Category: Provence

August 2012 was scorching in Provence; late summer on the Mediterranean coast meant daytime temperatures of 35C. Summer crowds sweltered in the breathless, port of Marseille as they waited in queues for ferries to the nearby L’archipel du Frioul. The normally beautiful city skyline was filled with busy construction cranes. Drivers and pedestrians were equally frustrated with each other, as they crawled through gridlock, a maze of diversions, temporary hoarding and restricted views.
Nutmeg had booked a few nights in the port city. Ginger was speechless.

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Recipes & Travel:
Aix en Provence, Cultural Capital of Europe, History, Marseille, MP2013, Provence, Travel

The bi-annual movement of livestock between valleys and higher alpine pastures is a definitive marker of the changing seasons.  Transhumance comes from Latin roots, trans ‘across‘ and humus ‘ground‘.  There are forms of transhumance on almost every continent, which vary in timing, cultural influences and distances travelled.  The practice of flock herding and nomadic migration has occurred naturally for centuries as a way to transfer livestock from one grazing ground to another. In order to escape, from heat (summer) or cold (winter) depending on the direction of the movement.

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Recipes & Travel:
Goats, Provence, Sheep, Traditions, Transhumance

According to Nutmeg, the birds have it right, in autumn follow the warmth and go south.

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Recipes & Travel:
Provence in Autumn, Provence Travel, Travel in France

A trip to the grocery store can be confusing. How do you choose between farm-raised, wild, organic, omega-3, free-range, local, grass-fed, pesticide-free and all natural?
And that is just for eggs.

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Recipes & Travel:
Books, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Facts about Olives, Food Nutritional Facts, Olive Oil, Provence

For readers who know Ginger and Nutmeg well, the following statement will not be surprising.
When it comes to pairs dancing, Ginger insists that Nutmeg leads and Nutmeg insists that someone should!
Although, they both love to dance when it comes to the classic dances like waltz, tango, salsa they are frankly way out of their element.

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Recipes & Travel:
classic dance, Dancing, Provence, Salon, Travel

There have been volumes written on the teachings of Epicurus, which will not be repeated here.  He and his followers would meet in his garden, around 307 BC. The philosophy of Epicureanism evolved from those encounters.
In the Epicurean view, the highest pleasure (tranquility and freedom from fear) was obtained by knowledge, friendship, and living a virtuous and temperate life.
Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicureanism)
Lead a simple life.

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Recipes & Travel:
Food info in France, French Food, Markets in Provence, Provence Travel, Travel in France

The local newspaper and the affiche (poster) at the bakery confirmed that there would be a concert at the church on Sunday.
Dimanche Juillet 22
à 18h30 à L’Eglise : Pour la 6ème année
Concert gratuit de musique classique
« De L’Espagne à L’Argentine »
 Flûte et avec Julie Scolnik et Olivier Pelmoine à la guitare
Organisé par Le Foyer Rural et le Comité Paroissial

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Recipes & Travel:
Eygalieres, Julie Scolnik, Summer Concerts in Provence, Travel in France

It is Saturday morning in the Luberon village of Cucuron, Eric Sapet the chef and owner of la Petite Maison is enjoying a few minutes of social time over a pause-café with friends. He has a busy day ahead there is a 25-person cooking class focused on girolles (chanterelle mushrooms). And the restaurant is fully booked for both lunch and dinner.

G&N love these theme based cooking classes at la Petite Maison. Clearly, based on the number of attendees for the courses they are not alone. After five years of programming Eric Sapet has developed a loyal following.
Arriving in Cucuron, a small medieval town dating from the 11th century was a combination of hard work and chance for M. Sapet. He was classically trained in his field in Paris at l’Ecole Hôtelière. Once the scholastic course load was finished, the long kitchen hours began in earnest. He spent 11 years working his way through the ranks in some of the…

Recipes & Travel:
Chef Eric Sapet, Cooking classes, Cucuron, French Food, Provence Travel, Recipes with Mushrooms, Travel in France

It is possible, that it was the thirst and hunger created by biking over the lunch hour, or maybe it was their recent trip to Italy.  Regardless, both Nutmeg and Ginger both thought they had been transported from Provence to Tuscany.  The hilly rolling terrain, endless vineyards, Cyprus trees, olive groves and small villages are all extremely reminiscent of Tuscany.  It is no accident that the Luberon area within Provence resembles Tuscany.  Roman presence in present day Provence began in 2 B.C.. The Roman rulers heavily influenced architecture and immense construction projects (aqueducts, theaters, arenas) within the region. There is documentation of organized religious activity as early as the 3rd century, in Roman occupied Provencal towns.  During the 14th century, (1309 – 77) seven French Popes led the Catholic church from Avignon. Perched villages and castles in Provence created for defensive purposes are similar to those found in Tuscany.
Tuscany or Provence?

Provence.
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Recipes & Travel:
Ansouis, Provence Travel, Travel in France, Travel in Italy, Travel to Tuscany

It may not be the same garden that Frances Hodgson Burnett wrote about in her 1911 novel The Secret Garden. That garden with all its hidden corners was in Yorkshire. The Jardin de Tim is a discrete Bed and Breakfast located in Eygalières in Provence, which opened to the public in 2010.

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Recipes & Travel:
Eygalieres, Jardin de Tim, Provence Travel, Travel in France