Posts tagged: Travel Tips

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

One of the things on Nutmeg’s “Top-10” list for their trip to France was to behold the lavender in bloom. Arriving in October after the lavender season, with only the winter months ahead, it would be a long wait. The happy news is that even in January, the fields are beautiful (see below). The wait was well worth it, in the last few weeks of June when the weather is Provencal “perfect” the countryside comes alive, awash in shades of purple. The fields flower at slightly different times depending on the plant variety, the altitude, specific geographic area and of course mother nature herself. In other words, one “field” trip will not suffice. With their cameras prepared, Ginger and Nutmeg were fortunate on several occasions to witness the fields in full colour and take some of their own pictures.
Click here to see the whole gallery.

So what happens to all that lavender?
Much of the lavender is distilled to create essential…

Recipes & Travel:
Artisans, Lavendar Fuseaux, Lavender, Provence, Traditions, Travel Tips

There are certainly many great things about Aix en Provence. One of the best things in Nutmeg’s books, is that fact that you can say over coffee in the morning “Do you want to go to Cassis for lunch?”.  Cassis is an easy 37 minute drive (50 Kilometres) so it is definitely doable for lunch.  One fine day in January they did just that.
Cassis is located just east of Marseille and is very famous for the adjacent large towering white cliffs.  The cliffs are equally stunning as those found along the English Chanel in Normandy.  There are beautiful inlets called les Calanques that are accessible mostly by boat, or in some cases by tough hiking routes.  What surprised Ginger and Nutmeg was the significant wine growing area right around Cassis.  What they understand now is that the area is known for white and rose wines.  The area is not known for Creme de Cassis, which is actually made from…

Recipes & Travel:
Cassis, Cote Bleu, Provence, Travel Tips

As a way of getting acquainted with Provence, Ginger and Nutmeg treated themselves to a bike tour along with a good sampling of the local food and wine!  The tour started in St Tropez with a day of biking around that area.  It was beautiful and not too crowded, as the summer crowd was long gone.  The harbour and surrounding vistas were terrific. However, for Ginger the best part was Le Club Porsche de France was in town for the weekend and he was able to check out some real fancy cars. There were over 20 in our hotel alone and likely over 300 in the whole town – quite a show!

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Recipes & Travel:
Europe, Pont du Gard, Provence, Travel Tips

No matter how many times you have been to Paris there is always something to do.  If you have never been before the must-do list includes; Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, The Opera, Bateaux Mouches, L’Arc de Triomphe, Montmartre, Champs Elysees, Notre Dame and St Michel.  After you have hit the must do list there are endless museums, galleries, great shopping and fantastic neighbourhoods to explore.

Nutmeg’s favourites include:
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Recipes & Travel:
Museums, Paris, Travel in France, Travel Tips