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.
Author Archives: nutmeg
European Ski Tour Exposed
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…
Ginger and Nutmeg Post a Week
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
Happy Valentines Day in Provence
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.
Cassis for Lunch in Provence
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. Continue reading
On A Ski Tour in Europe
Ginger is crazy about alpine skiing. He has been checking snow reports since the slopes opened in France, in November. The World Cup race results are reviewed on a daily basis. He even convinced Nutmeg to leave shoes, clothes and her winter coat in Calgary, so that he could bring two pairs of his precious skis to France. So it may seem a bit obvious to tell you that skiing is on the agenda, while in France.
Ginger and Nutmeg both compiled “top ten” lists before leaving Calgary, to make sure that they were in fact headed to the same continent. The good news is there was some overlap when it came to skiing. However, the individual motivation might be a bit different:
- Nutmeg would like to visit some of the fancy resorts, hang out by big roaring fireplaces, sit on warm sunny patios eating fantastic food and snuggle up in warm duvets at night.
- Ginger would like to follow the World Cup Ski circuit, work on a few race courses, cheer on his beloved Canadians and ski some of the challenging pistes.
- Jade would like some new smells, a few choice morsels of street food and some new hotel rooms to explore.
Provence’s Black Truffle Demystified
It is close to impossible to buy Ginger a present. He loves sporting equipment, electronics, airplanes, wine and other expensive things. He is diligent about doing the research on a product, and ensuring that he is getting it at the right price. Ginger is also has very good taste, so these new toys have a tendency to raise the Visa balance to new levels. Nutmeg often struggles to find the right gift. This year with a bit of help from a friend, she landed on the perfect Christmas, Anniversary, Valentines, Birthday gift (read: $$$..).
Black truffle plants, ten of them. Nutmeg decided that the white truffle version he will have to buy for himself. So yes, he is the proud owner of some 2010 variety plants, they should bare “fruit” in about seven years. Ginger’s plants are very fortunate to be located on a plantation, in the well drained soil on the Valensole plateau in Provence.
Lentils for Luck
Nutmeg is not superstitious by nature. That being said, she is not foolhardy either; there is no good reason to spend to much time with a black cat or walk under a ladder or generally tempt fate.
It is a tradition in Nutmeg’s family to eat lentils on January 1st every year. In many nationalities, eating lentils on the first of the year is supposed to bring you prosperity through the coming months. The round shape of the lentil is similar to a coin, and thus in theory the more you eat the more wealth you will gain. Given the fact that Ginger and Nutmeg are living, eating and drinking in France without paychecks, a bit of prosperity would not hurt. Continue reading
A Gourmand Christmas in France
Finally, Saffron got her wish! For years, she has tried to convince Ginger and Nutmeg to travel to Chamonix for Christmas. Of course that sounds outrageous and decadent, but long ago Nutmeg decided that travel at Christmas time is highly over-rated; crowded airports, busy roads, surly border guards, heavy clothing, excess baggage – you get the idea. This year, Ginger and Nutmeg really had no good excuse to say no, as Chamonix is an easy 5 hour drive from Aix en Provence. So they gladly accepted the invitation.
Then the plans had to change, Nutmeg flew to England for a rather sad family event, to celebrate the life of a very special lady. The game plan was to fly back to Marseille and drive with Ginger and Jade to Chamonix. So Nutmeg had packed one small carry on bag, with the essentials for a two day trip to the UK. However, Mother Nature had another plan, she covered the UK in a solid coating of the heavy white stuff and 6cm was enough to shutdown the country. The news channels and other media outlets had a Christmas gift like no other; 24/7 “emergency” coverage of a winter “disaster”. The roads were like skating rinks, trains and buses crawled to destinations on highly reduced schedules, major airports were shutdown for days leaving stranded travellers camped out at Heathrow, as flights were cancelled.
Jade a Dog’s view of France
Ginger and Nutmeg are out celebrating the New Year, so it is finally my opportunity to write a blog post. For those of you who do not know, I am Jade a 9 + something year old black Labrador. I love food, people and smelling stuff – in that order.
So way back in September we head out for a little car trip in Calgary, I love the car. We go to “big-box dog heaven” sometimes known as Pet Smart. I am really excited there are lots of my favourite things, see above. Ginger is busy moving big plastic boxes off the shelves and I oblige when asked to run in and out, it’s kind of fun. So we all head home including the plastic box. The box is OK and I get to sleep in it for a few days.
However, there is something clearly greater going on, I know as I have seen this kind of action before. There are travel bags, piles of clothes and technical gear on the basement floor, counters and living room floor. Nutmeg is not very happy as the house is not very organized and Ginger is still clearly still deciding. So what is a bit of healthy tension? – I am still getting fed, so no need to get involved. Looks and smells like a trip to me.
