Organic Summer in Vermont

It is a glorious summer in Vermont this year - plenty of warmth, sun and the usual lush green vegetation. Gardens are bursting and berries are abundant. If you are traveling through the Upper Valley region there are some wonderful spots to seek out. Organic and local farm stands and markets abound including Killdeer Farm stand in Norwich, VT and Cross Road Farm in Post Mills, VT. The fairly large Norwich Farmer's Market is held every Saturday morning from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on U.S. Route 5 South. Farther west in Woodstock VT you can find the Woodstock Farmer's Market which is a store not an actual farmer' market, selling a variety of local and gourmet foods.

For other fun shopping explore ArtichokeArts - an emporium of Surprises & Delights - located on the Main Street of South Strafford, Vermont.  The owner, artist Kate Siepmann, offers an eclectic mix of antique and new items, many made in Vermont including local hand spun wool and hand crafted products, organic and gourmet foods from Vermont and the globe, handmade books, gorgeous rugs, furniture, kitchenware, unique greeting cards - designed and produced on the premises, Fair Trade Folk Art, mechanical toys, one-of-a -kinds, and many other gems and delights. The store, in an old building one house down from Coburn's General Store (where you can buy local Strafford Organic Creamery milk and ice cream), is spacious, beautiful, fun and full of surprises.

Yard sales, second hand stores and flea markets are plentiful in the area as are all sorts of hiking possibilities including Smarts Mountain in Lyme Center, NH on the Appalachian Trail and farther away, Mount Moosilauke. In Woodstock VT there is Mt Tom and Mt Ascutney in Windsor, VT. There are countless other hikes throughout both states.

ArtichokeArts, 220 Main Street (Rte 132), South Strafford, VT 05070; Tel: 802-765-4335; Summer open Thursday to Sunday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm or by appointment; Call for winter hours
Killdeer Farm Stand, 163 Us Route 5 S, Norwich, VT 05055, Tel: (802) 649-2852
Crossroad Farm Stand, West Fairlee Cross Road, Post Mills, VT; Greenhouses and Farm Stand Open daily from April 24th through Mid October from 9am to 6pm
Woodstock Farmer's Market,  468 Woodstock Rd., Route 4, just outside the village of Woodstock; Tel: 802-457-3658; Open Tuesday to Saturday from 7:30 am to 7:00 pm, SUndays from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm- Sandwiches at the deli made and served until  4:00 pm. Closed Mondays.
For a complete list of Farmer's markets throughout Vermont visit the Vermont State Department of Agriculture web site and find organic farms in Vermont at NOFA.

Flea Hunting In Zurich

Zurich is home to possibly the largest year round flea market (called flohmarkt in German) in Switzerland. Held every Saturday morning with maybe as few as three exceptions (see Web site for closed (geschlossen in German) Saturdays), the market is open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm in a park at Helvetiaplatz.

In the warmer months up to 400 vendors can be selling their wares, but in the winter you can find as few as only six stalls. The winter, with the snow, cold and wind, is for the truly hale and hearty or utterly desperate.

To find the market, walk or take the tram or bus from the main train station (Hauptbahnhof). Look for tram 8 or bus 32 to Helvetiaplatz, or tram 2 or 3 to Bezirksgebaude.

Like any flea market, Zurich's offers a range of items - you can find wonderful treasures or items that should honestly be in a dumpster somewhere, but the exploring is what makes it fun.

Fantastic Second-Hand Shopping in St. Gallen

Brockis, or Brockenhaus, are thrift shops in German and are very popular and numerous in Switzerland. As a shopper, I would recommend Switzerland as a place to peruse such shops as the merchandise is usually of very high quality. 

In St. Gallen there are a few Brockis, one of which is the Blaukreuz Brockenstube (Blue Cross thrift shop), a three-story second hand shop with proceeds going to support work on alcohol abuse and other social issues. They have an excellent selection of all manner of items including clothing, household items, furniture, books, records, movies, linens, and shoes, all at good prices. 

The have another store in Gais which is great as well but closed in the winter. The rest of the year a visit to the Gais store makes for a great excursion.


Blaukreuz Brockenstube, Turnerstrasse 20, 9000 St Gallen; Tel: 712 222 277; Web: www.blaukreuz-brockenstube.ch; open Monday to Friday from 1:30 to 6:00pm, Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Take the number 7 bus towards Abtwil and get off at the Vonwil stop (3 stops from the Bahnhof). Once off the bus walk in the direction the bus is going to the corner - go right and the Brockenstube is half a block down on the right. For the store in Gais take the Appenzeller Bahnen (train) to the Zweibrucken stop. Happy hunting!

Funky, Fun Second Hand Store in Valencia

I admit that I am an absolute sucker for second hand stores and markets….I am really very happy to spend open-ended time surveying the contents of such stores – almost like a walking meditation for me as I get lost in thought, thinking about the old items I am touching, wondering about their history, and curious why they were discarded. I found a great store for my perusing - Rastrell Reciclatge - a fun and funky store right next door to the Museo de Bellas Artes (Museum of Fine Arts) in Valencia.

The store is run as a non-profit to create jobs and encourage reuse and recycling to minimize the environmental impact of trash. The store is filled with a variety of objects, from clothing and household items, to furniture, books, records, and collectibles. I found an amusing “erotic comic” entitled Tiburon (meaning shark in Spanish) dating from 1974 which meant it had been published while Spain was still under Franco’s rule. This was the mildest form of eroticism, if you could even call it that – involving a giant shark (Tiburon) – all I could see from flipping through the book was a scantily clothed woman in the jaws of the shark---well, whatever floats your boat as it were. 

