For Nutmeg this is a terrifying blog post, so it is fitting that it arrives just in time for Halloween.
Ginger and Nutmeg left Calgary on September 30, 2010. Nutmeg has quite happily not set foot on Canadian soil for 13 months. What is so scary? They are headed back to Calgary in the darkest, coldest month of the year!
Here are some fun statistics from their time abroad:
| 35,000 | Kilometers driven in the trusty car by Ginger |
| 15,000 | Roundabouts |
| 8,000 | Photos documenting the year |
| 5,000 | Toll booths |
| 395 | Number of days since Nutmeg has been in Canada |
| 395 | Wine bottles consumed more or less |
| 150 | Number of times Nutmeg went to a market |
| 150+ | Bike rides |
| 50+ | Churches visited |
| 35+ | Hikes |
| 18 | Ski days at new resorts |
| 15 | Gap T-shirts |
| 13 | Provencal deserts at Christmas time |
| 8+ | Concerts |
| 4 | Ferry rides: to Corsica and Sardinia |
| 4 | Pairs of runners |
| 3 | Masks from the Venice Carnival |
| 5 | Cooking lessons |
| 5 | Countries Visited:France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, UK |
| 2 | Jars Cherry Jam by Ginger |
| 4 | New pieces of art |
| 2 | Gym memberships |
| 1 | Mountain bikes |
| 2 | Pairs of Hiking boots |
| 1 | Wedding |
| 1 | Opera – Aida |
| 1 | Kayak trip |
| 1 | Trip to the Grand Prix in Monaco |
| 1 | Trip to Paris |
| 1 | Market bag |
| 0 | Number of sessions with a personal trainer |
| TOTAL | PRICELESS |
It has been a fantastic time, hardly captured in the numbers above. Ginger and Nutmeg have made some new friends and improved their French a bit. So as a send off before they leave G&N will share a pot-luck (“Buffet Canadien”) with the neighbours. Nutmeg can hardly wait to get back to Calgary to dig out her woolly sweaters and visit her dentist!
Do not despair; Nutmeg has prepared another 12 months of posts, yet to come on their trip. That way she can continue to feel like she is living abroad. When the grim, endless days of Canadian winter show up there are always the photos in the galleries to keep Nutmeg going (a few specific galleries are below).
As Ginger and Nutmeg fly across the Atlantic eating questionable airline food, they would like to leave you with this warming recipe.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
- 4 Cups Butternut Squash (in France you can use Courge), peeled and diced 3 Cups Chicken Stock
- 1 Cup Onion, chopped
- 3 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Coriander
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Fennel Seeds
- ½ Teaspoon Chili Flakes
- ¼ Cup Sour Cream
- ¼ Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
- Salt and Pepper, to taste
- Preheat the oven to 350F (175C)
- Toss the diced squash in olive oil, put on a baking sheet and top with a little salt and pepper
- Bake for about 20 minutes until the squash softens, check occasionally
- While the squash is cooking, heat some olive oil in a heavy stock pan on the stove top
- Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent (about 3 minutes)
- Add the coriander, cumin, fennel and chili flakes and cook for about a minute to sweat the spices
- Add the chicken stock and cooked squash
- Allow the pot to simmer for 10-15 minutes
- Put the soup in a blender, until smooth
- Share the soup evenly in bowls, garnish with sour cream and cilantro
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Food Travel Tags:
Provence Travel, Pumpkin Soup, Quick and Easy Soup, Travel in France, Vegeterian Recipes
