Scotland to travel

1,400 miles to the Mediterranean coast

and this beautiful harbor.

One of the biggest reasons 90 million

tourists visit France every year

is the food.

I mean, I get it. Food is at the, uh,

top of my priority list, you know,

and France has more Michelin stars

than any other country.

I don't know much about

high-end French cuisine.

French fries, I think,

would be my favorite, uh, French dish.

But I'm here to learn,

and who wouldn't want to be

in a classroom that looked like this?

Eugene, salut! Eugene, salut!

- Be right there!

- Salut, Eugene! Bonjour!

- Eugene.

- Welcome. Nice to meet you. I'm Jan.

[Levy] Local entrepreneur Jan

has offered to show me the sights

with a very Saint-Tropez welcome.

[Jan] We can have a glass of champagne.

- Cheers, Eugene, and, uh

- [stammers] To you.

- welcome to Saint-Tropez.

- To Saint-Tropez.

Now this is the kind of thing

I had in mind when I set off from Toronto.

It's the stuff of Hollywood movies.

So Brigitte Bardot was the one person,

I guess, who put Saint-Tropez on the map.

Indeed, indeed. I think it's since,

like, uh, the movie, uh,

Et Dieu Créa La Femme.

And God Created Woman.

- Exactly.

- That That was the big one.

[Jan] Saint-Tropez really became famous

and attract, uh, more and more, like,

uh, people but more, like, from the, uh,

artistic, uh, industry,

let's say, you know?

Like, uh, this amazing, uh,

boat is the boat of Giorgio, uh, Armani.

Wow.

Turns out, if you sell suits for a living,

you can afford a pretty big boat.

And Armani isn't alone.

George Clooney, Beyoncé

and Brad Pitt also holiday here.

I'm assuming they text ahead

to prearrange who parks where.

They're megayachts.

Can they just park here for free or

No, no. It's, uh, 3,000, uh, a day,

- you know, to park, uh, over there.

- 3,000 euros

- to park your boat for a night?

- Yeah. Exactly.

- That's a steal.

- [chuckles]

[Levy] But the mooring costs

are just a drop in the ocean.

Chartering a superyacht can cost

up to two million dollars a week.

Now, I'm not the quickest

at putting pieces together,

but I think that's why they call it

Billionaire's Bay.

Okay, Eugene, I think it's time to, uh,

take you to your hotel, no?

- Full speed ahead, driver.

- [Jan] Yes, let's go.

[Levy] Unbelievably, the good times

are only getting better,

because I'm booked in

at the Lily of the Valley,

a hotel that blossoms out of

a countryside so breathtaking,

it inspired great artists like Monet,

Cézanne and Van Gogh.

I'm not an art connoisseur.

Art was a perennial C-plus for me.

But I should be able to impress

hotel manager, Stéphane,

with my high school French.

- [Levy] Bonjour.

- Bonjour, Monsieur Levy. [speaks French]

- Uh, très bien, très bien. Merci.

- [chuckles]

It's a real pleasure

for us to welcome you.

- Sure.

- [Stéphane] Please.

[Levy] At just over $6,000 a night,

this place isn't cheap,

unless you're staying on

one of those megayachts,

in which case, it's a steal.

In any case, I love it.

Merci.

[Stéphane]

Please. Bienvenue in your full suite, sir.

[Levy] Oh, my goodness.

The hotel was designed

by one of France's top architects,

Philippe Starck, who, it seems,

takes a hands-on approach.

[Stéphane] Each details

are select by Philippe Starck.

In fact, each product,

if we would like to change it, move it,

we have to check with him.

[Levy] He's a man who is detail oriented.

A designer who doesn't like

anything in the room moved?

Might be tricky getting into bed.

- Now, your private swimming pool.

- [Levy] Wow. [laughs]

Well, you wouldn't

have to leave your suite.

[Stéphane] Mmm, you don't have to leave.

Good. You'll find me in my room, uh,

for three days.

[chuckles]

[Levy] And to keep me company,

yet more champagne

bottled by Monsieur Starck himself.

Well, th-this actually is my

second glass of champagne of the day.

A tough way to start the day,

but I'm doing the best I can.

- [speaks French]

- [Levy] Ah.

And thank you to be with us.

Here's to you, sir.

I really don't think right now there's,

uh, too much I can complain about.

And not that I'm a complaining guy.

Kudos to Philippe.

I'm not gonna be moving anything.