It is definitely a fun store to paw through and explore. The Rastrell Reciclatge is directly opposite the Pont de Trinitat on Vuelta del Ruiseñor (in Spanish) – the street sign is in Valenciano so reads Volta del Rossinyal. The big landmark to look for is the large blue dome of the Museo de Bellas Artes. Rastrell Reciclatge, Vuelta del Ruiseñor 1, 46010 Valencia, Spain; Tel: 96 362 35 09; They have a second store at c/ Perez Galdos 89, 46008 near Angel Guimera; Web: www.ctv.es/USERS/rastrell; open Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 2:30pm/5:00 to 8:00 pm, Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Happy hunting.

New Second-Hand English Bookstore in Valencia

A great new used book store has opened in Valencia a block behind the Plaza de la Reina. KandA Books is named for its friendly owners Kelly and Andy, world travelers who wanted to live in a climate warmer than their native Scotland, and run a business that was helpful not hurtful to the environment.

KandA Books is a small store offering a good selection of mostly English language second-hand books (they also have a small selection of French, Spanish and German titles). They sell outright, but also offer a book exchange program, further encouraging recycling, where they will give you a book credit of 40% of what they think they can sell your book(s) for to be used towards your next purchase.

If you can’t get to the store easily, you can search through all their titles to see if they have what piques your interest at the KandA Web site. When shopping, take note, they only take cash. KandA Books, c/ Tapineria 18, Valencia; Tel: 639 740 746; open every day from 10:00 am to 10:00 pm. 

For other stores in Valencia selling English books see the earlier Traveling Naturally post, Bookstores in Valencia.

Paris Second Hand with a Heart

Emmaus International is a non-profit organization started by a French man, Abbe Pierre, sixty years ago to defend what he considered to be fundamental human rights and to fight against the causes of poverty. Emmaus now boasts 306 groups in 36 countries around the world working to “serve those that suffer most.”

To help fund their array of programs, the French organization has five stores throughout Paris selling second hand goods, the proceeds of which go to support Emmaus’s work around the world. You can find fabulous items in the stores at prices that will not break the bank and are down right cheap for Paris.

I am still kicking myself for not purchasing a fantastic 5-Euro belt for my daughter as a Christmas present. The store was not open yet and I had places to go. I thought I would return, but my wanderings led me elsewhere. Oh well, I can only hope someone else found it and is enjoying it, as well as feeling good about supporting desperately needed global humanitarian work.

Next time you are in Paris and feel the urge to shop find an Emmaus Boutique and shop guilt-free with heart.

See specific store locations and hours in the picture at left.

http://emmaus-international.org

www.emmaus-france.org

An Eco Saturday in Paris

Book in at the Hotel de la Porte Dorée, a family run hotel with some green amenities, on avenue Daumesnil in the 12th arrondissement, on the east side of the city, steps away from the Port Dorée metro and bus stops, making the city sites easily accessible. Make sure you are equipped with a map of Paris and the metro and/or bus lines.

The Organic Market Brancusi (Marche Biologique Brancusi) is held Saturday mornings from 9:00 am to 3:00pm. To get there take the purple #8 Metro line from Port Dorée towards Richelieu for two stops to Daumesnil. Switch to the green #6 line towards Charles de Gaulle Etoile. Take that twelve stops to the Edgar Quinet stop and walk down rue de Gaite or through the Montparnasse Cemetery to du Maine Avenue. Rue R.J. Zay off of du Maine will bring you to Place Constantin where you will find the Marche Biologique Brancusi. The teal #13 metro stop, Gaite is closer, but not worth the switching coming from Port Dorée.

For bikers, there is a Paris Vélib bike station at 1 Place Edouard Renard a couple of blocks from the Hotel. Bike to the Market and there is a Vélib station at 90 Ave. du Maine, one to two blocks from the market, near the Gaité Metro stop. For more Vélib information, visit their website for locating stations all over Paris.

Once you have explored the market and eaten some delicious food, you can walk to Park George Brassens, or rent a Vélib bike (there are two Vélib stations along the park – one is Station # 15046, 42 rue des Morillons), where book lovers will particularly enjoy the secondhand and antique book market held in an old horse market pavilion in the Parc on rue des Morillons in the 15th arrondissement of Paris (Métro: Convention). The Parc has vineyards, beehives, 510 rose bushes, walking paths, and more. The book market, held on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 6pm, has over 200 participating booksellers, 68 of which rotate through each weekend.

After the Parc and book market you can bike or Metro to the St. Germain neighborhood, a lively area full of fun stores and eats, making your way towards any number of sites – Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, Musée d’Orsay – to name a few. If you are planning on one of the museums, you are better off planning in advance for those and purchasing your tickets Online to avoid the crowded entry lines.
You can eat lunch at the first all-organic bar and restaurant in Paris, Phyto Bar, serving terrific organic food. They offer an array of fresh squeezed juices—the grapefruit-kiwi is an especially refreshing combination. The seaweed “caviar,” made with a variety of greens from the sea, is highly recommended. Next door, you will find La Nature a Paris Boutique, their sister store, a tiny, jam-packed health food shop. (Phyto Bar Restaurant and Bar, 47 Boulevard Saint-Germain; Tel: 01 44 07 3699.) The Phtyo Bar Restaurant is about five blocks along rue Monge from the Seine River and the bridge across to the Notre Dame Cathedral. In nice weather there will be book, souvenir and art vendors along the Seine.

