I could tell that Nutmeg would not have time to write this post, as they were busy packing bags, boxes, sporting goods and the car. I travel much lighter than they do, Ginger had cleaned my kennel, so I was ready for the voyage back to Calgary. With the two of them distracted, I thought that I would take this opportunity to share with you a few of my favourite things about the village of Eygalières.
For Nutmeg this is a terrifying blog post, so it is fitting that it arrives just in time for Halloween. Ginger and Nutmeg left Calgary on September 30, 2010. Nutmeg has quite happily not set foot on Canadian soil for 13 months. What is so scary? They are headed back to Calgary in the darkest, coldest month of the year! Here are some fun statistics from their time abroad:
35,000 Kilometers driven in the trusty car by Ginger
15,000 Roundabouts
8,000 Photos documenting the year
5,000 Toll booths
395 Number of days since Nutmeg has been in Canada
395 Wine bottles consumed more or less
150 Number of times Nutmeg went to a market
150+ Bike rides
50+ Churches visited
35+ Hikes
18 Ski days at new resorts
15 Gap T-shirts
13 Provencal deserts at Christmas time
8+ Concerts
4 Ferry rides: to Corsica and Sardinia
4 Pairs of runners
3 Masks from the Venice Carnival
5 Cooking lessons
5 Countries Visited:France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, UK
Ginger and Nutmeg have a dear friend in Aix en Provence who is a proud Breton by origin. Although, Delphine has lived in the south of France for a number of years, she stays close to her roots by running a delightful crêperie in the heart of Aix-en-Provence, called Crêpes Cidre & Compagnie. One hot day in August, Ginger and Nutmeg had a crêpe-making lesson from the expert, and a brief introduction to another culture. Here, are a few ABCs in order to better appreciate the natives of northwestern France.
Nutmeg is a bit embarrassed to admit that after many months in France, they have barely explored all of Provence. The departments within Provence are all beautiful and vastly different. The departments include Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches-du-Rhone, Var and Vaucluse. So much to visit! Clearly a break from their holiday was in order!! Nutmeg booked two nights in a lovely chambre d’hotes (B&B) called Les Quatre Saisons near the village of le Castellet, in the Var. Le Castellet is a medieval village dating from 1153. It is a fairly well preserved town on a hill, so there are magnificent views from the top. The town buildings are highly picturesque. Les Quatre Saisons is easily accessible from the major regional centres, and it is a true oasis.
The weather was smoking-hot, reaching 32C under cloudless skies. Patrice cool, calm and well practised in the kitchen. He and his partner Didier ran a small Parisian bistro for nine years and then a restaurant…
Ginger and Nutmeg had been on the road for 12 days travelling to Italian cities and ski resorts. They arrived back in Aix en Provence after a 9+ hour drive, and it took a full day to get through the laundry, pick up Jade from the “doggie spa” and buy some groceries. It was at some point that day, that they noticed a text message from Truffle – he was just a few kilometers away. His planned high-mountain ski randonnée in Corsica had been cancelled due to awful conditions. The great news is Truffle was in town and could come for dinner, the bad news: what do you serve a guy who makes foie gras and magret de canard for regular pre-dinner snacks? Dinner was fine, the wine and company much better. (more…)
Ginger LOVES the Calgary Stampede. He is a faithful rodeo attendee and never misses a single chuckwagon race. Every year, Ginger dons his cowboy duds for the full 10 days of the Stampede, and a few more events on either end. He is a dedicated volunteer, who donates his time selflessly every year. OK, not exactly selflessly, there is an official access badge and lots of beer involved. This year he will seriously miss his favourite event of the year. The good news for Ginger, is there is no shortage of cowboy culture, horses and bulls in Provence.
Whether your passion is art, music, food or something else it would be hard not to feel the urge to be creative. Ginger and Nutmeg were very fortunate to spend two days with Marc Heracle in his beautifully appointed kitchen at Chateau D’Arnajon. The Chateau is located in the village of Le Puy Sainte Reparade. Marc’s focus is on traditional Provençal style cuisine. Traditional methods pre-1900s did not include dairy, butter or refined flours. The cooking methods of the time used olive oil, almonds, olives, citrus and spices that were (and still are) found in abundance in the region. Marc’s style is relaxed as he shares his knowledge and practical experience. He encourages participation and is happy to share some stories. (more…)
According to Nutmeg, the Mimosa in cocktail form, does not do justice to either of it’s ingredients; champagne or orange juice. It is often served for brunch and that is a whole other story (see previous blog post). This post is about the first flower of the season in Provence.
The mimosa is a beautiful flowering bush that is often found in gardens, green-spaces, and forests all over the south of France. There are over 1200 varieties world-wide, the shrub is native to Australia, Central and South America and parts of Asia, not France. It is believed that the mimosa plant travelled to Europe on one of Captain Cook’s voyages. This flowering beauty was introduced to southern France around 1850, by wealthy English, who planted them to in order to brighten-up their gardens during the winter months on the Cote D’Azur. (more…)
Don’t tell Ginger. Several years ago Nutmeg had a boyfriend who was fanatical about 2CVs; that is the Citroën 2CV or “deux chevaux”. On a six-week backpacking trip through Europe he took 90 Kodachrome photos of 2CVs (2 of Nutmeg and 8 of buxom blondes). On top of that he insisted on eating at MacDonald’s throughout Europe. For those of you who know Nutmeg, it was a good thing the relationship “fizzled”. History (above) aside Nutmeg thought that Ginger would have lots of fun driving a 2CV around Provence for a day. The answer was simple, there is a Dutch/French company called 2CV Experience that rents lovingly restored 2CVs or “two horsepower” cars for the day. It could not have been easier, as they are based minutes outside of Aix-en Provence. They currently have 12 cars and are building their inventory to 15 shortly. These pristine cars have been fully restored by hand, painted meticulously and are ready to go…
Ginger and Nutmeg are a bit distracted by our move from Aix en Provence to Eygalieres, so it is once again my turn for a bit of “air-time”. Here is my rebuttal to Nutmeg’s last post “Our Favorite things about Aix en Provence“.
I have never lived in a place quite like Aix en Provence. When I was a young puppy I lived in the woods in Vermont, and putting on a collar was a dress-up occasion. Then I moved to Calgary. Ginger came to pick me up in Montreal and took me on a long trip to that strange place (Calgary). We arrived and there was another dog who looked like me but she was not very interested in me. My roaming space much reduced, in fact it was a bit like a sardine can after Vermont. The good news is Ginger and Nutmeg made lots of trips to Canmore, where we could swim and run around like black…