You won't see me moving anything,

except perhaps this flute of champagne,

but, um, not touching the table.

Much as I'd love to stay right where I am,

I want to get the lowdown on Saint-Tropez

from someone who knows it best.

She's owned a villa here for over 25 years

and is possibly

still the most glamorous person in town.

I have an invite from Joan Collins

to have dinner in Saint-Tropez.

That's not something I say every day.

She's done movies. She's done television.

Dynasty was a huge show.

We're meeting at

a famous local restaurant, La Ponche.

A fashionable hot spot since the 1930s,

it's hosted the likes of

Picasso and Sartre.

And right now, I can't help wishing

I'd read up on Picasso and Sartre.

[scoffs] Where is he? He's late.

I don't usually wait for men.

[Levy] Well, to be fair,

this man keeps getting champagne

thrust at him by everyone he meets,

thus the delay.

- [Joan] Hello.

- Hello, Joan.

Hello, Eugene. How are you?

- Yes, I am good. I am good.

- [Joan] Good.

Welcome to my village. Hmm.

I did hear that you have

a little pad here.

- I do. Yes.

- Uh-huh.

I mean, I've been coming to Saint-Tropez

practically since I was 16 or 17.

But Saint-Tropez was not

the Saint-Tropez then that it is now.

[Joan] Not at all.

- It was a quiet little fishing village.

- Is that right? Really?

Coco Chanel had come here in the '30s

with Hemingway and people like that.

So [stammers] a lot of people

have been coming here for a long time,

but it was basically undiscovered.

Well, let's toast the town. Saint-Tropez.

Saint-Tropez. Absolutely.

This is very good.

And I haven't had any breakfast.

- God knows what's going to happen.

- Uh-oh.

- Uh-oh. Look out. Look out. [laughs]

- Uh-oh. Mm-hmm.

- [speaks French]

- [chefs chattering]

Oui, chef!

- Hello.

- Hello. Bonjour.

- I am Thomas, the head chef of La Ponche.

- [Joan] Thomas.

I want to suggest you some, uh,

of my specialty.

I can suggest you

heirloom tomatoes collection served with,

uh, burrata from les Pouilles.

- Fabulous. I love burrata.

- [Thomas] You like it?

- Okay. Perfect. [chuckles]

- [Joan] Yeah. Okay.

And for you, uh, monsieur,

I can suggest you the sea bream ceviche.

- So it's raw with a citrus vinaigrette.

- [Joan speaks indistinctly]

- Uh, raw?

- Yeah.

- I always have a thing about raw fish.

- [Thomas] Uh, I have a

Oh, never, never eat raw fish.

You're the first person

that I've talked to

that is basically saying

what I've been saying all this time.

[chuckles]

If you want,

I can suggest you something else.

- Maybe a peas gazpacho.

- Sure. Yes.

- Oh, that's nice.

- [Joan] Yes.

- [Thomas] That sounds better for you?

- Yes, it does.

- [Thomas] Okay.

- Yeah.

[Joan] Thank you, Thomas.

- You know, my tastes are quite simple.

- [Joan] Plebeian?

- You like hamburgers?

- [Levy] Plebeian.

- [chuckles] Hot dogs.

- [Levy] Yes, when it comes to food.

Although that's a good meal,

- that's for sure.

- [chuckles]

[beeps]

[Levy] The food here

is the opposite of fast.

The ingredients are sourced

from nearby farms,

like the tomatoes on Joan's salad.

And my gazpacho uses local goat's cheese,

brousse de chèvre frais.

Delicious, but not something

I would love to say twice.

[dinging]

- [Levy] Oh.

- Oh.

[server] Voilà.

[Joan] Isn't this good?

It looks too beautiful to eat.

I'm not crazy about goats,

but I but I I love goat cheese.

[chuckling]

- This is good.

- Burrata's incredible.

- Isn't it good?

- Mmm.

Saint-Tropez

- I've never seen so many megayachts

- Mmm.

- Yeah, I know. They're horrible.

- in one harbor before.

I hate that.

I do think there's a lot of showing off

with those big yachts.

I prefer the, uh

the mountains and hills.

Is there any place I should be going

that isn't on the kind of

- glam route here in Saint Saint-Tropez?

- Yes. Yeah, you should definitely go

to the backstreets of Saint-Tropez,

where you will see all these

wonderful artisan shops

that are not Prada and Gucci

and all of that.

