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Sunday morning. Saying it is like singing or ringing the bells that call the parishioners to Saint-Trophime. I am not one of them but treat that particular moment of the week as sacred. Most especially when, after pulling myself from the crunched linen sheets and shadows of the bedroom, I brace myself for a weighty smack of air only to be kissed by coolness for the first time in…months? Months. 

A shift, a sift. And most certainly a gift. It is the beginning of the end of Summer, le grand départ from the long lazy and towards the bitter beats of la rentrée. Many a car will snake its way back to bigger towns today, its passengers uneasy in the stop and start of traffic jams that stretch to the horizon. Already I can feel their absence as I step out into the sun with my faithful friend Ben, his tail wagging, his gait light and refreshed. 

I take him for a longer loop than we have been able to attempt in weeks, the heat having disappeared with a finger snap. He sniffs at the newness as I get caught up in the act of looking. For it is as if that blinding white also went on its way and ‘everything is illuminated’. 

Details, textures, time and tow. It is le grand départ and I let them go. 

Wijnand recently wrote to touch base. He was upbeat and looking forward to the adventures that lie ahead for him. Can you imagine how happy it made me to know that he had received a lot of response thanks to this blog? Either from readers or friends of readers? Of course, I am not at all surprised but what a wonderful reminder of what can bring us together during a time when so much threatens to pull us apart. 

Remi and I drove to Eyguières not too long ago on the road that Wijnand must have taken after staying with us. I tried to think what his experience must have been like under the stifling heat and with so little space to pass next to the cars roaring by. Yes, the road is long. Wijnand has made it to Nice, where he knew that he had places to stay. Finding hosts along the next stretch on the Côte d’Azur is perhaps a challenging one as it is a region that guards its exclusivity tightly. So again, I will just put it out there, if you know of anyone who might be interested in hosting Wijnand either here or beyond in his travels, his contact info is listed below.

©Wijnand Boon

Wijnand takes a portrait at each home that he stays with and was kind enough to send ours along. Isn’t it beautiful? Walk on, Wijnand! I hope to continue these updates from time to time as his journey continues…

I’ll leave you with yet another fantastic and appropriate song by the very talented duo of Alice Russell and Quantic.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Wijnand Boon:

Check out my website
www.twalkwithme.eu

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@TwalkWithMe

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Twalk with me for MasterPeace
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Help me share my story and complete my mission:

One day of walking costs about five euro’s, but you already make my day with a cup of coffee a month. You can support my mission by donating to 3156.17.918. I thank you for your support!

PS You can also help by retweeting on Twitter and share my posts on Facebook with you friends. Help spread the word!

But there is nothing innovative in slicing and dicing. I did come up with a new spread as an alternative to hummus however, using some of the same ingredients in a moment of utter desperation as Remi pushed back lunch “for just a bit later” yet again. In to the food processor, or robot as they are called here, went some sun-dried tomatoes in their oil (about five), along with half a container of feta, a handful of sardines and some freshly squeezed lemon juice. I know, it sounds odd but it certainly was interesting, especially if you have a few leaves of peppery black basil to throw in as well as crunchy bread to smooth it on. Non?

But last night, after I had sheepishly suggested “Gazpacho?” for dinner for the fifth time this week and was met with a raised eyebrow, I high tailed it into the hot zone once and for all and did a fishy Asian take on steak frites. I know that quite a few of you like to cook and are no strangers to spice-crusted salmon. My version involved cumin, paprika, curcuma, chipolte and an especially American mix called “smokehouse maple” that was brought back from the States. I baked the filets on low heat and then made a little crumble (it is in fashion to call everything a crumble in France these days) for the top with diced almonds, more chipolte powder and soy sauce that I also drizzled lightly on the salmon. For the “fries”, I steamed haricots jaunes then sautéed them in sesame oil and fish sauce along with a shallot and a bit of spring onion with sprinkled flaxseed on the lot. The “ketchup” was a bit of tomato purée with more soy sauce, lime juice and a splash of tabasco. Voila! 

and just because it is so catchy:

http://soundcloud.com/monetrik/monetrik-swingflirt

So tell me, what do you have cookin’?

On our way home from a recent outing, we took a small country road that we had never travelled before–as we are wont to do–and came screeching to a halt at the sight of a gift from the heavens. A source or spring burbled in a shallow pool that had been created with old stones and lined with a paved gravel by some kind soul for the benefit of all. The water was icy cold, from deep within the earth.

“Do you think Ben can go in?” I asked. He had rolled in the dirt earlier in a desperate attempt to keep cool. A bath would do him good in more ways than one. “I don’t see why not,” Remi replied. Ben couldn’t seem to believe his good luck. He pranced about, lifting one paw then the next…

…and then sank down with a sigh. His eyes glazed over and he became very still.

I cast off my sneakers and sank in my toes. Remi joined me. 

We sat like that for some minutes, utterly content. The chill slowly worked its way up from our feet all the way to our brains until we felt completely restored.

Isn’t it lovely that such a small moment is one of my very favorites from this Summer?

Have a wonderful week everyone…

Hello everyone! I wanted to give a little heads up for my friends in Germany. Remi and I have a story in the current issue of Terra Magazine that will be on news stands through September. Covering a gorgeous twelve page spread, it concerns the  phoenix-like renovation former Imperial City of Huê in Vietnam. 

As I mentioned recently, we had a fantastic time covering our voyage up the Mekong River for Grands Reportages Magazine (I believe I need to make a “Past Adventures” post about it!). We stayed in the region after the cruise ended and with our own funds produced the story on Huê, which originally appeared in France for Figaro Magazine. Our time there was precious. For despite having been heavily bombed during the Tet Offensive in 1968, the monuments retained an innate grace even before UNESCO’s renovation had returned them to their former state of beauty. It was equally interesting to be in a former Imperial City at a time when the population was beginning to embrace the traditions of the past.

The ambiance was nothing short of magical. Here is the final paragraph of my article:

“A stream of images swirls past us as we zoom through the city’s streets on the back of a motorcycle. An elderly woman addicted to chewing betel nut flashes us a frightening black-toothed grin. A string of shops sell nylon wedding gowns as puffy as wearable marshmallows amidst internet cafés where every seat is fought over at lunchtime. Steam pours out of portable stands selling pho, the frothy noodle soup. A gentleman dressed in pyjamas proudly offers two perfect eggs for sale by candlelight at the night market. And always, there is a sense of time as moving both backwards and forwards with the flow of the traffic as it shifts for position. Perhaps it has taken over 30 years to arrive at this moment. For in Huê, the past is not a ‘Lost Time’ after all, but part of a present that is still evolving, zooming forward like the students on their bicycles into the future.”

©Heather Robinson

To see more of Remi’s lovely photographs on Huê: www.remibenali.com