| aroma tours ® |
| newsletter january 2006 |
|
THIS ISSUE
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Welcome ==================================== A warm welcome to the new year for all of the members of our Aroma Tours newsletter in more than 44 countries around the world.
After a much needed break over the festive
season, enjoying the fellowship of our friends and family we are now back
working hard preparing for this years' adventures. We are very
excited about the year ahead and feel truly blessed to be able to
share our passion for the places and experiences that we love with so many
wonderful people.
If you have not visited for a while we
invite you to drop by for a peek at our latest details and photos on
our Aroma
Tours site.
As always detailed information, including pricing and itineraries are available via our Information Request Page
Aroma Travellers, Our Thanks
==================================== One of the main reasons that we have continued to grow and flourish is the on-going support we receive from returning Aroma Travellers who consistently make up more than 20% of our bookings each year. Because we will not be offering more than 10 or so tours a year ( to maintain the character and quality of our offerings ), we look forward to this percentage growing in the future. Robbi and I would also like to give our heart-felt thanks to all of you who continue to support us with your kind words and referrals and by spreading news of our tours and retreats amongst your friends.
Gratitude is an essential component of any flourishing business and we
say thank you often!
More Lovely Photos of our Journeys ==================================== Jim has added a new page of photos of The Markets of Provence and has made many changes to the photo pages of our Flavours of Provence, Heart of Provence and Essential Provence tours for you to enjoy.
We have also added a page
of lovely photos contributed by Rita Wong, Carole Delaney
and Gai Reid taken during their time with us on either our Flavours
of Provence or Heart
of Provence Tours last year. We hope that you enjoy them.
We are always continuing to add to our photo
collections and encourage you to browse our Photo
Gallery Pages from time to
time.
In the Shadow of Mont Ventoux
==============================================
Over the years we have enjoyed many adventures in the shadow of Provence's tallest peak. Standing in a fragrant field of lavender drifting on the breeze like a purple sea, listening to the drone of hundreds of bees gathering nectar for miele de lavande [ lavender honey ] and drinking in the glorious aroma of lavender has to be one of mother natures true gifts. Up the road a little further is a field of clary sage and the farmer comes out of his farmhouse with a huge welcoming smile, proud of the riches of his crop.
We continue along a beautiful valley and arrive at
an exquisite perched village where artists have been encouraged by the
French government to return and bring life once again to secluded
villages like this one, through sharing the passion of their
crafts. Our favourite potter lives up here amongst the clouds where
she produces delightful faience (pottery) with handpainted designs of
fruits, plants and animals. Robbi's favourite are the pottery
lampshades complete with potted fruit tassels!
We stroll through the cobblestoned village, so colourfully
planted with aromatic plants, herbs and window boxes of bright
tumbling geraniums, where just a mere 75 kindred souls dwell. As
we look out across the picturesque valley we discover a
tiny 15th century church, empty, except for dozens of
tapered candles illuminating its' magnificent frescos.
A perfect snapshot for the mind and heart and truly one of those arresting
moments where one is suspended in time!
We have become friends over the years with many of these dear people and this year
in the only cafe in the village, we are privy to a private
dinner with our guests and enjoy a tantalising organic feast. Shafts
of sunlight march down the valley and play across it's lower slopes
cloaked in oak trees while we dine. In this breathtaking place I am
rewarded for my 'guiding efforts' with a dream of a goats cheese with a
taste like no other. As the sun slips behind the mountain, Mont
Ventoux stands above us like a silent sentinel. Later in the evening,
the full moon rises to guide our way home through the forest where
the elusive Sanglier [ wild boar ] and aromatic black truffles hide
away. Magic happens!
Our Current Booking Status
==================================== The outstanding start to this year's season is continuing, with over 90 bookings now confirmed.
Our current booking status is:-
Please note: Our special interest Advanced
Clinical Aromatherapy Retreat has proved to be extremely popular and
was fully booked in December last year but we have just received a
cancellation and as a result there is currently 1 twin share
place available.
We have already had to disappoint several people who wanted to
journey with us this year, so if you are considering joining us or
if you have any questions or need to discuss your travel plans please
do get in touch with us at info@aroma-tours.com
If you would like to reserve you place please visit our Tour Booking Page which now also includes secure on-line facilities in addition to our previous off-line booking method of creating a printable booking form to fax or post.
Parmigiano Reggiano, the King of
Cheeses
====================================
The generic name "Parmesan" is most commonly used to describe industrial, mass produced, hard textured cheeses manufactured in vast mechanized plants.
