800km from its glacial source in Valais, Switzerland the Rhône River gasps as it reaches the Mediterranean Sea. Like a wide yawn the Rhône’s two branches; the Grande Rhône and the Petit Rhône empty their cargo at the mouth of the river. This area of Provence known as the Camargue, part of the Bouches du Rhône (mouths of the Rhône) is Europe’s largest river delta (930 sq km) and a wetland of significant size.
A whale and two anchors feature on Sète’s official coat of arms, a tribute to local maritime history, and the fact that Mont St Clair makes the city looks like a humpback. Archaeologists have dated remains of human activity (discovered in 1973) to the late Bronze Ages II and III. The Greek’s called the settlement Ketos (a name that evolved over centuries until Sète became official in 1928), however, it was France’s Sun King who put Sète on the map.
American-born Wendy Jaeger admits that France is in her soul. The founder of Bliss Travels met with Nutmeg for coffee, in the Luberon, to chat about the company’s culinary and wine vacations.
Charming, was what Nutmeg expected from the Tuesday market in Saint Quentin la Poterie; a village known for its collection of resident artisans (40+) and the annual European Ceramic Festival – Terralha.
A concrete abomination was what she got.
This town was the birthplace of Joseph Monier the inventor of reinforced concrete. As a tribute to the creator, a raised concrete canopy shelters market stalls from sun and rain.
Practical.
The group emails started well before Christmas…
Would Nutmeg be interested in a girl’s getaway to Uzès?
Seriously?
As if, anyone needs to escape Provence.
The proposed itinerary was to include a short visit to Uzès in the Gard. Many visitors who venture westward in Provence to see the Pont du Gard aqueduct, the amazing restored Roman structures in Nimes and the ancient walled city of Uzès, might not even realise they had crossed a regional border. The boundary today is indicated by a road sign, in the Middle Ages, it was marked by bloody religious and territorial battles.
OK, so Alberta suffers from a few extra months of winter than other locations in Canada, but that has not stopped foodies from noticing what the Province does produce — naturally. Events such as Cook it Raw Alberta (2015) have raised culinary awareness levels globally.
Karen Anderson, the founder of Calgary Food Tours, is a self-professed food lover. Her passion for the kitchen influenced by a family of cooks, with roots in St. Andrews by-the-sea, in New Brunswick, Anderson tells Nutmeg that “One grandfather owned a fish market, and the other was a farmer.”
Ginger and Nutmeg had to stay in Provence for a couple extra nights due to a Lufthansa strike. For many reasons, this was inconvenient but far from devastating, they had a comfy bed in a small corner of paradise. Less fortunate passengers had no option but to stay in the zero-star airport hotel.
A mixture of seawater, alkaline solution and fat
Documented use as far back as 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon
A carved “recipe” found on a stone slab from 2200 BC
The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all used it
Cooked for 8 days in a cauldron, dried for 2 days in a mould
Latin word Sapo
Boutiques filled with shiny objects, and a congested ring road of honking diesel trucks and cars. These are the modern-day realities in a large Dordogne town of 9,300 residents. The town bustles with over 1.5 million visitors a year yet the ancient core of historical Sarlat provides some instant reprieve, begging you to step back in time.