- [Levy] Okay.

- Yeah, but you have to

- go through the back alleys.

- Okay.

The pea gazpacho

I have to say, it was quite delicious.

Little goat cheese.

Things in it I recognized.

- This was a lovely lunch. Thank you.

- Thank you. It was very enjoyable.

[Levy]

The surprise is that, according to Joan,

apparently there is another side

to Saint-Tropez.

So I think I would take her advice,

and you know,

maybe wander through some backstreets.

I think there is, um,

maybe more to this town

than meets the eye.

Bonjour, Monsieur Levy.

- How are you today?

- Bonjour.

- I am Yes. Oui, oui.

- Ready for your breakfast?

Local fruits, pastries, granola,

local honey and some soft-boiled eggs.

- Enjoy your breakfast.

- Merci beaucoup.

I don't usually eat breakfast in courses,

but I may make an exception.

The food is exceptionally good and,

you know, the view is stunning.

I mean, you can see why

this is such a popular place in Europe.

It's absolutely gorgeous. Really.

After my five-course breakfast,

I think I've fully digested

the glamorous part of this town.

So, I'm off to explore

the other side of Saint-Tropez

that Joan told me

is hidden in the backstreets.

- My guide is local food and wine expert

- [speaks indistinctly]

Sonia.

Let's do the French kiss.

You're in France.

[Levy stammers]

You know?

- Ooh, my first triple.

- Yeah. Hi. Bonjour. [chuckles]

- This is a, uh What you do?

- This is south of France,

so we do three kisses

in south of France. Yes.

Would you like to follow me

to discover the village?

- I would love to do that.

- Yes?

- Let's go. Ready? [chuckles]

- Ah, there we are. [speaks French]

- [speaks French]

- Ah, yeah.

- Mais you speak French.

- [speaks French]

- [speaks French] Bravo. [laughs]

- Yes. Yes. Yes.

[Levy] Seems I know more French

than I thought,

but the wheels could come off

at any moment.

- [Levy] Look at this little village. Yes.

- [Sonia] Yes, and actually,

you are now in the old part

of Saint-Tropez, hein?

Of course, like, when, uh, the glamorous

people come to Saint-Tropez, they

[stammers] they visit it,

but they will stay a bit more, you know,

on the main port where the big yachts are.

And, uh But yeah, that's also why,

you know,

the lot of people, uh, loved the place

because it felt really like a village.

Here for me is really the true

[stammers] Saint-Tropez.

Those colors. The history of it.

But now I want to show you the port.

This is on the right,

the old port you have.

Can you see those little boats?

They are called pointus.

- Yes, because, you see, they are pointu.

- Pointus.

- [laughs] Pointu means a bit sharp.

- [Levy] Oh, pointed.

Yeah, like this. Yeah, pointed.

[Levy] Oh.

[Sonia] And actually they are old

fishing boats from the Mediterranean Sea.

Yeah?

Nothing says old and new Saint-Tropez

- like this vision right here

- Yes. [laughs]

- of the old pointus

- [Sonia] Yes.

and these giant megayachts

- [Sonia] Yeah. Uh-huh.

- sitting right behind them.

[stammers] But it's a good thing

and a bad thing,

- the the the yachts that are

- Yes.

- coming into Saint-Tropez, right?

- Yeah.

I mean, they

They're bringing a lot of people

from all around the world.

- That's right.

- Uh, most of us,

- we live from tourism, you know? Yeah.

- That Yes. Right.

[Sonia] You are famous. Maybe you have

some friends over there.

- I'm Not this famous. Not this famous.

- [laughs] Ah? You never know.

- You'll find me in a kayak.

- [laughs]

[Levy] Only around 4,000 people

actually live in Saint-Tropez.

But in summertime, the town is flooded

with 100,000 tourists every day.

I'm guessing none of them

arrived by kayak.

- [Levy] Look at this baby.

- [Sonia] So nice, yes.

- Hi. [laughs]

- Huh?

[Sonia] You see, they're saying, "Hi."

- [Levy] Yes.

- [laughs] They like to be seen. [laughs]

I don't know, you know?

Something kind Something is screaming,

"Hey, look at me."

[laughs]

- "Look at me. Look what I got."

- [Sonia] Oh, I kn

- [laughs]

- "Hey, look what I got, everybody."

Aren't you hungry?

[Levy] Um, what do you have in mind?

Oh, well, actually,

I've got a very nice place

where we could have some seafood.