However the "true" Parmesan cheese,
more correctly known as "Parmigiana Reggiano" [ The King of
Cheeses ] is only made in a precise "zona typica" in central
Italy which includes the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena,
Mantua on the right bank of the Po river and Bologna on the left bank of
the Reno river. There, in 650 small factories called "casellos", skilled
cheese makers use a traditional method that has changed little
since the 13th century to produce between 4 to 10 cheeses a day per
castello. It is very much a matter of quality rather than quantity!
To make each 35kg "wheel" of Parmigiano Reggiano requires 560 litres of highest quality whole milk delivered fresh, each morning and evening from nearby dairies; un-homogenized and with its natural flora intact. The evening milk is allowed to rest overnight in trays and the morning milk is used after it has rested for about one hour.
First a portion of the naturally
accumulated cream is skimmed off and the evening and morning milks
are mixed together in a copper kettle shaped like an inverted
church bell. Then an aliquot of natural whey [ which contains
lactobacilli ] is added and the milk is slowly heated to 33°C with
constant stirring to cause partial fermentation and to raise
its' acid content.
The heat is then turned off and natural rennet is added, after which the mixture is allowed to coagulate for 12-15 minutes to form curds. The curds are then broken up manually using a sharp-edged tool known as a "spino" [ thorn-bush ] to create fragments the size of wheat grains which are "cooked" by slowly heating them to 45°C, followed by rapid heating to 55°C. The batch is then cooled to allow the cooked granules to precipitate in the bottom of the kettle and after about half an hour the cheese is scooped into a sieve-cloth with a wooden paddle. It is then placed inside a circular wooden mould called a "fascera" which gives the cheese its characteristic "wheel" shape.
After draining for a few hours the cloth
is removed and the freshly made cheese is branded with the words
"Parmigiano-Reggiano" to designate its pedigree. It will
remain in the fascera for several days resting on its' flat ends with frequent
turning until set, after which it will be immersed in brine for 20-25
days.
The final stage is maturation, which takes
place in a temperature controlled storehouse called a "cascina"
where the cheeses are stored for approximately 1 year on massive wooden
shelves with regular brushing, turning and checking. Each cheese is
graded and a wheel is designated ready for market when it makes a
characteristic vibration when struck with a small hammer.
Cooking with Christian ============================================== We are pleased to announce that this year the cooking class during our Flavours of Provence tour will be with Michelin starred master chef Christian Etienne. Christian's gastronomic pedigree includes early training at the Ritz in Paris, a Michelin star and recognition as a "Maître Cuisinier de France" - Master Chef of France. Above all Christian is a man of Provence who as a young boy shared the joy he saw coming from the kitchens of his mother and grandmother, where, during the big family meals, they would put all their love and care into the preparation of each flavoursome Provencale dish. Vegetables fresh from the garden, olives and fruit from the local trees, herbs and fungi gathered wild from the countryside and fresh meats, all transformed into meals brimming with aroma. This is the essence of Provencale cuisine, which is our pleasure to
share with all of our guests in Provence, from finest restaurants to
small authentic brasseries. We have many delightful gastronomic
pleasures for you to enjoy and we are pleased to add Christian's passion
for fine food to our offerings. Having reached his early teenage years, little Benedict became known by the name Bénezet and during the solar eclipse of 1177 he experienced a vision where a voice [ said to be that of Christ ] commanded him three times to go to Avignon and see to it that a bridge was built across the swift and treacherous river. He was assured that angels would watch his flocks while he was gone. And so he immediately went to the bank of the Rhône river where he purchased passage across to Avignon with his last three coins. Bénezet announced his mission to the Bishop of Avignon, who took him for a fool and sent him to be judged before a magistrate. The magistrate decided to test Bénezet by challenging him to move a large boulder in order to prove his virtue. Bénezet is said to have easily carried the weighty boulder to the place on the Rhône where the bridge was to be built. This "proof" convinced the Avignonese to begin construction of the bridge. For the next seven years Bénezet worked gathering labourers and financial support for his bridge and in circa 1181 he created the Fratres Pontifices ( Bridge-building Brothers ) to assist him in gathering funds to continue building and maintenance. The bridge was finally finished in 1185 and consisted of 22 arches with an overall length of 900 m ( 2950 ft ). Unfortunately, Bénezet died before seeing it completed. As a result of his devotion and a series of "miracles" that are said to have occurred during the bridge's construction, and at the site of his tomb after his death, the people of Avignon were convinced that he was in fact a saint. They started referring to him as Saint Bénezet and built a chapel on the bridge to enshrine his relics. The Bridge of Saint Bénezet was of great strategic importance as the only fixed river crossing between Lyon and the Mediterranean. Over the years, the bridge needed to be rebuilt several times due to flood and strife until its final demise in 1669 when it suffered a major collapse due to a catastrophic flood. It was subsequently abandoned and no more attempts were made to repair it. Since then, its surviving arches have successively collapsed or been demolished. Only four of the initial 22 arches remain intact today. You can see several photos of Saint Bénezet's Bridge with the Pope's palace in the background on our Photos of Provence 2005 page. The bridge has achieved worldwide fame through its commemoration in the French children's song "Sur le Pont d'Avignon" [ On the Bridge of Avignon ] : Sur le pont d'Avignon [ on
the bridge of Avignon ] Les beaux messieurs font comm' ça [ the handsome men bow, like this
] Les belle dames font comm' ça [ the beautiful women bow, like this ] and so on with les jardiniers [ the gardeners ], les couturiers [ the dressmakers ], les vignerons [ the wine makers ], les blanchisseus's [ laundry women ] ......
