Wanderlust and Words

Local Happenings  Knox United Church is holding a Strawberry Social from 2-4 pm , June 8 . Fancy hats are optional. (No strawberries as of yet at the Saskatoon Farmers' Market, but I did pick up a lovely armful of rhubarb (Thank you Simpkins Market Garden !) Chef de Partie Catering is holding an open house to celebrate their fifth anniversary from 3-6 pm , June 9 . Be sure to RSVP if you plan to drop by and enjoy a taste of what they do. I’m looking forward to trying out two new restaurants . Odla , on Broadway Avenue, supports local producers, such as Kaleidoscope Vegetable Gardens . Yay! Thai on 2nd Avenue S offers plant-based Thai dishes. It’s owned by the folks from Karma Café . Churchill’s British Imports is now selling fresh sausage rolls, Eccles cakes, Chelsea buns, scones, and Bakewell tarts on Fridays. They’ll be opening a British café later this month and are inviting applications from bakers, cooks, and servers. In addition, they stock a good variety of...

Heading north out of Lyon, you pass through a long tunnel and exit into a lush green countryside leaving the city far behind. You then turn and head up the hill onto winding roads between a patchwork of vineyards. Many of the vines are really old with short, thick, twisted trunks and a thin stem of green leaves and buds. These are the Gamay vines of Beaujolais, interspersed with a few fields of greener, leafier Chardonnay vines. South Beaujolais, just 45 minutes northwest of Lyon, encompasses 25 medieval villages of orangey-gold stone (limestone and iron) that is surprisingly vibrant (I had been expecting something lighter, similar to the Cotswolds in England). Some of the villages still have the remains of 14th century castles. Oingt is classed as one of the most beautiful villages of France and it really is lovely. You can take a walk around the town on the former ramparts and the church is austere and beautiful. I was on a half-day tour , which combined stopping to...

Many artists have been attracted to Collioure over the years. Matisse and Derain spent an intense summer here in 1905 at the very introduction of Fauvism and many other artists came here for the light and the outdoor activity. The town has done an excellent job of building on its reputation as a city of artists. They’ve posted replicas of paintings by Matisse and Derain around town so you can compare what they saw with what you see. The Maison du Fauvisme offers excellent guided tours outlining the history of the town, its connection with Fauvism, and several other subjects. Visitors are also invited to step into the shoes of an artist. There are frames around town that let you picture the bell tower from various different locations. Some of the restaurants have artistic storefronts. Of particular note is the Templiers. The mosaic on their façade is based on a painting by Derain and the restaurant itself is wallpapered with paintings that they’ve accepted over...

One way to get to know a city is through its food, so I signed up with Manchester Food Walks for a tour of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. This tour particularly appealed to me as it combined food with history and street art. The Northern Quarter used to be an industrial area and has maintained many of its old buildings so it’s often used as a film set. It’s centrally located featuring a wide variety of independent stores and restaurants. One of the most famous stores is Afflecks , an "emporium of eclecticism". As we walked around the neighbourhood, the guide, John, pointed out interesting stores and other restaurants worth visiting. I was intrigued to be told that a convenience store was actually a secret bar. Street art is encouraged in the Northern Quarter so there are places where graffiti artists are invited to contribute on a rotating basis. I particularly enjoyed the parrots perched on buildings along a street which used to be home to pet s...

Question: What’s the best way to explore an area of London and satisfy your sweet tooth?  Answer: Sign up for a tour with Lynne Staartjes of Sweet Tooth Tours !  Lynne is a Cordon Bleu-trained baker who loves interacting with people, so she decided to establish Sweet Tooth Tours in July of last year to share some of her favorite food businesses in her home neighbourhood of Belgravia, London. The tour groups are always small, but I was extremely fortunate to receive a personal tour as the other participants had had to cancel due to illness. Belgravia is a pretty neighbourhood with tall white stucco townhouses mingling with a variety of small, independent stores and restaurants. We started our tour at R Chocolates , founded by Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, a self-confessed chocoholic, in 1931. A quiet, elegant store, this would be a great place for afternoon tea or a box of chocolates. The hot chocolate is absolutely delicious – chocolate flakes and roasted and g...

The New Forest was set aside by William the Conqueror as a private hunting reserve over 900 years ago. It is now a national park, although it includes villages, areas that are logged commercially, and is grazed by ponies, cattle, pigs, and deer. Around 5,000 ponies roam freely in the New Forest, and you’ll find them stopping traffic in the middle of the road or sheltering in a residential driveway. Deer roam the grounds of Burley Manor (above). The New Forest is a mix of open heathland and forest. It provided timber for Britain’s naval shipbuilding, and there are still some lovely old trees to be visited and admired. The Knightwood Oak , with a circumference of 7.38 metres, is believed to be 600 years old. “Ancient oaks may be 400 to 800 years old, while beech can reach 300 to 400 years. The most ancient of all are yews, some of which are thought to be over 1,000 years old. Typically, the oldest trees have a great girth, a hollow trunk and a much reduced cro...