Marseille has managed to improve its image in the last few years, from seedy French port to European Cultural Capital in 2013. A financial infusion of several hundred million Euros did a lot for cleaning up the heart of the tourist area and expanding the city’s museums. The last major infrastructure project of this magnitude in Marseille was the post WWII reconstruction of the Vieux Port and le Panier district.

Marseille’s cultural transformation has been significant, including the recently renovated Palais Longchamp home of two galleries the Natural History Museum and the Musée des Beaux-Arts.
(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
History of Marseille, Palais Longchamp Marseille, Provence Travel, Travel in France

Salty cobalt-blue waters of the Mediterranean slip into the Port of Marseille under the careful watch of two stoic limestone sentries, Fort Saint-Jean and Fort Saint-Nicholas. In 1660, King Louis XIV ordered the construction of Fort Saint-Nicholas and the reinforcement of existing structures at Fort Saint-Jean. The justification for these monumental building projects was to improve the defense capabilities of the old port. The reality was likely more a show of military force to encourage calm among Marseille’s rebellious citizens than against the threat of external attack, the forts’ cannons faced the city.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Fort St Jean Marseille, History of Marseille, Provence Travel, Travel in France

Nutmeg loves France and Ginger tolerates her passion. The way they manage to find moderately stable ground within the quicksand of their personal interests is in those moments when friends come to visit. These encounters are an anchor with the familiar, and the ballast that settles a slightly rocky boat. Sometimes, they are able to convince those friends to explore with them.

One recent occasion was a group bike trip through the now tranquil Dordogne, a region of France that once was the subject of violent tug-a-wars between French and English forces. Either, these were good friends or they were desperate for a vacation as the general descriptions for each day were as follows:
• Moderately hilly
• Mostly hilly
• The odd flat section
• Steep hills
Maybe, it was the draw of history or the promise of wine, but they all came to discover historical Dordogne.
(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Beynac, Collonges-la-Rouge, Confit de Canard, Dordogne Travel, French Food, French Walnuts, Rocamadour, Sarlat History Tours, Travel in France

The bubble gum colours of Klari Reis’s art are a perfect contrast to the nearby salty, wave-splashed coastline. California may not be her birthplace, but there is absolutely no question that this state is where she wants to domicile.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Klari Reis, Klari Reis Art, Mixed Media Artist, Petri Dish Paintings

It used to be that riding backwards in a ‘woodie’ station wagon without seat belts was an adventure. Now parents need to find ways to entertain their kids who can text one friend, Facetime with another, post to Instagram and tweet about their lunch all in the same 30-second span of time. Riding in backwards in a car may not quite achieve the necessary thrill-quotient intensity these days.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Banff National Park, Brewster’s Glacier Skywalk, Columbia Icefields Glacier Skywalk, Glacier Skywalk, Holidays in Banff, Travel Alberta

Early Canadian pioneers gathered around rough-cut wooden tables and huddled near to their wood-burning stoves while arctic winter winds blasted outside their timber doors. As they sat in their rustic kitchens, in 1922, they might have turned on the radio to listen to what is now known as the Canadian Broadcasting Company/Radio-Canada (CBC).

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Canada Writes, Canadian Bloggers, Canadian Writers, CBC, Ginger and Nutmeg Blog

Jean-Louis Sibuet quickly appreciated the realities of the hospitality trade, once his parents purchased le Fer à Cheval Hotel in Megève. His early grounding in the accommodation business has evolved into a French boutique hospitality chain. Mr. Sibuet and his wife Jocelyne have created a luxurious, contemporary brand while maintaining a resilient respect for the local environment unique to each of their hotel properties.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Domaine de la Baume, Exploring the Var, Hotels in the Var, Jean-Louis Sibuet, le Fer à Cheval Hotel in Megève, Provence Travel, Travel in France

Ginger and Nutmeg spent a long Sunday afternoon covering over 600 km on some of France’s super-highways. Their goal was the looming treasure at the end of the journey, a week of biking with good friends through the Dordogne.

Nutmeg admits that an ABC list covering essential sights and local tastes in the Dordogne region might have been a bit more help before their trip. She hopes instead that this post benefits at least one of the G&N readers who plan to visit this beautiful area in the future.
(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
Confit de Canard, Dordogne Travel, French Walnuts, Sarlat History Tours, Travel in France

A tweed blazer, blue-wool beret and matching slip-ons, may not be the classic outfit you would reach for on a blazing California desert morning. At 90-years old and impeccably dressed, Miljenko “Mike” Grgich of Grgich Hills Estate answered the door at his home in the sunny Coachella Valley. There was no rain in the forecast for weeks, possibly months, but the man who helped to put Napa Valley wines on the global stage still wears his signature beret.

(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
California Wines, Croatian Wines, Grgich Hills Estate, Mike Grgich, The History of Zinfandel, The Man Behind the Vine at Grgich Hills

The waitress had Nutmeg sold at the mention of homemade English muffins…she did not even need to talk about the jams.
Kelly McFall had a vision for a cafe a dream that was 10-years in the making. Where most people would shy away from a new restaurant project in a fickle, seasonal marketplace with high-end rents, Kelly continued to move her idea forward and recently opened Wilma and Frieda’s Café, a tribute to youthful recollections of her two grandmothers.
(more…)

Recipes & Travel:
palm desert coffee shops, Palm Desert Restaurants, Things to do in Palm Desert, Wilma and Frieda’s Café in Palm Desert