The song was originally entitled "Sous le Pont
d'Avignon" [ 'Under' the Bridge of Avignon ] and was
composed in the 16th century by Pierre Certon to celebrate the way people
would perform folk dances "beneath" Saint Bénezet's bridge on
the Isle de Barthelasse, halfway across the river.
In the mid-19th century, it was adapted by Adolphe Adam for
his 1853 operetta entitled l'Auberge Pleine and given a very
different melody which proved to be extremely popular at which
time the song was inaccurately re-named, "Sur le Pont
d'Avignon" [ 'On' the Bridge of Avignon ]. After finishing last year's Bali Women's Retreat, Robbi was inspired by the love and commitment of our dear friend of many years, Ni Made Asri, to offer our support to her foundation that assists the schooling of over 200 Balinese children. Asri has been doing this wonderful work with the help of only one other person. She is a remarkable woman and shows how one person can truly make a difference.
The Blossoming Heart Update
====================================
The Chinese translation of Robbi's book
"The Blossoming Heart - Aromatherapy for Healing and
Transformation" is now complete and the publishing contract has
been signed: we expect that it will be released Taiwan this
April. As we mentioned last time the Spanish version is still "in
queue" with one of Spain's most prestigious publishers and we expect
that it will be released in the second half of next year and will be
officially launched in Barcelona in July 2007.
We continue to be thrilled with
the success of Robbi's book which is currently being sold in 16
countries with more on the way no doubt, especially once the translated
versions are released.
Robbi's busy year continues and in March she
is looking forward to returning to Ireland and also to England
to hold a series of workshops. There has been a fabulous response to her
work and this is her second visit to Ireland where she will be
teaching in both Dublin and Castlebar ( western Ireland ) and in England
her workshop will be held in Hinkley near Birmingham.
If you would like more information about Robbi's workshops in Ireland or England, or her book The Blossoming Heart please visit her Blossoming Heart Website or contact her directly at robbi@aroma-tours.com Cantucci and Wine of the Saints ====================================
Cantucci are a special type of sweet almond
biscotti ( biscuit ) that are ideal for enjoying with a cup of tea
or coffee, but more typically are enjoyed in Italy as a light dessert in
combination with the delightful sweet wine Vin
Santo made from semi-dried grapes in Tuscany, Umbria
and the Veneto.
Ingredients for 2 Dozen
1 cup whole raw almonds
2 cups plain flour
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons softened butter
2/3 cup castor sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon almond extract
Method
Now for the best part! Pour a small
glass of chilled Vin Santo and dip in one of the Cantucci to
soak up some of the sweetness and taste. Absolutely delicious.
Arranging Your Travel ==================================== To join us on tour all your need to do is make your travel arrangements to meet us at our rendezvous point either with the help of your travel agent, or for the more adventurous, by booking your flights and connections yourselves. All of our rendezvous are easily achieved and naturally we provide all of the information and assistance that you ( or your agent ) requires. Just a reminder that we now have a Frequently Asked Questions Page to help answer the most common questions including how to book, travel arrangements, group sizes..... Previous Newsletters ==================================== Our past newsletter are well worth a browse and are available in our Newsletter Archives You may also enjoy reading a few of the stories that Jim has compiled from his writings over the years on our Stories of Interest Page Thought for the Day ==================================== "Too often we under estimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."
~ Dr Leo Buscaglia
Our Invitation ==================================== Robbi and I look forward to welcoming you to one of our delightful tours or retreats and invite you to visit our Aroma Tours website for more information as well as taking a peek at the latest photos of our travels in our Picture Gallery As always if you have any questions or if you would like us to assist you personally with advice about your travel arrangements or with any other details please contact us either by email at info@aroma-tours.com or by phone on +61 3 5331 3254 ( afternoon/evening USA time zones, mornings from other countries ). Warmest regards Robbi and Jim Aroma Tours (R) Ballarat Australia p/f: +61 3 5331 3254 e: info@aroma-tours.com w: http://www.aroma-tours.com |
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