Feb

Travel Inspiration from Lemons . . . Lots of Lemons

by Meredith Mullins on February 26, 2018

An elephant temple made of lemons and oranges, part of the Menton Lemon Festival that provides travel inspiration to learn about lemons and India. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

An Indian Elephant Temple made of lemons and oranges
© Meredith Mullins

Welcome to the Menton Lemon Festival

What happens when a small French coastal town has one of the most famous lemons in the world thriving on its sunny hillsides?

The townspeople know a surprising number of lemon jokes?

Q: Why did the lemon go to the doctor?
A: Because it wasn’t peeling well.

Q: Why did the lemon get depressed?
A: Because it lost its zest for life.

Perhaps . . . but they’re too cultured to say these eye-rollers out loud.

Bottles of limoncello, travel inspiration to visit the Menton Lemon Festival. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur
© Meredith Mullins

The townspeople make a plethora of lemon-based concoctions?

Yes. True. Lemon products abound. Limoncello, jams and jellies (confitures), lemonade, lemon tarts, lemon vinegars, lemon lollipops, perfume, syrups, soap, and olive oil and honey with lemon infusion.

Why not make the most of your assets?

Lemon magnets at the Menton Lemon Festival, travel inspiration for unusual events. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Lemon kitsch
© Meredith Mullins

The town promotes its lemons well?

The word is out. Many of the great chefs of the world have incorporated Menton lemons into their creations, prizing the fruit’s perfect balance of flavor and sweetness and the unique quality of its skin’s essential oil.

The town honors its treasure?

Most of all, the town honors its bright yellow gem (also known as “Riviera Gold”) with an annual multi-week citrus celebration that begins in mid-February . . . providing a town blanket of warm, sunny colors (and plenty of Vitamin C) in anticipation of spring.

Welcome to the now famous Menton Fête du Citron (Lemon Festival)—travel inspiration fueled by fruity innovation . . . in fact, 145 tons of fruit.

A monkey sculpture made of lemons and oranges at the Menton Lemon Festival, travel inspiration for unusual events. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Citrus sculpture designers begin a year in advance.
© Meredith Mullins

Lemons and Oranges Everywhere

For 85 years, Menton has been celebrating its love of the lemon during the annual Citrus Festival, each year evolving to add more artistry and more events.

The “Oh, I see” moments can be squeezed from every corner of town. (That’s another bad lemon joke in case you missed it.)

There are exhibits, fruit sculptures, concerts, parties, and parades with floats made of citrus and flowers and tons of confetti.

Parade float with Indian man throwing confetti at the Menton Lemon Festival, travel inspiration for unusual events. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The night parades leave the streets (and revelers) snow-covered with confetti.
© Meredith Mullins

Each year’s theme is different, but all offer an opportunity for education and discovery.

Often, the theme features a country and its culture. Sometimes, the theme focuses on literary characters, famous people, or fairy tales (such as Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Asterix, Jules Verne, and Mozart) or broader themes, such as music of the world, love, circuses, movies, or great civilizations.

Visitors can learn the history and characteristics of the Menton lemon and, with this year’s theme of Bollywood, can gain the added bonus of learning about Indian culture and the history of Indian cinema.

A rickshaw made of lemons and oranges at the Menton Lemon Festival, travel inspiration for unusual events. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The rickshaw is a popular transportation vehicle in India.
© Meredith Mullins

What’s Different about the Menton Lemon?

The first OIC Moment at the festival is learning how to distinguish the Menton lemon. Its beauty is in its imperfections and in its hidden secrets.

It is not a perfect lemon shape as we know it. It is elliptical, with a little bell bump at the end. It is a brighter yellow than most lemons and sometimes has indentations and brown spots on the skin. It epitomizes the Japanese art of imperfection (wabi-sabi), where flaws are embraced.

Menton lemons on a branch, travel inspiration to visit the Menton Lemon Festival. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Think different: the Menton lemon
© Meredith Mullins

Its thick skin harbors the sought after essential oils and its sweetness is unusual. You can smell its sunlit fragrance from a distance. And you can take a bite without an after-pucker. There is no bitter finish.