Would you be up for it?

- Is it cooked?

- It's full of vitamin B, you know.

- It's good for your body. [laughs]

- Yeah [stammers] Well

I don't have the heart to tell Sonia

I've only just gotten the taste

of Swedish herring out of my mouth.

But she's keen to take me

to Chez Madeleine,

her favorite neighborhood haunt.

Unfortunately for me,

the restaurant's specialty

is Gillardeau oysters.

They're considered sweeter,

meatier and richer than many others,

and are loved by locals

and tourists alike.

Until now.

[Sonia] I'm gonna show you. Okay.

- So that's how I do. Okay. Lemon in it.

- [Levy] Okay.

- This. Good.

- Yeah.

- Okay.

- [Sonia] Come on.

[Levy] I've never had an oyster before,

but I'm in France and keen for Sonia

not to think I'm completely uncultured.

- [chuckling] Okay.

- [Sonia laughs]

I think it's an important thing

to be able to try things.

I'm not just saying it.

I want to follow through on it.

You can do it.

- Wow, that was so good.

- [Sonia laughs]

[Levy] I tried it.

I can't describe the texture

that was rolling around my tongue

for the longest half second in memory.

- So, well

- [Levy] I am sorry about this. I just

[chuckles] Well, that was brave.

You did it.

- Here's to my first oyster.

- Bravo! Bravo. You made it.

Tell me what you really love

about Saint-Tropez.

You seem to love it so much.

Definitely. Um, actually,

here in Saint-Tropez,

I-I think I found, um, authenticity.

- And when you say authenticity, you mean

- Yes. Yes.

It's a mix of different things,

but it's mainly, uh, from the, uh

from the people, from the you know,

the natural areas we have here,

the coastal line, the forest.

- Simple things, but, you know.

- Simple things?

- But simple things for me are the best

- Yeah.

you know? Simple life is for me

the joie de vivre.

What about you?

I try to have a joie de vivre every day,

but something tells me

yours is a bit more authentic.

You will tell me at the end of your trip.

- Okay. [chuckles]

- Yeah?

[Levy] I think it's safe to say

oysters don't put much joie in my vivre.

But Sonia tells me

there's a whole host of delights

to be sampled inland in Provence,

where half the country's food is grown

on less than 10% of the land.

Among them is one of the highlights

of my breakfast this morning,

Provençal honey. So highly prized,

it has the same protected status

as champagne.

Anna is one of the region's

most successful beekeepers.

- Anna.

- [Anna] Hello.

- [Levy] Her farm is just an hour inland

- [speaks indistinctly]

from Saint-Tropez, but it's

a different world with different rules.

- [speaks French, laughs]

- Three?

Ah, no. Here it's two.

- Two here?

- Yeah.

- I was

- In other places, three.

- But here in Provence, two.

- Okay.

Who knew saying hello

could be so complicated?

[Anna] So we have 400 hives altogether.

So you ready to help me

collect some honey?

Sure, we can do that.

Provence has a rich array of wildflowers,

making for happy bees

and magnificent honey.

I'm looking forward to tasting it.

I just kind of wish

we could skip the collecting part.

I'm not crazy about bees.

They get things done,

but you never know

when they're gonna sting you.

- [speaks indistinctly, chuckles]

- [Levy] I've known accountants like that.

But I think this will be safe enough.

If it's not, then I'll send you a

a little note as to which hospital I'm in,

and you can decide

whether you want to come and visit.

- Huh? How do I look?

- [Anna] Mmm.

I feel like one of the Backstreet Boys.

[Anna chuckles]

- [Anna] Ready for the fun part?

- [Levy] Okay.

[Anna] I'll protect you.

So, all the hives that you see here,

we cannot move them.

The bees, they have a GPS inside the body

that is related to the center of the Earth

and they know exactly where the hives,

their home, is.

So when they go out

to get the nectar and back,

they will come back always

exactly at the same place.

- That's amazing. It is.

- [Anna] It's amazing.

So now I'm gonna show you

the most beautiful hive that we have here.

[Levy] Some people are kind of free

and easy with the word "beautiful."

- [Anna] Are you ready to see honey?

- [Levy] Uh, yeah. Kind of.

- [Anna] Look at that.

- [Levy] Oh, my.

[Anna] So, you see around the frame

just here? You've got the honey.

[Levy] Yes.

