Halloween (“Old Hallows Even”) has been typically associated with the Celtic festival of Samhain. The name means summer’s end. The celebration is to denote the end of the lighter half of the year and the start of the darker part of the year. Ginger loves Halloween, a big kid at heart he loves to buy the candy and hand it out to the many visitors who come by on that evening. Ginger loves the interaction with all the ghosts, goblins, princesses, cats, action figures, pirates and anything else that shows up looking for a sweet hand-out. Nutmeg is not as interested in this process of moving into the darker part of the year. She does however, love to see how her brother (Papa Q) and sister-in-law (Sugar) celebrate the event with much joy and festivity (and crazy outfits).
Tags: Food info in France, Healthy Pumpkin Recipes, Healthy Salads, Provence in Autumn, Provence Travel, What is Courge
As we pointed out in an earlier blog entry the French love administration. So the fact that you have a visa stamp in your passport is only step number one. Once you enter the country officially, you have to fill out another form, take photocopies of the proper pages in your passport and then send it all off to the correct bureau for review. Once received they review the paperwork and schedule a meeting at their convenience (you are on holiday after all). After all of that, you get another stamp/sticker for your passport to make you officially “welcome” in the country ;-0. So Nutmeg and Ginger are awaiting the results of this last step in the approval process…we will be back home soon if we do not pass the test.
Tags: European Travel Tips, French Visas, Provence Travel, Travel in France
A beautiful Saturday morning in Chamonix with Saffron as tour guide, Nutmeg, Ginger and Jade (the dog) all head to the Chamonix Centre farmers market. The market runs Saturday mornings from 8am-12pm all year round. This market is about 50/50 food vendors and other merchants (clothes, traditional crafts, household goods). The food vendors run the full spectrum; of fruit, vegetables, cheese, bread, honey, fish, cured meats and flowers. There is lots of choice, and almost all of the food is “local” within a few hours drive. However, the market does cater to tourists as well so buyer beware! Our story below should serve to reconfirm that statement….
Tags: Chamonix, Food info in France, French Food, Markets in Europe, Travel in France
Thanksgiving, it certainly feels like fall in Southern Alberta and in parts of France. The mornings are crisp and more clothing layers are required for dog walks. Nearby mountain peaks have some early season snow at the higher levels, and the leaves on the trees are starting to turn their autumn hues. Nutmeg is not really a fall person, although she has many friends who embrace the transition season between summer (her favorite) and winter (skiing, second favorite).
Tags: Alberta Farmers Markets, Alberta Organic Produce, Easy Casseroles, Food Nutritional Facts, Recipes with Potatoes, Vegeterian Recipes
A gift of time..
Nutmeg is happily jobless for the first time since the mid 1980s (you can do the math). Ginger as you already know has been working very hard on a Masters degree for the last 10 months – and he has done it! So what better way to celebrate by taking some well deserved time off than to travel? Nutmeg has been negotiating with Ginger for awhile and it is finally happening, they are going to France for six months! The planning began back in June and the list was very long. The most important thing was the visa application to allow for an extended stay in the country (anything over 90 days requires a visa).
Several years ago, Nutmeg worked in France and she knows that if there is one thing the French love it is paperwork. What better way to emphasize the national love for bureaucracy than a lengthy visa application? The process is 15 steps long and not for the faint of heart. You need to commit to gathering all of the following (and more) in original and photocopy versions; police clearance, finger printing, photos, insurance, copies of your bank balance, promises not to work, seek unemployment insurance or get sick… It is no small feat to gather the documentation. Once you have all that together, you need to physically go to Vancouver for a face-to-face interview, and to hand over the documents.
Tags: Coq au Vin Recipe, French Food, Healthy Chicken Recipes, Travel to France