These lemon trees flourish in the Menton microclimate—the warmest town in France, with more than 300 days of sun a year. The salty sea breezes, sandstone soil, and moderate differences in temperature between day and night are also beneficial to growth.

Lemon trees for sale at the Menton Lemon Festival, travel inspiration for unusual events. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Grow your own?
© Meredith Mullins

The mountains to the north protect the trees from wind, especially when the branches are heavy with fruit (branches that produce three times more lemons per branch than regular lemon trees).

The Festival of the Lemons (Fête du Citron)

To thank the lemon gods for such an abundance—and to share the beauty of the fruit with a wide audience—the annual festival turns lemons (and oranges) into high art.

The Indian god Ganesh made of lemons and oranges at the Menton Lemon Festival, travel inspiration for unusual events. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Ganesh: The most popular deity in India
© Meredith Mullins

More than 140 tons of citrus fruit are needed. Many of the lemons and oranges come from Spain and North Africa, since the Menton lemons are somewhat limited and are so highly prized for gourmet purposes.

In addition, 750,000 elastic bands and five miles of chicken wire are the basic tools for 20,000 hours of work by the artists and production team responsible for creating the parade floats and the garden sculptures.

A peacock made of lemons and oranges at the Menton Lemon Festival, travel inspiration for unusual events. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

The peacock, a symbol of immortality, is the national bird of India.
© Meredith Mullins

The theme is selected almost a year in advance. The designers immerse themselves in their new work and provide research and sketches for the floats and sculptures.

They then add color (yellow and orange are dominant, of course), and work begins on the first floats five months in advance. The fruit is the last component since it needs to be fresh.

It takes about 100 pounds of oranges or 65 pounds of lemons to cover one square meter of a float or sculpture. And ten additional tons of fruit are needed to replace damaged or deteriorating fruit during the festival.

The Taj Mahal in lemons and oranges at the Menton Lemon Festival, travel inspiration for unusual events. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

How many lemons and oranges does it take to build a Taj Mahal?
© Meredith Mullins

A Citrus Voyage through India

The 2018 theme of Bollywood was rich in travel inspiration.

We can travel from the Taj Mahal to an elephant temple and from Bollywood dancers to sitar musicians. We can learn about Hindu gods and everyday India life.

Hindu goddess Saraswati at the night parade of the Menton Lemon Festival, travel inspiration for unusual events. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, wisdom, and learning
© Meredith Mullins

Each imaginative sculpture of lemons and oranges provides a glimpse into the Indian culture.

Bollywood cinema is a world full of color, music, spirituality, and the beauty of nature, interwoven with the day-to-day lives of its heroes. It is a perfect theme for the Fête du Citron, as this festival has all of that . . . and more.

A Buddha made of lemons and oranges at the Menton Lemon Festival, travel inspiration for unusual events. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

Buddha offers a sacred lotus flower, the national flower of India.
© Meredith Mullins

A Legacy of Paradise

Legend has it that Eve (of Adam and Eve fame) brought a “golden fruit” from the Garden of Eden when she and Adam were banished. This theft made Adam nervous and he begged Eve to throw the fruit away.

They wandered far and wide before coming upon Menton and the Bay of Garavan, a place that reminded them so much of paradise that Eve decided to bury the golden fruit there.

The rest, as they say, is history. The lemon flourished.

Whatever your beliefs, the town of Menton is indeed a paradise . . . and even more of a paradise with the celebrated Menton lemon. It is travel inspiration of the sunniest kind.