[Anna] You know what I'm gonna

do now? I'm gonna do that.

[Levy]

Okay. That doesn't seem like a good idea.

- Anna.

- [Anna] And when I do that,

it's coming down. That's honey.

- [Levy] Uh-huh.

- It means they are still working on it.

Yeah. I think they're a little angry.

[Anna] They are a little bit angry.

- So now I'm gonna take another frame.

- [Levy] Uh-huh.

- [Anna] That's yours. Yes?

- [Levy] Um

[Anna] Super.

[Levy] Oh, my God.

Anna?

- Oh, boy. I don't think they like me.

- [Anna] Mm-hmm?

Anna? They're coming at me now

like MiG fighters. They're on my glove.

[Anna] Okay.

[Levy] Honestly,

there were some very angry bees

that were just really

kind of coming at me.

You know, like pellets.

[Anna] Okay. Let's go. Come on.

[bees buzzing]

[Levy] Can you hear that?

[buzzing continues]

Won't leave me alone.

This thing's gonna follow me home.

- What a beautiful, beautiful house.

- Yeah.

Typical house from the 18th century.

- [all speak indistinctly]

- [Levy] Anna runs the business

with husband, Sebastien,

whose family have been beekeeping

for generations.

[Anna] And you cut it.

- See the honey flowing?

- Wow.

- [Anna] Do you want to try?

- And I will. I will try it. Um

[Anna] Perfect. That's perfect.

That is good. This is really crazy.

There's a lot of honey in here.

A lot. Are you ready for tasting,

uh, the honey?

Yes, yes, yes. Let's do that.

Anna's most successful flavors

are lavender honey

- Yeah, that's delicious.

- [Anna] It is.

[Levy] Very light.

and thyme.

Much, much stronger taste.

I don't know what it is.

Musky or something.

- Yeah, musky. Exactly.

- It's great. It is musky?

[Anna] This is Provence in a jar.

The olive trees. The vineyards.

The way of life of Provence, it's here.

Just chill out. Listen to the cicadas,

enjoy nature

- Yeah.

- and it's fantastic.

- It's really fascinating.

- [Anna chuckles]

Merci. Merci. Merci. Ah.

- Merci.

- [Sebastien] Merci beaucoup.

[Levy] So, it's pretty clear that Provence

knows a thing or two about food,

but it's also home

to France's national drink. Champagne?

Nope. Chardonnay? Think again.

Eugene.

- Jan.

- Hey.

[Levy] Jan, my harbor guide

from yesterday,

has invited me to sample some pastis,

Provence's most beloved aperitif.

- Nice to meet you. Welcome.

- [Levy] Ah.

Pastis is a liqueur

made with star anise and licorice.

- It's not, like, s-strong, is it?

- [friend 1] The color.

It depends on the mil.

This is a strong one.

- This is a light one.

- [Jan] Yeah.

This is 45 degrees.

So you've got to be careful.

- 45 degrees. I'm not sure what

- [friend 2] Yeah, but you put some water.

- Does that mean

- [friend 2 laughs]

- that means you're like this

- [all] No.

- when you finish drinking it?

- [all laugh]

- [Jan] Santé, Eugene.

- Yes. Wonderful.

- [Jan] Yeah.

- [Levy] Mmm.

[friend 1] Mmm.

[Jan] This is just, like,

the simple way of life in Saint-Tropez.

Wow, this is a big part of it?

- [Jan] Yeah.

- [Levy] Yes. This is good.

I'm at about 28 degrees right now.

[all laugh]

[Levy] After sampling the pastis,

local tradition dictates that we play a

century-old drinking game called pétanque.

This is the cochonnet.

- You've got to throw the cochonnet

- Cochonnet.

[friend 2] not too close, not too far.

And then you've got to put the ba*ls

the closest you can

- To To the cochonnet?

- to the cochonnet. Exactly.

- All right. Here we go. Ready?

- [Jan, friend 2] Yeah.

- [friend 2] This is pretty good.

- [friend 1] Whoo!

- [friend 2 laughs] This is pretty good.

- Hey, bravo.

- How's that?

- [friend 1] Mmm.

- [friend 2] And then come.

- Huh?

- [Jan] That's nice.

- [speaks French]

- [friend 1] Super good!

- [speaks French]

[Levy] Turns out, I'm a natural athlete.

- [friend 2] This is pretty good.

- That's a really nice one.

- Oh, wow.

- Super nice.

- See? See that?

