Posts tagged: Markets

“Give me Brisbane Any Day”
After driving nearly 3000 km from Sydney to Adelaide, G&N were happy to hand over the rental car keys. Virgin Australia winged them from cool, rainy Adelaide to sunny and slightly humid Brisbane City. (Enjoy this guide on your smartphone too, skip to the bottom to find out how)
Nutmeg was in semi-tropical heaven.

“Brissy” invited G&N to explore her neighbourhoods starting with Brisbane’s South Bank. On a sunny Saturday afternoon, this lively venue is where the playground collides with the bar scene. Restaurants compete for clientele on their umbrella sheltered patios and kids’ laughter, from the swimming area, slices through the odd break in the bar music.
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Recipes & Travel:
Brisbane, City Cat Ferry, CityCycle, Coffee, Koala Sanctuary, Markets, Museums

After a week of travel in a rental car, G&N were happy to park in Melbourne for a few days. Equipped with a friend’s suggestions of places to eat and drink (by district) G&N were ready to explore and eat.

The problem?
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Recipes & Travel:
Fitzroy, Markets, Melbourne, Restaurant Reviews, Royal Botanic Gardens

Nutmeg is writing this post on a rainy Sunday afternoon while Ginger is napping off the effects of a long Sunday lunch.
It is a long tradition in France that stores are closed Sunday afternoon, allowing everyone the opportunity to have a leisurely lunch en famille.

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Recipes & Travel:
Food in France, Markets, Provence, Provence Travel, Sunday Lunch, Travel in France

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.

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Recipes & Travel:
beaches, Cuisine, History, Markets, Oysters, Sete

There are many reasons to complain about the SNCF (French national railways) including their frequent schedule delays. However, when the system works you board the TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse) in Avignon and arrive 2.5 hours later on the platform at Paris Gare de Lyon – génial (brilliant)!
Ginger and Nutmeg were in Paris for a quick visit, a weekend of “hanging-out”. As often happens, Ginger was simply happy to be there, and Nutmeg had a plan. They were going to stroll (flâner) the city and do a foodie tour along the way.

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Recipes & Travel:
Coffee, Food in France, Markets, Paris, Travel to Paris

Old meets new, and France meets the world in this Parisian market. The trendy Marais district, the third arrondissement, spills northward with new housing and retail stores invading previously unattractive utilitarian spaces. In the midst of this budding urbanization is one of Paris’s oldest covered markets. The entrance off rue de Bretagne is unassuming; inside this compact culinary corner of the capital city is an artist’s palate of international cuisines. Market stalls flaunt glorious blooms in soft pastels and vibrant Crayola shades, seasonal fruit and vegetables from farms of Europe are piled high and fresh catch from the seas rest on icy cradles.

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Recipes & Travel:
Markets, Paris, Paris Food, Travel in France

A visit to Provence can be a sensory overload:
Purple-blue lavender rows combing the landscape
Market stalls brimming with wild mushrooms in a palette of earthy browns
Pincushions of creamy goat cheese
Butcher shop chickens roasted on portable spits on Sunday mornings
Rosé chilling tableside

What should I take home from Provence?
Nutmeg often gets asked this question by friends who are visiting Provence, these are five gifts that she would suggest, each one uniquely representative of the region.
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Recipes & Travel:
fleur de sel, Food, herbes de provence, Lavender, Markets, Olives, Provence, savon de Marseille, Travel Tips

A hearty Mexican dinner erased the results of a terrible golf game, and the Cadillac margaritas could only be followed by “one more drink.”
Palm Desert bedtime hours be dammed!
Nutmeg is relatively certain that she does not need to layout the rest of the evening for you. It was late and the next morning required copious amounts of strong coffee.

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Recipes & Travel:
Brian Latta Fruit Stand, Dessert, Markets, North Vancouver, Peaches, Recipes, Strawberries

It took 11.5 months for Ginger and Nutmeg to make it to Paris, only a 2.5 hour train ride from their Provencal home base. The capital city is one that both Ginger and Nutmeg love and have visited several times. It is entirely possible; that the relaxing rhythm of life in the sunny south had kept them from Paris for that length of time.
However, they finally had a compelling reason to venture to l’ile de France, to meet some friends in the city. After, Nutmeg managed to master, the not so intuitive, SNCF website and purchase their train tickets, the rest was easy. The trains run frequently and sometimes even on time. Departing from Avignon TGV, their goal was to feel like real Parisians for three days.
Audacious!

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Recipes & Travel:
Coffee, Markets, Paris, Paris Food, Travel in France