The 2018 Fête du Citron runs until March 4, with exhibits, parades, and even a Holi party to celebrate India’s festival of colors. Visit the festival website and the Menton Tourist Office.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Meredith Mullins 2 Comments

Art of Travel/Cultural Heritage & Traditions/France

Feb

There’s Something About Santa Fe

by Joyce McGreevy on February 19, 2018

A trompe l'oeil mural at Big Adventure Comics shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Santa Fe strips away its own layers to reveal greater surprises. (Big Adventure Comics, Montezuma Ave.)
© Joyce McGreevy

When Wanderlust Leads Southwest

There’s something about New Mexico. Its magnetism can activate wanderlust from thousands of miles away. Like the time a friend and I stood speechless in London’s Tate Modern, gaping at a painting by Georgia O’Keeffe.

“Black Cross with Stars and Blue” is one of O’Keeffe’s earliest depictions of the land that became her obsession.

Feeling Transported

The image transported me to a place where stars are more defined, shadows blacker, and blues more astonishing than anywhere else on earth.

Oh, I see: I had to return to New Mexico.

Turquoise gates at the School for American Research show why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

In Santa Fe, an unpaved road may lead to rare art collections.
© Joyce McGreevy

There’s something about wanderlust for the Southwest. New Mexico’s history is one of convergence: diverse cultures summoned across centuries from as far as the Bering Land Bridge, the kingdoms of Spain, and Mexico’s Sinaloan coast.

From the American East came wagon trails and railroads, Highway 66 and the Interstate. Today, airline contrails trace the sky with arrivals from every corner of the Earth.

An antique caboose shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe was once the nation’s number one railway.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling the Itch

“If you ever go to New Mexico, it will itch you for the rest of your life,” O’Keeffe said. You don’t get New Mexico out of your system. It becomes part of your system, the way a seed becomes a network of hidden roots. There’s a reason it’s called The Land of Enchantment.

The open door of an adobe shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Santa Fe draws travelers home to the unfamiliar.
© Joyce McGreevy

There’s something about returning to a place you thought you knew.

Years earlier, I’d traveled around New Mexico, riveted by the landscape: Ribbons of green obsidian, red rhyolite, and silvery tuff flowing across rock. Washboard roads so rutted a spider’s legs traveled faster than truck wheels.

Colorful rocks in soil show why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

The tiniest details of New Mexico fascinated me.
© Joyce McGreevy

Cliff dwellings protected by glittering curtains of sudden rain. Blood-red mountains sheltering forests of chrome-yellow cottonwoods. Unlit byways where one’s eyes slowly distinguished black mesas from indigo sky.

I thought I had New Mexico figured out. But like land sculpted by the elements, New Mexico is always changing, and whenever you return, New Mexico changes you.

The window of an art gallery shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Art galleries in Santa Fe may cater to—or gleefully confound—expectations.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling Curious

I arrived during the slow season—too early for the open-air Santa Fe Opera, too late for group tours that had gone on winter hiatus. Would there be more to Santa Fe than upscale boutiques clustered around the Plaza? Would Santa Fe be just a pleasant interlude, “New Mexico Lite”?

Santa Fe's Plaza at shows why New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Skip the camera filter. Purple sunsets are a common occurrence in Santa Fe.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling the Unfamiliar

There’s something about life at 7,000 feet above sea level. As I trekked to the hilltop adobe that would be my home, my heart drummed. The feeling was unsettling, as my lungs whispered Guess who’s mortal?

Soon, however, hiking at high altitude became natural. The more I walked, the more I hankered to walk.

I picked up Elaine Pinkerton’s Santa Fe on Foot: Exploring the City Different. On every walk, I met people who encouraged conversation. New Mexico is neighborly, and Santa Fe is downright friendly.

Travel and history books at Collected Works show why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Independent bookstores like Collected Works (shown), Travel Bug,
and Op. Cit. thrive here. Their events draw crowds.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling Welcome

I never did make it to the Visitors Center. I just visited with Santa Feans, who scribbled lists of favorites: pueblos and palaces, bird walks and dharma talks, trail hikes and town halls, farmers’ markets and folk art, research centers and shopping centers, coffee shops and workshops.

Green chile cheese crossiants at the Farmers' Market show why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At Santa Fe Farmers’ Market, Cloud Cliff croissants feature green chile and cheese.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling Inspired

Thanks to locals, I saw the annual Nuestra Musica at the Lensic. Where four-generation families sang canciones and conjured armonía from saws and cigar-box guitars.

