Posts tagged: Provence Travel

Salty cobalt-blue waters of the Mediterranean slip into the Port of Marseille under the careful watch of two stoic limestone sentries, Fort Saint-Jean and Fort Saint-Nicholas. In 1660, King Louis XIV ordered the construction of Fort Saint-Nicholas and the reinforcement of existing structures at Fort Saint-Jean. The justification for these monumental building projects was to improve the defense capabilities of the old port. The reality was likely more a show of military force to encourage calm among Marseille’s rebellious citizens than against the threat of external attack, the forts’ cannons faced the city.

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Recipes & Travel:
Fort St Jean Marseille, History of Marseille, Provence Travel, Travel in France

Jean-Louis Sibuet quickly appreciated the realities of the hospitality trade, once his parents purchased le Fer à Cheval Hotel in Megève. His early grounding in the accommodation business has evolved into a French boutique hospitality chain. Mr. Sibuet and his wife Jocelyne have created a luxurious, contemporary brand while maintaining a resilient respect for the local environment unique to each of their hotel properties.

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Recipes & Travel:
Domaine de la Baume, Exploring the Var, Hotels in the Var, Jean-Louis Sibuet, le Fer à Cheval Hotel in Megève, Provence Travel, Travel in France

The joys of easy entertaining:

Simple food
Great flavours
Easy laughter
And not too many dishes

Doesn’t that sound perfect?
If you want to enjoy your guests and not waste a whole day cooking, keep reading.

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Recipes & Travel:
French Food, French Recipes, Lamb roast, Provencal Food, Provence Travel, Travel in France

Nutmeg is uncertain if sculptors Ursula Hanes and Donni Buffalo Dog were visionary or slightly crazy when they purchased a five-acre property on the outskirts of the hamlet of Aureille, in Provence, the year was 1993. Their interest was not in the house. It was the 600 square-meter mothballed chicken and rabbit coop that had grabbed their attention.

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Recipes & Travel:
Artist Retreat in Provence, Ateliers Fourwinds, Aureille, Provence Travel, Sculpture Studios in Provence

It was a lazy afternoon in Provence, under a scalding sun, seated on a suspended terrace in the village of Ansouis. As she sat drinking in the pastoral vineyard views, Nutmeg understood why this might be Andrew Squires’ favourite French expression.
Ça depend … it depends.
Andrew was born in the United Kingdom. His artistic leanings emerged early on as he experimented with both drawing and painting. He discovered photography as an artistic medium, and a magnetic force pulled him to Arles for les Rencontres d’Arles an annual photography festival that was founded in 1970.
What does forgiveness mean to you?
He has lived in Provence permanently for a couple decades, and he considers it home. He took a few minutes over lunch, and a pitcher of local rosé to tell Nutmeg a little more about his passion for the region and photography.
Enjoy his photos as you read this blog post.
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Recipes & Travel:
Andrew Squires Photography, Photography Classes in Provence, Provence Travel, Travel in France

Ginger and Nutmeg are children born in the early 1960’s, sheltered from the difficulties of the two World Wars; they did not recognize the name Jean Moulin, when they arrived in France.
Sure, their school history classes covered the wars in some detail. They have grandparents and parents who were certainly impacted by the hardships of those dark, uncertain days. On Nutmeg’s paternal side, the whole family was uprooted, and they relocated to a foreign land. The scarcity of food and other products from that time has instilled a steady habit of reuse, recycle and do not waste.

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Recipes & Travel:
Jean Moulin, Provence Travel, Travel in France

In France, there is always a school vacation at the end of October, when children and teachers have a week of reprieve from the classroom, and each other. The holiday extends to most public facing businesses on November 1st. You can certainly expect the post offices, banks, grocery stores and government offices to be closed on that day.

Why?
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Recipes & Travel:
Easy healthy snack recipes, Muffins, Provence Travel

Nutmeg received an email regarding a trip to Ireland although she was extremely tempted by the itinerary, the tour dates could not work into their schedule. The proposed trip, designed for a small group of travellers is a bespoke, crafted experience combining some of southern Ireland’s famous historical sites with rock climbing and sea kayaking. Nutmeg was intrigued she reached out to Mary Baskin an accomplished interior designer to understand more about her story and the company.

In her own words…
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Recipes & Travel:
Provence Travel, Touring Ireland, Travel in France, Vagabond International

The stonemasons never showed up.
• Monday morning in Provence
• South of France
• Forecast for a cobalt blue sky and 28C
• There must be a national holiday soon
Who could blame them?

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Recipes & Travel:
Abbey Montmajour, Abbeys in France, Arles, Christian Lacroix, Provence Travel, Travel in France

The maze of construction hoarding is gone. Vehicle congestion is a mere shadow of its former chaos. As Cultural Capital of the year, Marseille is ready to welcome the world this summer.
The exact value of total funds dispensed for urban infrastructure projects, new artistic exhibition space, and other enhancement work would require a forensic accountant. The results of this massive undertaking are changing Marseille’s scruffy image and vastly improving the previously underwhelming waterfront.
Here are some of the highlights:
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Recipes & Travel:
Cultural Capital of Europe, History of Marseille, MP2013, Provence Travel, Travel in France