Posts tagged: Travel in France

Ginger and Nutmeg have had lots of visitors in Provence this year. Nutmeg likes to think that her blog posts planted the “seed” that enticed them all to book their plane tickets. In reality, her friends are well travelled and do not need her help to convince them that Provence is exceptional in the summer.

G&N love all the foreign visitors, it is a marvellous chance to show off the region, discover some new towns and introduce new friends to old ones. One such occasion happened last week at a cooking class with Nutmeg’s talented friends Ghyslaine and Jacques. You can read last year’s post here.
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Recipes & Travel:
Cooking Classes in Provence, Crespeou, Provencal Food, Provencal Traditions, Travel in France

Eygalières is a beautiful village located in the heart of the Alpilles in Provence. The town has a population of barely 1,800 souls, most of whom live in another locale on a regular basis. The number of residents swells in the spring and summer months as the homes and hotel rooms fill. Owners and staff at the local cafés and restaurants work hard during these months serving the throngs of visitors.
The setting for Eygalières is idyllic; a medieval village perched on a hill offering views of the Alpilles and Mont Ventoux. The hamlet has one bustling main street filled with three cafés, two bakeries, a butcher, two groceries, several restaurants and too many real estate agents.

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Recipes & Travel:
Alpilles Mountains Provence, Camargue, Cowboy Culture in Provence, Provencal Traditions, Provence Travel, Travel in France

Anne Trager is an American who has been living in France for more than 25 years. You could say she’s had many lives there. She first trained to be a chef and a wine taster and, of course, learned to speak French. For several years she worked in restaurants and also as a private chef for a collection of famous people. Then she decided to do something completely different and started an editorial career, first by translating, writing and creating recipes of course, followed by any number of other topics. Another change and she used her writing and creative skills doing marketing and image development for communication agencies and some of the biggest companies in the world. Her last move is without a doubt the boldest of them all: she created her own publishing house, called Le French Book. But as she puts it herself: “it’s just the result of all my experiences put together: this is what I…

Recipes & Travel:
le French Book, Travel Book Reviews, Travel in France

Don’t let your mother tell you that the Internet is a scary place! Nutmeg has met so many interesting people via Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest that she has decided to start a Guest Blog Thursdays, so they can share their stories. Volia:
Aidan Larson is an American mom of three navigating her way through life in France and writing about it on her blog: Conjugating Irregular Verbs. She writes from her dining room table in the south of France in between motherhood, French lessons and perfecting her oeuf en croute. If you want to read more from Aidan she can be found on her blog site Conjugating Irregular Verbs (letters from my dining table in the south of France).

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Recipes & Travel:
French Food, Provencal Traditions, Savoury Tarts, Soup, Travel in France

How do you start with a “career” spinning tunes in a bar in Chamonix and end up a successful sculptor? You follow your heart. That, is a life lesson for Nutmeg who admits she likes to have a plan or better yet a “road map” outlining the next steps.

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Recipes & Travel:
Contemporary French Artists, Summer Music Festivals in Provence, Travel in France

Nutmeg owes an enormous thank you to friends and family for their patience in the last several months, as they endured her chronicles of how to develop a travel application.
Enfin! – Finally!
Edible Heritage Aix en Provence the App, a new pocket travel companion, is for sale and ready to be downloaded to your mobile phone.

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Recipes & Travel:
Aix en Provence, Edible Heritage, Edible Heritage Audo Guided Tours, French Travel App, Provencal Food, Provencal Traditions, Provence Travel, Travel in France

Sassafras is native to eastern North America, not France.  However, she works for an airline and she has made it a personal quest to visit Europe regularly.  With Ginger away in Calgary for 10 days, Nutmeg thought that a little time with her girlfriend in Provence would be enjoyable.
The trip did not quite start as planned, Sassafras’ arrival was delayed due to an airline strike.  Then her in-country train connections took longer than the transatlantic flight.  Despite, those minor hick-ups, she arrived on a beautiful summer day, for a lot of cycling and a bit of culture. Nutmeg had packed a 7-day agenda into 5 days; here is a summary of her visit:

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Recipes & Travel:
Biking in Provence, Markets in Provence, Provence Travel, Travel in France

Ginger and Nutmeg had spent a morning at a cooking class, and even longer consuming the tasty results. It was already 15:00 (3pm) and they needed a walk after that four-course lunch. On advice from a friend they decided to visit Chateau La Coste to answer the question; can decent wine be produced from a combination of Irish wealth and French grapes?

This vineyard is found just outside of Aix-en-Provence, near the town of Puy-Sainte-Réparade. It is not to be confused with the town of Lacoste (that will be another post). Paddy McKillen a wealthy Irishman purchased the old bastide and surrounding land in 2002. This is a man who knows about premium quality, he is the majority owner in several high-end hotels including, London hotels Claridges and the Connaught.
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Recipes & Travel:
French Wines, Provence Travel, Travel in France, Wines of Provence

 
Chamonix based mountain guide, Isabelle Santoire is part of an elite group of trained mountain guides at le Syndicat national des Guides de Montagne (SNGM).
There are about 1600 guides associated with this group in France, many of whom can be found in Chamonix. These are individuals who have all met the stringent testing criteria. Isabelle represents of small number women in this physically demanding line of work; there are only 14 females in Chamonix and even fewer who guide full-time.
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Recipes & Travel:
Backcountry safety, Backcountry Skiing, Chamonix, Chamonix Mountain Guides, Isabelle Santoire, Travel in France

Nutmeg could have saved the European policy wonks and financial wizards a lot of time and energy.

The Euro began trading on currency markets, ten years ago on January 1, 1999. It was not until 2002, that hard currency, reached the hands of the inhabitants, and started circulating in the cafés, restaurants and stores. Now, the “man on the street” felt the impact of this strange new currency as they reluctantly handed over their Francs, Marks, Schillings and Lira.
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Recipes & Travel:
European Travel Tips, Travel in France