Where a former lieutenant governor turned musician led the house in a rousing recitation of popular sayings known as dichos. (My favorite: Buscando trabajo y rogando a Dios no hallar. “Looking for work and praying to God not to find any.”)

Where 94-year-old Antonia Apodaca proved that every age is the right age to sing of love, blow kisses, and dance for joy.

Renowned musician Antonia Apodaca performing at Nuesta Musica inspires audiences in Santa Fe, New Mexico. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

As a child, Apodaca practiced on a broken accordion rescued from the trash.
© Joyce McGreevy

My days became threads that wise hands wove into the pattern of Santa Fe culture. At every museum, a docent took me under his or her wing, sharing knowledge they’d spent a lifetime acquiring.

The more I discovered, the more I wanted to learn. Books accumulated on my bedside table. I stayed up late perusing Santa Fe histories, novels, maps, and photos. I went to readings and lectures. The mysteries multiplied.

The exterior of SITE Santa Fe Colorful shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

At contemporary art space SITE Santa FE, a concert may include a celebration of silence.
© Joyce McGreevy

Feeling Enchanted

There’s something about Santa Fe that surprises. Things I’d considered clichés commanded new respect: Once, I was woken by the howl of a coyote, a sound so sharp it cut a gash in the thick, dark stillness of the night. I could feel the reverberation long after that singular sound had ended.

A sunny, high-desert landscape shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Santa Fe’s dry, high-desert climate is no stranger to sudden thunderstorms and snow.
© Joyce McGreevy

A snowy, high-desert landscape shows why Santa Fe, New Mexico inspires wanderlust. (Image © Joyce McGreevy)

Because there’s something about Santa Fe. “When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it,” said O’Keeffe, “it’s your world for the moment.”

When wanderlust led me to Santa Fe, I expected a pleasant interlude. But it flowered into a fascinating world.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

Joyce McGreevy 4 Comments

Art of Travel/Cultural Encounters/USA

Feb

Cultural Traditions for Valentine’s Day

by Meredith Mullins on February 12, 2018

Valentine's Day wish with paper hearts, showing cultural traditions of the holiday. (Image © Alenaohneva/iStock.)

Hedgehog or Cockroach—Which Would Your Valentine Prefer?

Valentine’s Day arrives this week, so there’s no time to lose in selecting the perfect gift for your special someone. In most countries, the gifts of choice are the usual items—flowers or chocolates, all wrapped in Valentine’s red.

But it might be time to challenge the marketing hype and create your own cultural traditions. Oh I See. How about a cockroach or a hedgehog?

Couple on a date on Valentine's Day, showing cultural traditions of the holiday with roses and dinner. (Image © George Rudy/iStock.)

Love . . . Sealed with a Hiss

This year, one of the Valentine’s Day thoughts getting top buzz (or hiss) is the “Name a Cockroach” program from the Bronx Zoo Wildlife Conservation Society.

You purchase the privilege of naming one of the zoo’s Madagascar hissing cockroaches (certificate included).

Madagascar hissing cockroach, a gift for Valentine's Day that defies cultural traditions. (Image © Lenkusa/iStock.)

“Nothing lasts longer than a roach,” says one of the Wildlife Conservation Society executives. So this gift certainly outlasts flowers or chocolates. Love, like a roach, can be everlasting.

For an extra donation, you can even get a Roach Broach, roach socks, and roach chocolates (no, not chocolate-covered roaches . . . just tasty chocolate shaped like a roach. Yum).

Roach items from the Wildlife Conservation Society of the Bronx Zoo, a gift for Valentine's Day that defies cultural traditions. (Image © Bronx Zoo Wildlife Conservation Society.)

The full array of roach items (called “the works”)
Image courtesy of Wildlife Conservation Society

Hedging Your Bets with a “Wild at Heart” Gift

If a roach doesn’t quite have the ring of “I Love You,” there’s always a hedgehog. England’s Surrey Wildlife Trust offers the opportunity to adopt (virtually) this prickly—but adorable—critter. (Otters and goats are also available.)

