In France, there is always a school vacation at the end of October, when children and teachers have a week of reprieve from the classroom, and each other. The holiday extends to most public facing businesses on November 1st. You can certainly expect the post offices, banks, grocery stores and government offices to be closed on that day.
Why?
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Nutmeg sat up when she received an email from her girlfriend, Wild Rice, who had trained in the kitchen at cooking school in London. It was not the cheery note that grabbed Nutmeg’s attention, but rather the new recipe that was contained in the text, a warm blend of pumpkin and Thai flavours. This recipe is not from the famous cooking school, there is no need to be chef material, read on, anyone can make this simple soup.
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.
Nutmeg’s parents were visiting and had agreed to stay for Canadian Thanksgiving, but not a single day beyond that. On the fringes of Alberta winter, these two south Florida natives were well aware once the white snow flakes start to fly – it could be six months of frozen misery.
Florida Sunset
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.
Nutmeg received an email regarding a trip to Ireland although she was extremely tempted by the itinerary, the tour dates could not work into their schedule. The proposed trip, designed for a small group of travellers is a bespoke, crafted experience combining some of southern Ireland’s famous historical sites with rock climbing and sea kayaking. Nutmeg was intrigued she reached out to Mary Baskin an accomplished interior designer to understand more about her story and the company.
In her own words…
Nutmeg considered an alternate title for this post:
“Camino – What colour is your poncho?”
The email arrived in February from Sassafras. She was wondering if anyone might join her to walk a section of the Camino de Santiago de Compostela for a week in May. This lady was not planning to celebrate her milestone birthday at a luxurious desert spa. Nope, she wanted some girlfriends to join her on a long walk. In the end, nine brave (or foolish) gals agreed to subject themselves to her adventure.
Nutmeg toured only a small portion of Ireland with her family. The island is tiny, yet the number of potential attractions is enormous, and the roads are small. Rather than bore you with the specific itinerary, she decided to do another ABC list (this one abbreviated).
Aran Islands lie off the coast from Galway. These are three barren specs of land still occupied by native Irish speakers. Even if you have not heard of the islands you have most likely come across an Aran cable knit sweater, typically made from heavy, cream-coloured wool.
News flash! Nutmeg has been working…
Icy, glacier-fed waters carved a turquoise ribbon through the dense pine forest, and warm sulphur liquid bubbled to the earth’s surface long before any human activity in Banff National Park.
Wildlife corridors and the river flow opened access to the first human eyes, native Canadians and then a sprinkling of hardy European explorers. The steel rails of the Canadian Pacific Railway replaced the dusty pack-horse trails, bringing the curious wealthy from far flung lands. Once the asphalt road reached the Banff town site, the word was out that this mountain playground was now open to all.
Nutmeg was invited to explore Ireland with her family. The dates for the Irish tour were selected, and the itinerary confirmed. The uncontrollable was the weather. The Emerald Isle teased the group on the first day with a cool, sunny day. During the balance of the trip the sun was elusive, the rain was not – it was GREEN.
The following is one of Nutmeg’s ABC lists to give you a view of this glorious place.