If you need a rest after your walking, biking and sightseeing, you can bus, bike or metro back to the Hotel.

Once you are refreshed, the evening offers a number possibilities. One of my favorite Paris excursions is to listen to the nuns sing vespers at the Sacre Couer Basilica – the magic and beauty of their voices can be enjoyed by all. They begin at 6pm and sing for about thirty minutes.

From the hotel you can get to Sacre Couer a few ways. By bus take the #46 from Porte Dorée to the final stop of Gare du Nord (a large train station). From there you could walk all the way, or walk to the Funicular that goes up the hill to the basilica. If you want to go by Metro, you want to be on the #2 blue line. Take the #8 purple line from Porte Dorée two stops to Daumesnil, change to the #6 green line to Nation. At Nation get onto the #2 blue line and take that to Anvers. Here you will be quite close to the funicular, which you can either take, or simply walk up the steep steps.

If you want to stay closer to “home” in the evening, try a delightful experience at the Grand Mosque, serving tea and more. For a truly delicious experience you can wind down with a Hammam steam bath and massage at the Mosque. The Tea room is open seven days a week from 9:00am until 11:30pm, so you can enjoy this almost anytime of day. Check the website for specifics about the Hammam since they have different days for men and women. The Hammam is open until 9:00pm. To reach the mosque by metro from the hotel either get onto the purple #8 line at Porte Dorée for two stops to the Green #6 at Daumesnil (or walk to the Daumesnil stop). Take the Green #6 six stops to Place d’Italie and switch to the orange #5 for two stops to Saint Marcel. Walk two blocks up rue Geoffrey St-Hilaire toward the Jardin des Plantes (worth a stroll and visit on its own), and the Grand Mosque. The Tea room and Hammam entrances are on rue Geoffrey.

Lastly, if you are in Paris during July and August, there are outdoor film screenings in La Villette Park showing at 9:00pm most nights. But, if you decide to enjoy a Hammam Steam bath on Saturday evening, you can go to the movies Sunday night instead.

Traveling Naturally Saturday in Paris:
• Organic Brancusi Market
• Used and antique book fair in Parc George Bressans
• St Germain neighborhood\Notre Dame Cathedral (with possible visits to the Louvre or Musee d’Orsay)
• Lunch at PhytoBar Organic Restaurant
• Return to Hotel for Rest
Evening Options:
• Sacre Couer Basilica Vespers 6pm
• Tea and/or Hammam Bath and Massage at the Grand Mosque
• La Villette Park outdoor movie screenings in July and August only, at 9:00pm most nights (http://www.villette.com/fr/parc-villette-agenda/)

Bargain Hunting In Valencia Spain

For those travelers who can’t pass up a good bargain or market, then plan your trip to Valencia around the Tuesday morning market on Calle Jerusalem, a bustling, shuffle-walking street market crammed with non-food vendors. While everything is quite inexpensive at this market, shoppers looking for second hand clothes and textiles should head to the south end of the market where there are multiple stalls selling items for between 1-3 euros each. Most of these vendors are shouting “Uno euro, uno euro” repeatedly and loudly to draw in shoppers. Go prepared with change and small bills as making change is not done happily especially for one or two items.

My favorite table at this market is piled with beautiful old pillowcases and table linens where I can find divine linen, cotton and damask pillowcases for one euro each – about 1/20th or 1/50th of what they would cost new- - and they feel a million times softer than new.

You will find Calle Jerusalem two blocks west of the Valencia Nord train station. Vendors close up between 1:00 and 2:00pm.

Global Flea Finder - Budget Travel

My idea of a good time!! And I am happy to report that while these are Budget Travel's top choices in twenty cities, there are thousands more to choose from, many of which are listed here at the Traveling Naturally blog or in the Green Earth Guides. Happy marketing!

Global Flea Finder - Budget Travel

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Recycling and Reusing in Spain – Second hand and more

Recycling containers are dotted throughout Spanish cities and towns, sometimes next to the garbage dumpsters and sometimes separate. In some fancier communities you will find extensive options for recycling including the pictured receptacle for small items like batteries, cds, light bulbs and ink cartridges.

If you are looking for used items and are not quite up to dumpster diving – or the dumpsters are not providing what you want- there are stores and markets selling used items. Happy hunting!

In the Barcelona suburb of Sant Cugat you can find a variety of antique, used and flea vendors and a full on market the first Sunday of every month. The roughly eighty permanent stalls of the Mercantic are open Tuesday to Saturday 9:30 am to 8:00pm and Sunday from 9:30 am to 3:00pm. You can find just about anything here from furniture, antique typewriters, tools, weapons, art work and plenty more. Book lovers will enjoy the Llibreria El Siglo Mercantic in the heart of things selling books of all varieties and themes with a bar and often live music. Mercantic, Rius i Taulet, 120, 08173 Sant Cugat del Vallès (Barcelona); 936 744 950; E-mail: info@mercantic.com; http://www.mercantic.cat

The non-profit Rastrell Reciclatge is near the Jardines del Real and the Jardins de Turia just across the bridge Pont de Trinitat from the historic old city center of Valencia. Rastrell sells a variety of used goods with the definite purpose of recycling and reusing. Rastrell Reciclatge, c/Vuelta del Ruiseñor 21, 46010 Valencia; 963 623 509; open Monday to Friday from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm/5:00 to 8:00 pm, Saturday from10:00 am to 2:00pm.

