Posts tagged: Travel in France

Early in the year in southern France, the almond tree is the first to bloom. The small white or pale pink flowers typically appear on the trees in February. A welcome sign that spring may be close at hand in Provence.

The almond tree is small; at full maturity it may reach a height of 10 meters, with a trunk diameter of 30 centimeters.  The trees typically start bearing fruit after about 5 years.  The almond is technically a fruit, not a nut, from the same family as the plum or cherry (Prunus).  This decidedly old tree has been a part of different cultures and human nutrition for eons. There are several mentions of almonds in the bible. It is believed that growth in almond tree cultivation closely followed human migration near Mediterranean shores.  Despite the fact that the almond tree is native to warm European climates, the large majority of global yield is now US based, in California, at…

Recipes & Travel:
French Food, Healthy Almond Recipes, Provencal Food, Provence Travel, Travel in France

The official workweek in France is 35 hours. Then there is vacation time consisting of, 11 statutory holidays (jours fériés) and 5 weeks of personal vacation time.  Minimum retirement age is currently 60, it will move to 62 in 2018. Does that sound like paradise?
Think again.

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Recipes & Travel:
La Poste, Provence Travel, Travel in France

The potential list of must-see sights in the Languedoc are endless, so Nutmeg has chosen to highlight just three spots. All three locations are related in some way to water and created in entirely different eras.

The famous Canal du Midi is yet another UNESCO World Heritage Site (1994). The canal construction was started in 1667. It was not because the Romans had not thought of it before that, they had, and so had many others, including Leonardo da Vinci. However, no one had come up with a solution on how to supply the high points with water. Then along came Pierre Paul-Riquet, he was a long time resident of the Languedoc region, in 1662 he proposed his plan to Colbert the French Finance Minister, who served under Louis XIV. The project was finally approved in October 1666, construction started in January 1667. In all, it took 15 years to build and over 12,000 workers.
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Recipes & Travel:
Travel in France, Travel Languedoc, Travel Languedoc Roussillon

According to Nutmeg, the birds have it right, in autumn follow the warmth and go south.

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Recipes & Travel:
Provence in Autumn, Provence Travel, Travel in France

The plan was to spend some time touring with Nutmeg’s parents in early October. The original thought was to explore parts of Hungary and Poland. Then the reality of fitting four people, one dog and luggage into a car settled the holiday plans. Nutmeg made a decision on behalf of the group that a two hour drive was the limit, and booked a guest villa at Domaine du Cayrat located just a few kilometres from Pezenas in the Languedoc Roussillon region.
Jacques welcomed the group, he had stocked the fridge with some chilled wine and provisions for breakfast. It did not stop there, the next morning he arrived with fresh bread and apricot jam “fait à la maison”. Perfect!
Now the hard part, getting four people to agree what to explore in an area that is currently 27,376 (sq) km – Impossible! The region has something for every taste, age and interest. There are sandy beaches, port towns, vineyards galore, medieval villages…

Recipes & Travel:
Easy Appetizer Recipes, French Food, Healthy Zucchini Recipes, Travel in France, Travel Languedoc, Travel Languedoc Roussillon

Are museums boring?
Treasure Hunts At The Louvre will change your mind.

Meet Daisy de Plume a native New Yorker who has lived in Paris for 8 years. She is the Founder + Creative Director of THATLou. With a background in Art History and a past in print magazine editing and writing  THATLou somehow makes sense for Daisy de Plume. You can find her on Twitter, pinterest  and her facebook page. Please read more about her fun company concept below.

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Recipes & Travel:
Paris Museums, Travel in France, Travel to Paris

There have been volumes written on the teachings of Epicurus, which will not be repeated here.  He and his followers would meet in his garden, around 307 BC. The philosophy of Epicureanism evolved from those encounters.
In the Epicurean view, the highest pleasure (tranquility and freedom from fear) was obtained by knowledge, friendship, and living a virtuous and temperate life.
Source: Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epicureanism)
Lead a simple life.

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Recipes & Travel:
Food info in France, French Food, Markets in Provence, Provence Travel, Travel in France

Nutmeg believes that the celebration of Halloween is perfect timing for this post.
Trust the French to come up with an annual event that is sophisticated, classy, a bit rebellious and a whole lot of fun. Diner en Blanc started in 1988, when a group of 100 friends got together for a reunion in the Bois de Boulogne. The story is that François Pasquier instructed everyone to wear white in order to recognize each other. This was a brilliant idea, given those were the days before fancy cell phones, text messaging, Facebook and Twitter.

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Recipes & Travel:
Diner en Blanc, Dinner Parties, Easy Appetizer Recipes, French Food, Recipes for Savoury Tarts, Recipes for Tomatoes, Travel in France, Travel to Paris

The local newspaper and the affiche (poster) at the bakery confirmed that there would be a concert at the church on Sunday.
Dimanche Juillet 22
à 18h30 à L’Eglise : Pour la 6ème année
Concert gratuit de musique classique
« De L’Espagne à L’Argentine »
 Flûte et avec Julie Scolnik et Olivier Pelmoine à la guitare
Organisé par Le Foyer Rural et le Comité Paroissial

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Recipes & Travel:
Eygalieres, Julie Scolnik, Summer Concerts in Provence, Travel in France

It is Saturday morning in the Luberon village of Cucuron, Eric Sapet the chef and owner of la Petite Maison is enjoying a few minutes of social time over a pause-café with friends. He has a busy day ahead there is a 25-person cooking class focused on girolles (chanterelle mushrooms). And the restaurant is fully booked for both lunch and dinner.

G&N love these theme based cooking classes at la Petite Maison. Clearly, based on the number of attendees for the courses they are not alone. After five years of programming Eric Sapet has developed a loyal following.
Arriving in Cucuron, a small medieval town dating from the 11th century was a combination of hard work and chance for M. Sapet. He was classically trained in his field in Paris at l’Ecole Hôtelière. Once the scholastic course load was finished, the long kitchen hours began in earnest. He spent 11 years working his way through the ranks in some of the…

Recipes & Travel:
Chef Eric Sapet, Cooking classes, Cucuron, French Food, Provence Travel, Recipes with Mushrooms, Travel in France