- I see that.

Pétanque, pastis.

P and P, I call it. Loving it.

Ah.

And I love the simplicity of the game

and how it is really

just a social gathering.

- Oh, la, la.

- No!

Oh, my goodness!

This, definitely,

there is joie de vivre here.

It's not the yachts. It's not the glam.

You're not gonna find the glam here.

This is something

that is definitely more fun.

Well, here's to you all.

This is my first pétanque

- [friend 2] And your first pastis.

- and my first pastis.

- [Levy laughing]

- [laughs, speaking French]

- [friend 2] Cheers, Eugene.

- Here we go.

- [friend 1] Cheers.

- [friend 3] Whoa.

- [Jan] Cheers.

- [friend 2] Cheers, guys.

[server] There you go.

Here's your homemade ice tea.

- Enjoy.

- [Levy] Merci.

It's my final day on the French Riviera.

And while my luxurious hotel

certainly has its charms,

it's the authentic side of this place

I've really fallen for,

not the yachts.

When you pull into Saint-Tropez

in a $600 million yacht,

it's letting people know

that you have the money.

Listen, I'm in the entertainment business.

There's a certain degree of "look at me"

in that business,

but I didn't go into this

to become a celebrity.

I just went in because I, you know

[stammers] I like acting.

I like kind of, you know

I like getting some laughs.

And someone who has been laughing with me,

admittedly for all the wrong reasons

since my oyster debacle, is Sonia.

Hey, Eugene. Bonjour!

[Levy] She's promised me the most simple

of days in the most joyful of vehicles.

- Sonia. [speaks French]

- [Sonia speaks French, giggles]

- You see what I've got for you today?

- [Levy] Look.

[Sonia] This is my French 2CV.

Her name is Paulette.

- Okay.

- And she was born in 1977.

She's older than me. [laughs]

- Oh, my goodness. This is terrific.

- [Sonia] Oui.

[horn honking]

[Sonia] C'est parti!

[Levy] Where are we headed?

So, Eugene, you know,

one of my favorite things to do

is to have a picnic on the beach,

and that's what I want

to take you tonight.

Well, that sounds terrific.

Sonia's 1977 Citroën 2CV

may be 30 years younger than me,

but I'm a little worried

about its abilities off-road.

Are we still in France?

[Sonia laughs]

[Sonia] We're gonna go to my friend Yann

and pick up some vegetables

for the picnic on the beach.

- This is a major farm here.

- [Sonia] Yes.

When they started this car

Well, actually it was designed

for two farmers and a sack of potatoes.

So it's the best place to be

here now. [laughing]

I mean, you know you're in Europe

when a car was designed

- for two farmers and a sack of potatoes.

- [Sonia laughs]

[Levy, Sonia singing

"Gentille Alouette" in French]

- Here we go. Here we are.

- Ah.

[Sonia] So, this is Yann over there.

[speaks French]

- Hello, Sonia. How are you?

- Yann.

- [speaks French]

- Yann, this is Eugene.

Oui. [speaks French]

[Levy] Yann's 50-acre farm

supplies many of the high-end

hotels and restaurants in Saint-Tropez,

but his approach is pleasingly

down-to-earth.

I notice you're not wearing shoes.

[stammers] Most of the year

[stammers] I walk barefoot like this.

I-I am in contact with nature.

I will feel that through you

- I think, right?

- [Sonia laughs]

Well, I think we've come

to the right place.

- You see? I told you. It's the best.

- Right? We have to pick up some tomatoes.

- [Sonia] Yes, some nice tomatoes

- Sure, for starters.

Yeah. And then we try to, uh,

use things that I think you

you have never tried before.

- Trust him like you trusted me.

- Well, here we go again.

- Yeah, that sounds awfully exciting.

- [laughs]

- [Levy] All right. Let's do it.

- [Sonia speaks indistinctly]

[Levy] The French have a concept

called "terroir",

the flavor given to food and drink

by high-quality land.

And Yann's terroir is renowned

throughout Provence.

[Sonia] Merci.

- Good.

- [Yann] Not too bad, huh? [laughs]

- [Yann, Sonia chattering]

- [Levy] Wow. These are good.

- [Yann] We can try this, no?

- [Levy] Radish? No.

[Yann] No. It is, um, fresh ginger.

Mm-hmm.

[Sonia laughs]

- [Yann] That's really refreshing, huh?

- Oh, it is.

