Wanderlust and Words

The sun came out today after two days of gale-force winds and torrential rains so I headed down to the harbour. Debenham's department store The inner harbour area is an interesting mix of amusement arcades for tourists, department stores, ferry and pleasure boat facilities, and the town's high street and regional bus stops. Palm trees on the English Riviera It was such a delight to sit in the sun and enjoy a pot of tea on an outdoor terrace. Looking across the bay to the neighbouring communities of Paignton and Brixham Never fear - it's raining again this evening!

I’m sitting at the top of Sunbury Hill in Torquay admiring the gulls as they soar overhead. Across from me rows of large cream stucco homes mount the opposing hillside. I took advantage of a break in the gale-force winds that have been battering the bushes around the house to head downhill for some groceries (after an unsuccessful search for a bakery). I’ve been in Torquay for a week now and am beginning to feel settled. The first day is always an avalanche of information as the homeowners offer up information about everything from what to feed the animals to how to heat the house. I take copious notes, but a lot of it is commonsense. Of course, I was still hunting for light switches, pots, and pans for a day or two! I’m looking after a lively one-year-old Shih Tzu who loves to chase his pink pig and hates to be separated from his humans. There is also a 20-year-old Persian cat who is not in great shape but still able to quietly boss me around. She leaves me in no doubt as t...

Saskatoon Urban Agriculture Holiday Celebration, Dec. 5  Join CHEP is celebrating Saskatoon’s Urban Agriculture Champions from 4:45-7 pm , Dec. 5, at Station 20 West. Indigenous Food in the City, Dec. 14  There will be a workshop on Indigenous Food in the City from 8:30-11:30 am , Dec. 14, at Station 20 West. There will be a similar workshop in Fort Qu’Appelle on Dec. 11. Hospital Food Served Restaurant Style  Halifax’s largest regional hospital is planning to feed patients what they want when they want . If you want a piece of toast at 10 am and a full meal at 4 pm, that’s what you’ll get. Barrel-Aged Coffee  Coffee roasters admit that novelty is a big selling point for whiskey-barrel aged coffee. According to coffee roasters, you need to choose the right coffee that will stand up to the intense flavours of the barrel. “We look for outstanding coffees, something that will be immensely complex with the added layer of barrel aging. Whether it is a ...

I stayed in the Chartrons district of Bordeaux – a lovely area that has become one of the trendiest parts of Bordeaux . Wine used to be stored in the warehouses lining the quays before being shipped out on the Garonne River to the Atlantic.  Nowadays, the area is home to the Cité du Vin , a multisensory museum exploring the history of wine with a fabulous area on the top floor where you get a 360-degree view of the city while sipping a complimentary glass of wine. I also took in a wine tasting with 3 Bordeaux wines – a white, a red, and a claret. (The English were a key market for Bordeaux wines and they used to refer to Bordeaux’s red wines as “claret.” In 1995, the Bordelais reintroduced a claret, which is lighter than a red wine but darker than a rosé.) You can walk for miles along the banks of the Garonne, taking in everything from Chartrons’ Sunday market to retail discount outlets. The whole neighbourhood is full of lovely old buildings, bak...

Yikes! It’s a very short edition of Flavourful Saskatoon this week. Stay warm and I’ll be back next Monday. Chanukah  Contact Prairie Challah & Pastries to order sufganiyot donuts (jelly, chocolate, butterscotch, custard, and more) for Chanukah. Watermelon Ham  As if bleeding vegan burgers wasn’t bad enough, we now have brined, smoked watermelon ham ! I eat meat substitutes occasionally as a quick meal, but I honestly wonder why so many vegetarians and vegans crave fake meat. There are wonderful vegetarian/vegan recipes that taste delicious without needing to imitate carnivore cuisine. Flavourful Saskatoon is a weekly Monday feature. I also post articles about food that is good, clean and fair; travel; and books. You may also enjoy EcoFriendly Sask profiling Saskatchewan environmental initiatives and events.  You can follow Wanderlust and Words on Facebook , Twitter , or by email (top right corner).

Bordeaux’s public garden is a green, tranquil spot in the middle of a large city. Created in 1746 in the formal French style, it was reorganized in 1858 in the British style with tree-lined alleys, a large pond, green lawns, and a children’s playground. There are lots of ducks and geese, some magnificent old trees (a pecan tree, 38 metres high is the largest tree in the park), and a very impressive fountain. Wouldn’t it be lovely to live in one of the houses backing on to the park?

Bakeries abound in the Chartrons district of Bordeaux. But one of them is very special. For over 250 years, the bakers Au Pétrin Moissagais have been making bread and baking it in a wood oven built in 1765 during the reign of King Louis XV. The recipe remains unchanged as well. Following a Gascon tradition (Moissagais refers to residents of Moissac in Tarn et Garonne) of only buying bread every two weeks, the bread is made with a thick crust to keep it from drying out. They use their own yeast culture, adding no preservatives. The stone-walled bakery is filled to the brim with loaves of every shape and size (walnuts, stone-ground grain, baguettes, large and small rounds). This is bread with flavour and body to savour on its own or with cheese and other toppings. But it doesn’t end there. The bakery also sells croissants, cakes, and pastries of every possible variety. At the back of the bakery is the oven, which is still used to bake three-quarters of their products....

My first full day back in France was a Sunday and there was a huge outdoor market just a few blocks down the street from where I was staying in Chartrons, Bordeaux. I spent several happy hours there (in the sunshine!) exploring all the different offerings and wishing I could buy bags and bags of lovely products. The Chartrons market isn’t a farmers’ market, so I spent some time deciphering why I rated it so highly. First of all, there were a significant number of local producers. I was very impressed to be able to buy wine (not the one pictured above) from Château Grand Brun in the Haut-Médoc (an area better known for large wineries with a rich, international audience). The grapes are picked by hand and the wine is sold at several local markets as well as online. It’s a lovely wine and they emphasized that they grow it, produce it, and sell it. The wine is classified as a Grand Cru Artisan and has won a number of awards. Another vendor was selling fresh goat (and ...