Also in Valencia you will find Second Market-Just Price sells a variety of used items from electronics to bikes, some clothes, and camping gear, as well as cds, dvds, and books with many English titles, so it is a great place to find a cheap read. Second Market, C/ Russafa 20, 46004 Valencia; 963 940 652; open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00pm/4:30-8:30 pm.

The B. Market is a good sized second hand store with everything from bikes to musical instruments with entrances on Avenida del Puerto and Islas Canarias in Valencia. You can take the #4 bus which runs along Ave. del Puerto from the old city, or get off the metro at Ayora. The B. Market, Avda del Port 202, 46023, Valencia. Open Monday to Saturday 10:00 am to 2:00pm/5:00 to 9:00pm

There is a small secondhand clothing store in the old city center of Valencia around the corner from the HI Youth hostel. Marropa (ropa de 2a mano), C/ Serranos 29, Valencia; open Monday to Friday 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m./5:00 to 8:00 p.m.

Find fun vintage, new and gently used clothes, shoes and accessories at Vintage Police on a side street just a block or so from the old Silk Exchange (Lonja). Vintage Police, c/ Cajeros 2, 46001 Valencia; http://tienda.vintagepolice.com; open Monday to Saturday from 10:30 am to 2:00 pm/5:00 to 8:30 pm.

There is a chain of three second-hand stores called Cash Converters. Locations are dotted around Valencia city. Easiest is to Google and see where the stores are.

There is rummage to be had at the Monday morning market on the streets around Valencia's Mercado Central. Often every item will go for 3 euros or so and you can paw through a bizarre mix of used and new clothing. Sometimes there is bedding as well.

The Ultimate Recycling – Dumpster Diving

A common pastime in Spanish cities is what I fondly refer to as Dumpster Diving. For some it is actually an occupation. These people sell their finds at the Sunday flea markets (flea emphasized) and on some side streets. Shoes are especially popular. These are of course well-worn shoes and we can only hope for the sake of their new owners that they have not been in the dumpsters too long.

Men and women get into the dive and sort seriously – unabashedly laying out their finds to inspect and decide what is worth hauling around with them as they make their dumpster rounds. They know what sells, and what they want.

My husband has happily assimilated this aspect of Spanish culture, although at my insistence has opted for the beside-the-dumpster search as I have forbidden full on diving.

We have three dumpsters across a side street from our apartment so my husband can view the new arrivals from our balcony when he sits out for his other adopted Spanish practice of smoking cigars (or in his case cigarillos, which are cigarette sized cigars). He has developed a taste for the Cuban variety, which are legal and readily available in Spain. And speaking of cigars – how did I ever miss that one of the unique aspects of cigars is that they are rolled not in paper, but a tobacco leaf? That seems so self-contained and efficient! But I digress from the garbage.

Here is the ultimate recycling – one big trash swap open at all times throughout all the cities. In Madrid, Thursday evenings is the night to be scrounging as this is when people put out their large unwanted items like furniture and wood.

It seems that any and every night in Valencia has the potential for large finds. My husband found an old wooden box that he re-fashioned into a bookshelf (it helps that he is a carpenter by trade), as well as a sturdy, large plastic fruit crate which he has strapped onto the back of his second hand bicycle (purchased not found) for carting groceries, and, well of course, dumpster finds.

The old adage, “One person’s trash, is another’s treasure” is ever true in Spain, and makes for very practical applications as well as great entertainment. Just keep in mind that unfortunately sometimes it is simply trash and should remain so as the experienced dumpster divers well know.

Bookstores in Valencia, Especially English Titles and some Cheap

I am a book hound for sure - a weakness of mine I inherited from my mother and one I have passed onto both of my children. I have found in my travels that it doesn’t even matter what language the books are in – I enjoy looking at them, touching them, leafing through them, reading the dust jackets. But of course at the end of the day, I need them to be in English if I am going to make my way through them, so I stay on the hunt for stores selling English titles. As travelers know, books in foreign languages are expensive, and when in Europe, English is a foreign language, so I also keep my eyes open for cheap options.

Just outside the very old part of Valencia, a few blocks from the train station, there is a store called Just Price, a second hand store selling electronics, bikes, and more, which has a decent selection of English books for 2 euros each - especially inexpensive for English titles, so it is a great place to find a cheap read. Just Price ~ compra venta, C/ Russafa 20, 46004 Valencia; 963 940 652; open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 2:00pm/4:30-8:30 pm. The store is a few blocks from the train station and the Plaza Ayuntament.


The Casa del Llibre sells new books and has great hours and a very generous English book section in the downstairs room, as well as generally an excellent selection of books and guidebooks. They are on a wide walking shopping promenade off of the Plaza Ayuntament. Casa del Llibre, Passeig Russafa 11, 46002 Valencia; 902 026 411; Valencia@cascadellibro.com; www.casadellibro.com; open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 am to 9:30 pm and Sunday from 12:00-2:30pm/4:30 to 9:30pm. Web tip: at the top right of their web site you can click on “Tu idioma” to choose English.

The Soriano bookstore in Valencia right across the avenue from the train station has a small selection of English titles. Soriano is part of the independent bookstore association in Spain which can be found on the web at  www.libreriasl.com. Here you can find independent bookstores throughout Spain. Librerias L-Soriano, Jativa (or Xativa) 15, 46002, Valencia; http://www.libreriasoriano.com.

