19. Aude Adventures
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Please excuse the delayed newsletter. It feels very weird to write about frivolous things at such a tense and volatile time in Europe. I struggled with whether to publish this week or not. Some friends encouraged me to continue since I know a lot of you read this newsletter as a respite from the daily grind. It is a chance for me to bring some light into the dark times we are facing. So here we go..
Here is what we can all do to help Ukraine
If you are into crypto and NFTs you can also take a look at this.
In line with ‘this newsletter as a respite’, this week will cover a travelling fantasy of France’s lush forested and natural wonder, Aude. A part of the Occitanie region, Nico, Elvis, and I visited Aude in Summer 2020 with the intent of possibly settling down there eventually. It has thick forests that line the roads and guard against 5g, swimmable creeks at every corner, friendly laughter rolling through farmer’s markets, and majestic ruins haunting each mountainous curve. Even though it proved to be a magical trip, we found it too isolating for full-time living and decided to keep it as a place we will return to when we need to heal, off the grid.
We stayed at an airbnb deep in the forests, with no data and barely working wifi, we were forced to turn off for a while and it was lovely.
We spent one day meandering through the town of Termes, drawn in by the name but unfortunately no hot springs were found. We did find beautiful stone architecture, an art fair, and fairy doors though, and that was mystical enough. It was an overcast morning, adding to the supernatural flair. Termes is a quiet town, and we arrived with the rumblings of lunchtime just starting to stir and friendly people gathering to crack jokes and admire the art.
Vines crawled up the buildings and we felt transported to another time. The community was clearly tight-knit and welcoming and we nursed glasses of rosé and felt hugged by the broad corners of nature surrounding us.
Works of art were laid out across the town and this terrace welcomed visitors to come in and sit to enjoy another form of art, the garden.
Every corner you turned was another small adventure and capsule of energy set to inspire everyone who crossed paths with each street.
One of my favourite parts of the region was the easy access to organic vegetables. And I am not talking about organic grocery stores. Being from Canada, the only place to get affordable vegetables year round without going broke is in British Columbia. Places like Ottawa Organics are changing that, but back when I lived there full-time it was near impossible. In Aude, alongside the roads you’ll see stone ruins that house buckets of bio potatoes, greens, all the seasonal fruit and veg and a little lockbox to slip your cash into beside a log sheet of customers. Some of them even boasting using regenerative agriculture practices. To people from Aude, permaculture is the only way to garden. A community that feeds and trusts one another, and even cares for the soil, incredible. In Termes we saw the cutest little self-serve stand with some produce and homemade confitures for purchase. Unfortunately I could not scrounge up a photograph of the stone hut/ruins filled with produce.
Wanting to explore further, Nico looked at the map and found a swimmable cascade that was a short drive and hike away. The sky cleared up and the air started to swelter. After parking we hiked the mountain along a road, past a glowing portal, and through a forest path to arrive at the natural pools. The water was glacial, just nurturing enough for the swell of summer muscles.
Another day we stopped by a market that was selling everything from paella to crémant to books. The selection of books for sale was the perfect proof of why we felt such a spiritual energy to these forests.
Our airbnb was down the road from a secret creek, shielded by trees taller than any house and down a dirt path completely obscured by stinging nettle. It was technically on private property but our hosts assured us the owner wouldn’t mind. We braved the nettle and cooled down on the slimy rocks, letting the little fish tickle our toes as we played cards and enjoyed having this slice of nature completely to ourselves for the afternoon.
I’ll leave you with this botanical gallery of photographs gathered through our days in Aude. I hope this lifted you out of the news cycle for a few beats and provided you with a bit of healthy escapism <3
A few things nourishing me this week:
It always feels self indulgent to include these, especially during the possibility of impending danger. But, if it can inspire you to find the joy in little moments, maybe making moments of your own can protect your soul and keep it safe as we face what we have to face.
On brand with the vibe shift that everyone on my algorithm was talking about recently, I’ve returned to things that used to comfort me in the past but forgot about as I got older. One of those being bubble tea, and I’m thinking about wearing uggs again…
Feeling very grateful to live in a place that is still considered safe from Russia. However, when life gets overwhelming, a bike ride over to enjoy the fresh boba from the sweetest Taiwanese Haunt, Jen’s Bing, in Amsterdam is the perfect cure. At least for me. The sun helps too.
Upon the revival of my three citrus trees, which suffered greatly over the holidays, I decided to celebrate by indulging in a new citrus addition, a Fortunella Margarita Kumquat tree. Already fruiting and delicious, she is perched by the window and stealing the show from all my other plant babies.
For those wondering how I revived the citrus - I will cover it in a later newsletter, just documenting the progress now <3
I love a cozy recipe, I’ll be putting up a new one in the next week or two for those interested. But on Friday I cooked a pot au feu, super nourishing with the bone broth base. It dipped to almost zero celsius this weekend (Canadians, don’t hate me) and soup was definitely a good idea.
How the art world is reacting to the war in the East is not necessarily nourishing because of the unsettling circumstances, but it does motivate, inspire, and encourage others to act up and show solidarity with the Ukraine so I am including it here. I hope you find it inspiring as well <3
Finding this picture in the Aude archives
The fur babies, always and forever
I know these are uncertain times, mental health fragility is almost constant these days and is forever in dialogue when catching up with friends and loved ones. If you are feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to move forward, in The Netherlands you can ask your GP to prescribe sessions with Mindler. It is an app where you can choose a therapist based on your needs and is completely covered by basic insurance. Grateful for a friend who told me about it. For those who don’t live here, I have heard amazing things about BetterHelp.
I also find making lists of things that bring you joy: whether it is a walk in the park, calling an old friend or close relative, tending to your plants or buying a new plant baby (there are a surprising amount of cheap or free plants on Facebook Marketplace/Kijiji type websites), planting seeds, taking a bath, rescuing/fostering fur babies or cuddles with your current fur babes. Or just something as simple as hydrating when you first wake up in the morning and taking a few deep breaths before reaching for your phone or giving your attention to something/someone else. Strive to do one thing on this list daily, and hopefully it can help in some way.
Wishing you all the best, stay safe and see you next week <3
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