Posts tagged: Provence

Writer Alphonse Daudet described his affection for the town of Fontvieille and its windmills as follows:
“Ce coin de roche qui m’etait une patrie et dont on retrouve la trace – êtres ou endroits – dans presque tous mes livres”
This corner of rock was a homeland to me, one which can be traced to beings or places in almost all my books.

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Recipes & Travel:
Fontvielle, Provence, Windmills

Nutmeg had a few items on her to-do list; number one was to replenish the wine stock before Ginger arrived. The challenge was making a decision in les Alpilles given the plethora of nearby vineyards. On this particular occasion, she chose Domaine de la Vallongue as they had reopened their boutique after some renovations and were featuring some unique sculptures by Jean-Pierre Rives.

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Recipes & Travel:
Chicken, Chickpeas, Provence, Saffron, stew

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

All I want for Christmas is a photo workshop in Provence.
If that is number ONE on your Christmas list this year, then Nutmeg would like to help you out.
Andrew Squires is a professional photographer based in the village of Ansouis, in Provence. He runs photo workshops for both groups and individuals; photography on-location, with social breaks, fun festivals and time to explore Provence behind your camera (any type will do).
Colour, gesture, all help tell the story.
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Recipes & Travel:
Andrew Squires, France, Photo Workshops, Photography, Provence

It seems odd that this village was not named “les beaux” (the beautiful).
Impossibly perched on a plateau straddling a rocky peak of les Alpilles, the castle and hamlet of les Baux de Provence does deserve its title as one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in France”.  The revived town site offers visitors sweeping views of the stone crags, a valley filled with plains of olives and rows of grapevines and in the distance the Mediterranean.

However, les Baux is not in reference to good looks.
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Recipes & Travel:
Alpilles, Les Baux, Les Baux de Provence, Provence

Nutmeg was tired of lugging around a bulky camera; with its big lens and a menu of options that she could not understand. The only two settings she had ever used were automatic and off. Frustrated that the fancy camera was not getting any “exercise,” and her iPhone offered the same capabilities in a much lighter package, she decided that enough was enough.

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Recipes & Travel:
Andrew Squires, Facilitutors in France, Photo Workshops, Photography, Provence

Cowboy culture runs deep in parts of Provence and throughout the Camargue. Although, the customs have Spanish roots, the Provençal character is what thrives today.  White horses, black bulls, traditional costumes, processions and convivial atmosphere all surround several days (and long nights) of events. The program is built around a celebration of the patron saint of the village church. However, most of the activities have nothing to do with religious orientation.

Every Provençal village hosts a variation of these festivities. Consistent elements of which, are captured in the ABC list below. If, you missed Nutmeg’s 2012 post you can see it here.
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Recipes & Travel:
Black Bulls, Camargue, Cowboys, Fete de Village, Gardien, Provence, Taureaux, White Horses

It was a solo visit for Nutmeg. Ginger had no interest in the Souleiado fabric museum in Tarascon. The display provides a historical overview of their fabrics and methods of textile printing.  The lighting in the small museum could be improved, and the information provided could be more explicit. The history of Indian fabrics in Provence is long, with imports starting in the late 16th century.  These brightly coloured and heavily patterned cloths were cherished when they first arrived. French production of Indian patterns started in Marseille in 1648. Initially, the output was of poor quality in comparison to the imports. However, as designers and printers mastered the trade, their capabilities expanded and the quality of products improved over time.

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Recipes & Travel:
Arles, Fabrics, Provence, Souleiado, Tradtions

Nutmeg has a friend who is interested in really big construction projects. He had previously visited the site of the Malpasset Dam outside Fréjus and recommended a visit to the site as an interesting road-trip.
The Malpasset Dam was an enormous initiative completed in 1954. It collapsed less than five years later, on December 2, 1959. The dam on the Reyan River was arched in design, or more technically a double curvature with a variable radius.  The dam height was 60 meters, 6.78 meters at the foundation and the length of the crest was 223 meters.   The history of the dam is a bit unclear as some reports have work starting in 1941, possibly early planning that was very likely disrupted by World War II. In 1946, there were geological and hydrological studies undertaken. There is now some question about the quality of the engineering studies, due to lack of proper funding. Construction work on the dam started in April…

Recipes & Travel:
Cote d'Azur, Frejus, Malpasset Dam, Provence, Travel

Garage sale? – are you selling your garage?
Nutmeg loves the fact that the French language is descriptive in nature. Vide grenier literally translates into “empty attic”, in other words, a chance to rid your attic of used stuff. Now does that not make sense?
In France, as in North America, the vide grenier season begins in April and runs well through October.  In some villages, there may even be more than one sale in a year – multiple occasions to empty that attic…

 
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Recipes & Travel:
Brocante, France, Lawn Sales, Provence, Travel, Vide Grenier