FNAC is a French chain of book and electronics stores with a number of outlets in Spain. You can search the web site to find stores all over Spain - http://www.fnac.es. FNAC is more than a store- it is an experience. With a huge selection of electronics, it also has movies and books including a large section of books in English. In Valencia the store is FNAC San Agustin, c/ Guillem de Castro 9-11, 46007 Valencia (2+ blocks west of the train station); 963 539 000; open Monday to Saturday 10:00 am to 10:00 pm.

The alternative and political bookstore in Valencia, SAHIRI, sells books in Spanish only, but is worth going to as their offerings are all political and alternative, supporting fair trade and radical authors. The information pamphlet says Sahiri is a “project that vibrates with the cries of resistance.” SAHIRI Librería Asociativa, C/ Danzas, 5, Valencia; Tel: 963 924 872; www.sahiri.com. In the back room there is a vegetarian café serving light food from 2:00 to 6:00pm and dinner from 9:00 pm to midnight on Monday to Saturday.

For travelers who want nothing but guidebooks and maps, head to the Libreria Patagonia, a store chock-a-block full of guidebooks, maps and travel gear, just down the street from the 16th century hospital that now serves as a public library. You will find many books in English as well as most in Spanish. This is an EXCELLENT travel bookstore. Libreria Patagonia, c/ L’Hospital 1, 46001 Valencia; 963 936 052; www.libreriapatagonia.com; open Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 2:00pm/4:30 to 8:30 pm, Saturday form 10:30 am to 2:00pm/5:30 to 8:30 pm.

For people who can read Spanish (and even those who don’t but who like alternative bookstores), the sweet small, but well-stocked, Auralia, refers to itself as a “libreria especializada” (specialty bookstore) selling gemstones, flower essences, and all manner of alternative health, renewable energy, spiritual and esoteric books. The owner speaks a tiny bit of English. Auralia, c/ DeLa Nau, 6, 46003 Valencia; Tel: 963 944 348; auralialibreria@hotmail.com.

Talk About A Multi-Family Yard Sale!

If you are looking for a different kind of vacation or adventure and are a yard sale fan, you can try scoping out the 654 mile long yard sale! that runs along U.S. 127 from north of Toledo Ohio, down through Kentucky and Tennessee to Gadsden, Alabama. The sale, in its 22 year, runs from August 6-9 and has its own website: http://www.127sale.com.
When you tire of yard sale purchasing you can visit the national parks and historic sites that line the route.
With 654 miles you are bound to find some fun and fabulous items, and for a greener experience, you can bike and avoid some of the traffic headaches.

A Sustainable Saturday in Paris

Rather than reinvent the wheel, I am directing you to the blog of my publisher, North Atlantic Books, which has posted a sample itinerary I prepared based on my book and travels - A Sustainable Saturday in Paris. See http://northatlanticbooks.wordpress.com/2009/05/05/a-sustainable-saturday-in-paris/

I thought it was such a good idea that I have decided to post a few more daily itineraries here. So stay tuned for more to come and if you are not in Paris, enjoy the itinerary vicariously.

The Bounty in Berkeley

It will come as no great surprise that Berkeley, California has some great spots to eat and explore. Having left a grey and frosty Vermont a week ago, I am thrilled to find palm trees, deep purple flowers and green grass here in sunny, balmy California. After walking through some residential neighborhoods, I found on one of the main avenues, La Note Restaurant Provencal, with a promising menu. I had the special, “Rustique Au Saumon” which was an open face sandwich on fresh, herbed levain bread (yes I broke my gluten-free diet for this incredible meal). One half had goat cheese with a pile of smoked salmon and grated onions with capers, the other half also had goat cheese, but with three slices of roasted, fresh tomatoes and garlic, all served with a side of fresh, mixed salad greens. All I can say is, c’est magnifique! Hmm, was that good! My neighbor got a classic French bowl of a divine smelling latté, which was very tempting, but I stuck to my caffeine-free mode.

After walking around for another hour, I stopped in at Herbivore, and my waiter, Gaston, was a delight. It was warm enough for me to sit at one of the outside café tables and drink my vegan smoothie and indulge in a slice of berry pie. When in Rome do as the Romans, so I had them add spirulina to my fruit packed drink adding a little virtue to the affair.

At Pegasus Books selling new, used and remainder books, I picked up the EcoMetro Guide for $20. Most of this thick guide is filled with coupons to local eco-minded stores in the Berkeley-Oakland area, including a 20% discount at Pegasus Books! The first fifty-six pages of the guide offer tips about reducing your carbon footprint with handy area maps of local eco-stores, the days, times and locations of the local farmer’s markets, and public transportation information and coupons. While not comprehensive, the EcoMetro Guide is a great tool in helping to discover all the green possibilities in the area. The coupon section is extensive, and the coupons are pretty generous so you can quickly recoup some of the $20 cost of the book.

Whole Foods super markets are plentiful in the area and there is one in Berkeley at 3000 Telegraph Avenue, a bit south of the main drag. The local health food superstore, around since 1977, is the Berkeley Bowl, so named because it is housed in a former bowling alley. It is a massive store lined with aisles of natural and regular foods and a fairly extensive bulk section. For organic dried mango lovers, buy your supply at the Berkeley Bowl as I have found the Whole Foods variety to be lacking in taste. Elephant Pharm, a full service pharmacy selling natural as well as allopathic remedies also carries a variety of natural foods, green cleaning products and gift items.

