There is no doubt Ginger is much more adventurous than Nutmeg, when it comes to food. She is not keen on foods with strange textures, that includes avocado, Jello and aspic salad. Nutmeg is very particular about her likes and dislikes; meat is well-done, eggs hard, and peas should not be eaten.
Tags: Fete de l'Oursin, Provencal Food, Provencal Traditions, Sea Urchins, Travel in France
Thus far, the 2011 ski-season has not been stellar in most of Europe. The majority of resort areas are suffering from lack of new snowfall and warm temperatures (“une tempête de soleil“). The net result, is crowded slopes and neige-dure (a nice way of saying hard-packed, icy conditions). Ginger and Nutmeg have been doing some skiing in the past few weeks, and they thought you would want their feedback on the resorts. Here are a few highlights and overviews from the European ski tour:
Ischgl, Austria:
The tiny village of Yscla, was once a remote farming village, it has been converted into a mega-resort with; 238 km of ski trails, 41 cable cars and other lifts and 32 grooming machines. The owners have spent 200 million Euros upgrading the facilities on the hill in the last 10 years, and it shows. The lifts are new, the lodges are well appointed, and in some cases very modern in design. The combined resort of Ischgl-Samnaun (Swiss side) is one of the largest in Europe, if you believe their web site. Ischgl has clearly been developed to meet a tourist need, with lots of variety in accommodation. There is a permanent population of about 1500, although it is hard to envision where they actually live, in the sea of hotels. This resort has a reputation as a party spot and according to Ginger it does live up to that grade. Here a a couple photos of Ischgl by day and night…
Tags: Austria, Road Trip Planner, Self-Guided Travel in Europe, Skiing in Europe, Travel in France, Travel in Italy
Nutmeg has committed to continue blogging once a week, for all of 2011. It is part of an online challenge she has joined. So keep reading there is much more to come on Ginger, Nutmeg and Jade’s “European Adventure”.
What do you need to do? Nothing, other than keep reading and tell us if you like the blog posts.
A Bientot,
Nutmeg
Typically, Ginger gets off pretty lightly on Valentines Day. With a wedding anniversary is just two days before, he can usually get away with a gift and/or flowers that cover both events.
The feast of Saint Valentine is both historical and religious. So both Ginger and Nutmeg wondered about the significance of the 14th of February in France. As it turns out, the day is actually is quite linked to French historical customs. As far back as the middle ages, the belief was that birds started mating in the middle of February. Evidence from the 14th century, stressed a romantic theme emanating from poets and literature at this time of the year. The card or love note apparently originated in France, when the captured Duke of Orleans wrote a poem to his beloved wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
Tags: Austria, Provence Travel, Travel in France, Valentines in France
There are certainly many great things about Aix en Provence. One of the best things in Nutmeg’s books, is that fact that you can say over coffee in the morning “Do you want to go to Cassis for lunch?”. Cassis is an easy 37 minute drive (50 Kilometres) so it is definitely doable for lunch. One fine day in January they did just that.
Cassis is located just east of Marseille and is very famous for the adjacent large towering white cliffs. The cliffs are equally stunning as those found along the English Chanel in Normandy. There are beautiful inlets called les Calanques that are accessible mostly by boat, or in some cases by tough hiking routes. What surprised Ginger and Nutmeg was the significant wine growing area right around Cassis. What they understand now is that the area is known for white and rose wines. The area is not known for Creme de Cassis, which is actually made from blackcurrants and is a speciality of Burgundy.
Tags: Cassis, Cote Bleu, Provence, Travel Tips
