Category Archives: Travel

Pont du Gard and The Dreaded Shower

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As a way of getting acquainted with Provence, Ginger and Nutmeg treated themselves to a bike tour along with a good sampling of the local food and wine!  The tour started in St Tropez with a day of biking around that area.  It was beautiful and not too crowded, as the summer crowd was long gone.  The harbour and surrounding vistas were terrific. However, for Ginger the best part was Le Club Porsche de France was in town for the weekend and he was able to check out some real fancy cars. There were over 20 in our hotel alone and likely over 300 in the whole town – quite a show!

St Tropez Harbour

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French Visa Means Administration Time

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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. Continue reading →

Saturday Market in Chamonix France

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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….

Chamonix, Mt Blanc Continue reading →

Boxwood Cafe Tasty Dining in the Park in Calgary

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The City of Calgary has spent $11.5 million and two years renovating Central Memorial Park, one of the oldest parks in the city it opened in 1912.  This centrally located park had fallen from a prominent memorial dedicated to those who fought in the two world wars, to an inner-city eyesore full of drug dealers and home to some of Calgary’s unfortunate street dwellers. The park was officially reopened on May 14, 2010.  The park construction and work on the new restaurant Boxwood Cafe is finally finished.  The restaurant opened on September 15th.  Nutmeg could hardly wait to check it out.  So the best way is to go for lunch with a great friend! Continue reading →

Beamer’s Coffee Bar Small Business Stories in Canmore

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Nutmeg had the pleasure on a recent sunny Friday to convince restaurant owner Micheal Beamer, to leave his station behind the La Marzocco espresso machine (for serious baristas), for a few minutes and tell her his story about this small business success. Micheal Beamer headed out to Western Canada in the late 1980’s.  He made his way to the Rockies for the skiing and the scenery.  With a hotel management degree from Georgian College and a big smile he started work at the famed Chateau Lake Louise.  Micheal’s focus on customer service allowed him to move to the position of Assistant Beverage Manager within five years.  During that time, “coffee-culture” was growing south of the border in Seattle and heading North. Continue reading →

Sushi with a View in Canmore

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It is a funny thing, how Ginger and Nutmeg (both Virgos) have so many friends with the same birth sign.  It could be some sort of natural selection occurring, as it is  quite obvious that all the very cool, sporty, beautiful people are Virgos.  Or maybe it is the fact that November is typically a cold, dark month and what else are you going to do…babies arrive about nine months later.  In any case August and September are a great chance for Ginger and Nutmeg to celebrate birthdays with their buddies.

There is a restaurant in Canmore named  Wild Orchid Asian Bistro and Lounge, it is located the Silver Creek Lodge.  The lodge is located on “gasoline alley” just off the Trans-Canada.  The restaurant is at the back of the lodge and once you arrive you quickly forget that you are so close to a busy thoroughfare.  There is a small sushi bar and a fairly large dining area.  The room is Asian-Zen in decor and quite attractive.  However, the best thing about this establishment is the outstanding view from their deck.  Other than one cell/radio tower there is an unobstructed view of the entire mountain range and the Three Sisters.  The deck has about 6-8 tables, depending on the configuration and one highly coveted fire pit.  Unfortunately, there are no heaters on the deck so the outdoor dining season is incredibly short.

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Smokin’ Hot BBQ Charlotte North Carolina

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Not too long ago Nutmeg was on a business trip to Charlotte, North Carolina.  It was one of those trips where you could have been pretty much anywhere as the agenda was something like this:

  • taxi to hotel
  • check in
  • out for dinner
  • 8am start in a meeting room with no windows
  • working dinner
  • hotel
  • sleep
  • do it all over…

The second morning of the trip, Nutmeg decided to go for a run at 06:00am and was stunned by the intense activity on the main drag.  It turns out that day was the start of Charlotte’s BBQ and Blues and this is serious stuff. The vendor stands were set-up and the smoking had started big time at 6am!!  These folks are not worried about half-caf-skim-milk-no-foam lattes…. they are preparing rubs, injections and getting the temperature on their smokers “just right” for  Smokin’ Hot BBQ.   This whole scene was quite overwhelming for Nutmeg who likes berries, yogurt and granola along with her fancy latte at that hour in the morning. Continue reading →

Chaisso Coffee Company a new name in Coffee

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There is a new game and a new name in coffee in Calgary, the Chiasso Coffee Company.  They have a brand new location at 17th Avenue and 8th Street SW, it is just barely two weeks old.  The name is Italian and translated apparently means chaos, commotion, racket.  However, chaos is the furthest thing from your mind when you step into this oasis just off that busy intersection.  They have done a great job on the finishes, including hardwood floors, granite counter tops and a mix of comfortable seating options.  The place is spotless and refreshing after some of the other coffee house options in the area. Continue reading →

Northland Village Market in Calgary

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This is a RE-POST.  Technology as you know can be a benefit or a curse…  So in case you missed this the first time.  🙂

Nutmeg is not directionally challenged (that she will admit) although it is possible that she may not always consider the directions exactly.  She was pretty sure that she knew exactly where to find this market.  Well not quite – after battling rush-hour traffic and circling the whole of Market Mall she realized that the Google Map instructions would have been helpful… In any case she arrived and it was fun despite the cold weather. Continue reading →

Calgary’s Coup the food is so good you forget it is vegetarian

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Poor Ginger he is a good Albertan boy and essentially refuses to try anything that resembles a purely vegetarian focused restaurant.  Only once, in the last decade, has he acquiesced and tried dinner at The Coup on 17th Avenue in Calgary – he complained the whole time about being too hot and did not like the organic wine…..  Needless to say Nutmeg has decided that he is not worth the effort, so she only goes to this restaurant with her girlfriends.  Yes! The food is good enough to forget (or remember) that is is pure vegetarian and really healthy. Continue reading →