There are groovy café’s and restaurants galore including the famous Chez Panisse, whose founder and chef Alice Waters was at the forefront of the slow and whole foods movements; Venus restaurant serving slow, organic meats, seafood, grains and vegetables; Cafe Gratitude, The Café Muse at the UCBerkeley Art Museum, Raw Energy Juice Café, and countless others dot the city serving up organic and local foods. The Bread Workshop on the corner of University and Acton streets is just that – a bakery and eatery with something unexpectedly rare in Berkeley, free wifi. Here you can watch them bake while you eat - the fresh bread smell is intoxicating. And for dessert or a late night treat, the Gelateria Naia is really not to be missed. They offer delicious gelatos made from local ingredients and serve traditional dairy based flavors, as well as sixteen dairy-free flavors, four of which are soy–based and the remaining twelve are fruit sorbets. Chocolate lovers take note - the Scharffenberger soy-based gelato is heavenly!

The other eating boon in Berkeley is the wide variety of ethnic options, from Turkish, Brazilian, Thai, Mexican, Salvadoran, Ethiopian, and more. Suffice it to say that you will not go hungry or get bored of eating in Berkeley!

In addition to an abundance of organic and healthy places to eat, second-hand clothes and books are fairly plentiful. Out of the Closet is a chain of thrift stores that has supported HIV/AIDS health care since 1990. Goodwill is up University Avenue (#2058) just west of Shattuck Avenue and the Salvation Army is also on University (#1824). Serendipity Books, selling used and rare books, is farther west on University Avenue by Chestnut Street. Consignment stores are profuse as well. The Crossroads Exchange is a chain of consignment stores throughout CA (www.crossroadstrading.com) with a large store at 2338 Shattuck Ave. in Berkeley, and there is also the Buffalo Exchange (www.buffaloexchange.com).

There is a large interest in Buddhist and Tibetan philosophies in Berkeley, and there are close to two thousand Tibetans living in the area. The Tibetan Nyingma Institute has public programs on Sundays. There is a Tibet Justice Center, countless, small boutiques and gift shops selling Tibetan goods, and the BCA (Buddhist Churches of America) Bookstore at the new Jodo Shinshu Center selling a range of books on Buddhism. Om Treasures in the heart of things on Shattuck Avenue (#2278) is crammed full of Tibetan and Himalayan goodies and a sweet Tibetan man runs the store. The Asian Museum in San Francisco has an impressive collection of Buddhist artifacts from all over Asia.

Berkeley is a happening place – enjoy it if you get here.

La Note Restaurant Provencal, 2377 Shattuck Ave. (near Channing Way), Berkeley, 510-843-1535; www.lanoterestaurant.com

Herbivore, 2451 Shattuck (at Haste Street), Berkeley, 510-665-1675; www.herbivorerestaurant.com (Herbivore also has two locations in San Francisco)

Chez Panisse, 1517 Shattuck Ave., Berkeley; 510-548-5525

Raw Energy Organic Juice Café, 2050 Addison Street (by Shattuck Ave), 510-665-9464

Venus Restaurant, 2327 Shattuck, 510-540-5950

Gelateria Naia, Shattuck Ave.; www.gelaterianaia.com (locations in San Francisco and Walnut Creek also)

Café Muse, 2625 Durant Ave, Berkeley; 510-548-4366; www.rawcafemuse.com
Berkeley Bowl Marketplace, 2020 Oregon Street (by Shattuck Avenue); 510-843-6929; www.berkeleybowl.com

Elephant Pharm, 1607 Shattuck Avenue (at Cedar Street), Berkeley; 510-549-9200; www.ElephantPharm.com (two other locations as well)

Bread Workshop, 1398 University Avenue, Berkeley; 510-649-9740; http://www.bread-workshop.com

Out of the Closet, 1600 University Avenue (at California Street), Berkeley http://www.outofthecloset.org (they have stores throughout California)

BCA Bookstore, 2140 Durant Avenue, Berkeley; 510-809-1435; www.bcabookstore.com

Serendipity Books, 1201 University Avenue, Berkeley; 510-841-7455; http://www.serendipitybooks.com

Pegasus Books, 2349 Shattuck Ave, Berkeley, 510-649-1320; www.pegasusbookstore.com (Pegasus has another location in Berkeley and one in Oakland)

Tibetan Nyingma Institute, 1815 Highland Place, Berkeley; 510-809-1000; www.NyingmaInstitute.com

EcoMetro Guide – www.ecometro.com

The free East Bay Natural Pages is a semi-annual guide available at many stores – www.naturalpages.com

Shopping Recycled: Second Hand Stores in New York City

Like any city in the world, shopping in New York City can be outrageously expensive, and more times than not, have nothing to do with anything “green”. Take heart, although not advertised and usually on less traveled streets, there are numerous second-hand stores throughout the city. Some are simply second-hand or consignment stores, others are run by non-profit organizations that use their store’s revenues to fund humanitarian work helping people suffering from HIV and AIDS, the homeless, and other issues.

Thrift shops tend to be located together in clusters as you will see from the addresses below. On the Upper East side there are many thrift stores along 2nd and 3rd Avenues in the 80s. These stores tend to be more expensive than the stores downtown or uptown. The Chelsea area of Manhattan is a hot spot for thrift stores around west 17th street.