[Sonia laughs]

- It is. Yeah, it's very hot.

- [Yann] Pungent.

- Oh, yeah.

- Yeah, yeah.

It has a bit of the lemon taste and, uh

I can't taste anything because my tongue

is burning right now.

But it's Definitely tastes like ginger.

So shall we start to, uh,

pick up some tomatoes?

- [Levy] Oh, mama.

- [Sonia exclaims]

- [Sonia] Bien. [laughs] Thank you.

- Here we go.

- Here we go.

- So, this is good.

We've got great tomatoes.

Yann's approach isn't just organic,

it's also historic.

He favors farming traditions

that date back to Roman times.

Would you like to try the

the the plow?

- Uh, well

- [Yann, Sonia laugh]

you know, that would be good.

It's always been on my bucket list

- [Yann] Take the risk?

- but, uh

I'm gonna I'm gonna be right behind you.

- I'm gonna be right behind you.

- [Sonia chuckles]

What you just have to do

is just when you want to go left,

you pull right, and when you want

to go right, you pull left.

- And also, you have to say "Ooh."

- Ah, yes.

Ooh.

[Sonia] Bravo! Doing great!

[Yann] You see?

[Levy] Here's the thing about the plow.

When you wanna go left,

you gotta move it right.

And when you wanna go right,

you gotta move it left.

[Sonia] Left, left, left. [laughs]

And, you know, my little mind

just couldn't make that transition

quick enough.

[Sonia] Left, left. [laughs]

[Levy] Watch your feet. Watch your feet.

Uh-oh. Uh-oh. Uh-oh.

[both laughing]

- [Yann speaks indistinctly]

- [Levy] Whoo-hoo.

[gasps] Well done!

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Hey, you're good, huh?

- [Sonia] Wow. How was it?

- [Levy] It Well

- Take a look.

- [Sonia] Yes.

- [Sonia laughs, exclaims]

- [laughs] Ah, it's a bit, uh

Yeah. No good for planting?

- You got to go back over and fix it up?

- [Yann] Yeah. We could fix it.

- All right. We got the basket here?

- So should we Perfect.

- [Levy] Here, let me carry this for you.

- [Sonia] Yes, okay. Thank you very much.

[laughs] Come on,

you just plowed a whole, uh, row.

- [Yann, Sonia laughing]

- [Levy] All right. Here we go.

- Merci, Yann.

- [Yann] Merci, Eugene.

- Merci, Sonia. Ta-ta, bye-bye.

- Bye-bye. Au revoir. Are you okay?

- [Levy] Yes, I'm okay.

- Yeah?

- Are you sure you don't want a hand?

- [Levy] Huh? No, no, no.

- [Sonia giggles]

- [Levy] I need no applause.

[Levy] Before I arrived in Saint-Tropez,

I was expecting complicated cooking.

But what I've discovered is

the best French food is seasonal,

local and simple.

I'm looking forward to this, Sonia.

[Sonia] Just the best time

of the day to come.

- [Sonia] Look at that.

- Good, good, good.

- [Sonia] It is so nice.

- [Levy] Let me just see.

[laughs]

To your beautiful day.

[Levy] Here's to you.

Thank you. [laughs]

So I was telling you about my, uh

my joie de vivre.

You know, like simple pleasure.

What about yours?

Did you find now your definition of

of joie de vivre?

I think my joie de vivre is just

kind of discovering, um,

a France that I hadn't

quite discovered before.

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

[Levy] I really have

taken to the south of France.

My wife Deb and I have

talked about spending, you know,

an extended period of time

in places in Europe.

I think I'll be really pressing the point

that Saint-Tropez

is a great place to spend time.

My impression of Saint-Tropez

was total glamour.

So the beauty of the place

is something I've discovered.

Simple pleasures are what I

essentially am about.

I've learned a lot more about France

and a little more about myself.

But most of all,

I've learned to politely decline

the next time somebody

offers me an oyster.

So merci and bon voyage as I journey on.

Next time

Germany. What I definitely

was not expecting was this.

It's kind of ominous, uh, to know that

the first thing you're gonna do

when you check into this hotel

is see the doctor.

Here is a panic button.

Why would somebody need a panic button?

Oh, my God.

- There's 600 sheep behind me.

- [guide chuckles] Don't. [chuckles]

I may be losing control here.

- Oh, my Oh! Yeah.

- [guide 2 speaks German]

I feel alive.