Wanderlust and Words

I’ve moved and am now housesitting just outside of Lens in northeastern France. The city was occupied by the Germans during World War I. With 90% of its buildings destroyed, it undertook a massive reconstruction during the 1920s. The cause is tragic, but the result is magical as the downtown centre is filled with lovely art deco buildings with touches of romantic seaside architecture. There is brightly-coloured stucco, mosaics, two-story bow windows, fancy brickwork, and roofs à pas de moineaux [sparrow steps], which go up step by tiny step. One of my favorites is labelled Ville de Limoges and has the most wonderful strips of floral mosaic. The train station is designed in the shape of a locomotive with murals inside honouring the region’s coal miners.

Urban Agriculture Open House, Dec. 7  Saskatoon Food Council, Chain Reaction Urban Farm, Bridge City Chickens, U of S Rooftop Gardening, Saskatoon Seed Library, SFBLC Garden Patch, CHEP Good Food, Ecobain Gardens, and Our Farm are hosting an open house at Station 20 West from 5-7 pm , Dec. 7. Güd Eats  Güd Eats opens Tuesday, November 28, 2017, at noon at 2917 Early Drive. Winter Veggies Locally grown fruits and vegetables can provide maximum nutrition even in the winter. Check out the benefits of apples, pears, beets, cabbage, parsnips, and turnips . Brit Sandwiches  I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a food snob, but I am so looking forward to buying ready-made sandwiches in Great Britain in two weeks’ time. I long for Prêt à Manger’s vegan Christmas special , and Marks & Spencer’s makes some pretty good sandwiches too. A long article about the history and the making of the British sandwich may help explain my obsession: “The rise of the British c...

Cities that have been around for a long time go through ups and downs, decline and growth. It can be painful but also exhilarating. Quillan was first mentioned in the 10th century and experienced a period of rapid growth in the 12th century when many of the streets that still exist today were built. The economic interests evolved over time – from logging to iron to shoes and hat-making and finally to formica. The formica factory was established in 1952 and closed in 2003. The factory employed nearly 200 people in a small town, and its departure had a huge impact. You can still see signs for the hair salons, clothing stores, and bakeries that used to operate but don’t any longer. There are renewed signs of life in Quillan nowadays – new sidewalks, facelifts on core businesses, and a new community centre. It’s exciting to see, but it has come about as the result of a dramatic shift in the community with English-speaking ex-pats now accounting for 10% of the population...

I have walked beside the Aude River every day for the past two months and have been reminded of the important role rivers play in our lives. They are often the heart of our cities, a place where we can go to relax as we watch the water flow, and in the past they were essential for transportation, business, and everyday life. The Aude River originates in the Pyrenees, slowly gathering force as it heads down onto the plain, passing through Quillan, Esperaza, Limoux, and Carcassonne before entering the Mediterranean at Narbonne. Logging was important in this region in the past and thousands of logs were floated downstream in rafts. Products were shipped from Quillan down river to Carcassonne, a regional centre. The water also provided power for flour mills and sawmills as well as irrigation for the crops. Women knelt by the water’s edge to wash the town’s laundry. Times have changed, but the river continues to play an important role in Quillan’s economy. White-water kaya...

Romaine Calm & Party On, Dec. 6  The City Centre Food Co-operative is hosting a burger & beer fundraiser on Dec. 6. Celebrate Canadian Winemaking, Dec. 16 Sample wines from Nova Scotia to British Columbia on Dec. 16 at Co-op Wine Spirits Beer. Clearcut Coffeehouse, Martensville  Clearcut Coffeehouse is opening on Wednesday, Nov. 22, in Martensville. They’ll be serving Wild Serendipity Food's  scones, macarons, and a soup. Ecobain Gardens Expands Ecobain Gardens will be launching 3 new products over the next 3 weeks – potted herbs, bare root, and larger clamshell basil products. They’ve also taken over distribution of their products to ensure that they’re fresher. My favorite - pain au raisin! Rethinking Food Drives Food drives seem like a good idea – but are they really? “Put yourself in the place of a food bank that has just accepted an anarchic 40-pound box of random food from an office fundraiser. It’s got pie filling, Kraft Dinner, be...

There was a cold wind blowing through the square, but Carcassonne market was bustling with people come to stock up for the week on fruit, vegetables, cheese, bread, and more. There were so many choices that I had a hard time whittling down my purchases to a reasonable number. I made sure to buy fresh artichokes, endives (so good in a salad with tomatoes), Vacherin cheese, organic whole wheat bread, clementines, and apples. My surprise purchase was a large fire-roasted beetroot. And it’s really good – smoky and sweet. The products were so beautifully displayed, and there was so much colour and life. I took the train back to Quillan, which was so much fun. We passed through vineyards and forests, 4 tunnels, factories and houses, and made brief stops in small towns and villages along the way. There was often no station – just a chunk of platform in the middle of nowhere or beside a busy highway.

My third visit to Perpignan and it is fast becoming one of my favorite French cities. Of course, it helps that I’ve always visited on sunny days! Perpignan is one of France’s southernmost cities with large squares, restaurant terraces, lovely old buildings, market stalls, winding alleys filled with clothing stores and chocolate shops, tea salons and tiny restaurants with brightly-coloured outdoor tables. In the morning, I visited Les Halles Vauban , a brand-new, up-market collection of food stores and restaurants. I drooled over the pâtisseries, longed to dip a spoon into the gooey Gorgonzola, and resisted purchasing some of every kind of olive. The best surprise of the day was the rooftop terrace at Galeries Lafayette with its amazing views in every direction. Lunch was wine, pizza, sunshine, and the delight of watching all the people crossing back and forth in the square. This lovely art deco building is a cinema where I gave my feet a ...