Any of these stores can be a treasure trove for the shopper who likes to reuse and recycle goods, as well as for those who simply like the hunt for a good bargain or special trinkets. Happy hunting.

Chelsea- West 17th Street Area:
Angel Street Thrift Shop, 118 W. 17th St. (bet. 6th & 7th Avenues), NYC, 212-229-0546, http://angelthriftshop.org. Open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday 12-5pm. Angel Street helps people dealing with substance abuse, mental illness, HIV and AIDS.
Housing Works has seven locations including at 143 W. 17 St. (bet. 6th & 7th Avenues), NYC, 212-366-0820, www.housingworks.org. Open Monday-Friday 10am-7pm, Saturday 10am-6pm, Sunday Noon-5. Housing Works supports housing, health care and advocacy for homeless people with HIV and AiDS.
Uja Federation Thrift Shop, 17 W. 17th ST. (bet. 5th & 6th Avenues), NYC, 212-727-7512, www.ujafedny.org. Open Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm. The Uja Federation works on sustaining and strengthening Jewish communities around the world.

In the area:
Salvation Army, 208 8th Avenue (at 21st Street), NYC, 212-929-5214, www.satruck.com - search the website for all of their stores.
Goodwill, 103 W. 25th St. (at 6th Avenue), NYC, 646-638-1725, www.goodwill.org - search the website for all of their stores.
City Opera Thrift Store, 222 E. 23rd, NYC, 212-684-5344

Upper East Side (not a complete list):
Irving Institute for Medical Research, 1534 2nd Ave (bet. 79-80th Sts)
Memorial Sloan-Kettering, 1440 3rd Avenue (bet. 81-82 Sts)
Arthritis Fund, 121 E. 77th St.
Cancer Care, 1480 3rd Avenue (bet. 83-84 Sts)
Council Thrift Store, 246 E. 84 St.
Grandmother’s League, 1459 3rd Avenue (82-83 Sts)
Housing Works has two stores one on 77th and 2nd and another on 90th and 2nd.

Other Second Hand Stores:
Other clusters of Thrift stores are in the East and West Village, the Gramercy area (East 20s), Harlem, and the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
RePop, 68 Washington Avenue (bet. Park & Flushing), Brooklyn Navy Yard, Brooklyn, NY, 718-260-8032, www.repopny.com. Open Tuesday-Saturday 11am-7pm, Sunday 11am-6pm. They have a large variety of goods, 95% of which are recycled or second-hand.

Used Books: Many of the second-hand stores sell books and there are also many used bookstores in New York. Here are a couple of stores with a large selection of used books:

Most famous- The Strand, 828 Broadway (12th Street), NYC, 212-473-1452, sells what seems like acres of used (and some new) books. It has been in existence for over 75 years, www.strandbooks.com. Open Monday-Saturday 9:30am-10:30pm, Sunday 11am-10:30pm

Housing Works Used Book Café, 126 Crosby St. (at Prince between Broadway and Lafayette), NYC, 212-334-3324, www.housingworks.org. Open Monday-Friday 10am-9pm, Saturday and Sunday Noon-7pm.