A Hedgehog as a possible gift for Valentine's Day, defying the cultural traditions of the holiday. (Image © eve_eve01genesis.)

The hedgehog gains accolades for its ability to roll into a spiny ball. Their spines point out, their faces are hidden, and it takes a lot of coaxing for them to uncurl once they have felt threatened. What better way to say “I love you.”

The donation for an adoption allows the Wildlife Trust to continue important conservation work.

And, your special someone gets a species fact sheet, a cuddly toy, and an adoption certificate.

Maxim Eiffel Tower candies, a gift for Valentine's Day that is part of the cultural traditions of the holiday. (Image © Meredith Mullins.)

International Kitsch

Some of the more unconventional gifts around the world include the “Grow a Boyfriend” kit, the “I Love You” toast stamper, the Valentine version of Venus de Milo, and just about everything you could think of transformed into Valentine red.

If you know someone who’s looking for that perfect boyfriend, send a “grow your own” kit. A tiny sponge boyfriend grows to 600% his size when dunked in water . . . and is, well, perfect. He never argues, always listens, always agrees, and doesn’t snore.

Grow a Boyfriend kit, a valentine's day gift that defies cultural traditions. (Image courtesy of Find Me a Gift website.)

The perfect date/mate: “Grow a Boyfriend”
Image courtesy of Find Me a Gift

Alternatively, you can order the “Magic Frog to Prince” kit, where, you guessed it, the frog dunked in water turns into Prince Charming.

If you want to surprise loved ones with breakfast in bed with extra flair on Valentine’s Day, treat them to “I ♥ You” toast with the “I Love You” Toast Stamper.

The I Love You Toast Stamper, a valentine's gift that is part of the cultural traditions of the holiday. (Image courtesy of Amazon.)

A toast to Valentine’s Day
Image courtesy of Amazon

And who wouldn’t want a Venus de Milo statue in red (or two)?

An ad for red Venus de Milo statues, a valentine's day gift that defies cultural traditions. (Image courtesy of Boutiques de Musées.)

Venus de Milo in red (and a discount!)
Image courtesy of Boutiques de Musées

Or a range of other gifts in red, for that matter.

Lingerie window in Paris with red for Valentine's Day, gifts the reflect cultural traditions. (Image © meredith Mullins.)

The Rhythm of Gift Giving

Most countries celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14. However, some countries officially extend the gift giving.

In Japan, the women give chocolates on February 14. Giri-choco is “obligation” chocolate, given to friends, bosses, and colleagues. Honmei-choco is given for “true love.” Much of the time, honmei-choco is made at home by the women to make the gift more personal.

Chocolate hearts for valentine's day, part of the cultural traditions in Japan. (Image © Bojsha65/iStock.)

One month later, on White Day, the men must reciprocate by giving gifts to the women who gave them chocolates.

A similar rhythm exists in Korea. The women are the gift givers on February 14, with chocolates, candies, and flowers. Then, one month later, the men return the thought (with chocolates, flowers, and an extra added gift).

And, for those who don’t celebrate on Valentine’s Day or White Day, there is a third holiday one month after White Day—called Black Day.

The custom for some on Black Day is to mourn being single by eating dark bowls of jajangmyeon, black bean-paste noodles.

Korean Food Jajangmyeon Bowl, eaten around Valentine's Day to mourn being single, part of the cultural traditions in Korea. (Image © Pius99/iStock.)

If that seems to be one of the sadder cultural traditions, then think hedgehog, cockroach, or “Grow A Boyfriend.” After all, it’s a day to celebrate love in any form.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

For more information about these special Valentine’s Day gifts, visit “Name a Roach” and adopting a hedgehog. “Growing a boyfriend” is available at a variety of sites.

For the “I Love You” toast stamper visit Amazon in your country, and for museum gifts in Paris, visit here.