D-Day

Bayeux is an ancient town in the Normandy region of northern France filled with old stone houses and walls. Founded 2000 years ago, it has many buildings still standing from 1,000-1500 ad including a large cathedral from 1077. Home to the famous Bayeux tapestry, a wool-in-linen embroidered masterpiece spanning over 200 feet, the tapestry tells the story of William the Conqueror’s (Duke of Normandy) conquest of England in 1066. The tapestry museum is well worth the 7 euro entry fee which includes a great audio guide.
Bayeux somehow managed to escape damage from both the Hundred Years’ war, as well as World War II even though it is only a few miles from the d-day beaches lining the Normandy coast. Museums, tours and cemeteries commemorating World War II surround the area, as well as Omaha, Utah, Juno and Gold Beaches. In Bayeux there is Le Memorial Des Reporters, a joint effort between Bayeux and the organization Reporters Without Borders, honoring freedom of the press and journalists from around the world that have lost their lives covering wars since 1944, including a single headstone for the famous war photographer Robert Capa who took extraordinary photographs of the D-day landing – standing alongside the troops as they came off the boats.
Historically known for its lace-making, ceramics, and its apple products, Bayeux boasts many local artisans carrying on the traditions of lace-making, embroidery, porcelain and ceramic making, woodworking, stone sculpture and even a small umbrella company. Local apple products are abundant here including Calvados, an apple liquor, as well as cider, jelly, juice and other goodies. Apple products made from local orchards surrounding Bayeux can be found at Cave Cidrocle Lecornu, Place Charles de Gaulle close to the cathedral, open April through September from 10-7:30; October through March just in the evenings 5- 7:30pm (www.lecornu.fr).
Bikes can be rented year round at the Le Verger de L’Aure, impasse de L’Islet, conveniently located across from the Bayeux Tourist office; Tel: 02 31 92 8916; open 8am-8:30 pm year round. A booklet detailing 19 walking or biking trails around Bayeux is available at the tourist office for 7euros. The Jardin Public de Bayeux, in the northwestern corner of the town, has 400 trees including an old weeping Beech listed as an historical monument (www.mairie-bayeux.fr). In the summer, you can spend over two hours walking through Le Labyrinthe de Bayeux in Mosles a few miles northwest of town (www.labyrinthe-bayeux.com).
Bayeux has seven, second-hand and antique stores selling things from traditional antiques to World War II artifacts, which locals still dig up on the nearby cliffs and beaches. Lovely, English speaking Patricia Cowling runs a tiny store, Brocante de Jolies Choses, filled with treasures on rue Larcher across the street from the post office ( 7 Bis rue Larcher; Tel: 06 25 71 2463).
While there are no health food stores in Bayeux, there are in surrounding towns, accessible if you have a car. Fresh produce, cheeses and bakeries are abundant and the Bayeux market, known for its excellent produce and products, is held on Saturday mornings in Place Saint Patrice. A smaller market is on Wednesday mornings on rue Saint Jean.
The local youth hostel in the heart of the old Bayeux Village is right across from the park Place Charles de Gaulle. It is in a historical building comprised of some old and more recently renovated sections. My room had a large French window overlooking an old walkway and terrace, an old stone wall and beyond, trees filled with singing birds. The wood and bamboo furnishings were comfortable and the beds were made with the traditional rolled duvets. The hostel, while quiet except for the lovely bird sounds, was pretty empty this time of year. Since the walls are thin, I can imagine a not so contemplative mood when the rooms are full, the windows open, and there is late summer night partying. The Hostel is part of the Hostelling International Network, www.fuaj.org and is called Family Home, 39 rue du General de Dais, Bayeux, Tel: 02 31 92 1522; Fax: 02 31 92 5572 (they have no email or web page – you must book by fax or post) Beds are 19 euros/night.
There are tour buses to the various D-day beaches that run in the range of 45 euros, but you can take local buses for a fraction of the cost. From Bayeux village you can take the #70 bus to the American Cemetery and monument at Omaha beach, a thirty-minute bus ride, for 2 euros one way. In the winter there is only one bus each way, but in the summer there are more options.
Omaha beach is impressive: a large beautiful beach, that doesn’t look like a battleground, but rather a resort beach. It is a protected area and the cemetery and monuments sit high above on a plateau. The acres of white crosses and stars of David in the cemetery emphasize the magnitude of what happened on June 6 and 7 1944. The beach was not what I expected. I imagined a grittier scene, with scattered wreckage and rocky shores. Instead I found a pristine beach with seashells, golden sand, dramatic clouds and an aura of significance.
I find Europe to be comforting, like an old woman who has seen everything: the land and many buildings here have born witness to wars, floods, earthquakes, different political regimes, different religious beliefs, and yet here it still is, for better or worse, a testament to the tenacity of the human spirit and the earth from whence we come.

Pictures from Van Gogh Day

Market Hopping

It seems hard to believe I have been in France only just over a week. In this time I have gone to eight markets. The clear winners are the two Sunday markets – the food and flower market in Nice; and the combination food, artisan, brocante, and miscellany market in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
I had heard and read that the Saturday market in Apt was large and great – well large it was, but not so great. Apt is a small city with a fairly limited old part that is not particularly remarkable, certainly not next to the likes of Avignon and Lourmarin. I suspect that in-season, the market has more to offer, but this time of year there was food, but only one tiny bio stand, and all the rest was filled with one stall after another selling plastic and polyester products not made in France. By combing every turn and back street, I did turn up one man selling herbs, essential oils and hydrosols from “sauvage” herbs (wild grown) – he was lovely but looked a little “sauvage” himself. I also found lavender honey being sold by a local beekeeper. That was the total sum of the really local products stalls. Since I had woken up at 5:30 to catch the bus to Apt for the market I was slightly disappointed. (The first picture on this post is Avignon in the morning, not the night!)
During Lavender season (June-August), Apt is the jumping off point for many of the “lavender routes” which run through the area highlighting lavender farms and distilleries. Alas, I was there on a frosty January morning – no beautiful lavender walks to be had.
All was not lost. The other sites I was looking for in Apt – of interest to painters and color enthusiasts - were two stores that sell natural ochre from the nearby famous ochre deposits in Roussillon, Rustrel and Gargas.
The Society of the Ochres of France is up the street about a third of a mile from the tourist office (526 av. Victor Hugo – www.ocres-de-france.com), but alas they are closed Saturday mornings in the winter which even the woman at the tourist office did not realize until I told her when I returned to find out if the other store was open and where I might find it. She kindly called Ets. Chauvin, on Route de Viton, (http://www.ocreschauvin.fr) before I walked the 1km to find it. I was delighted that they were indeed open. Ets Chauvin is a small, funky warehouse-style store with sacks of natural and synthetic powdered colors lining the walls and displays. The woman was very nice, but did not speak English. I wanted the sampler of local, natural ochres which I managed to convey with my charade skills.
After walking non-stop for four hours in the frosty morning, I was happy to board the bus back to Avignon.
Since the Apt market had been a disappointment, I almost bagged my plans to head to Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for the Sunday morning market, assuming I would just see more of the same. Fortunately for this market lover, I decided to go anyway since nothing else would be going on in Avignon on Sunday morning. The bus left at a more reasonable time – 9:30 - and it was a much warmer day. The bus route was different than my last two excursions to Apt and Lourmarin, it took a northeasterly route through a clearly more wealthy area – the towns of Chateauneaf du Gadagne and Le Thor – dramatic old stone villages with Plane-Tree lined roads and even some speed bumps.
Isle-sur-la-Sorgue was beautiful – the old part of the village is surrounded by a little river hence the “Isle” part of the name. The market is held on both sides of the river with bridges crossing between the two sides about every 150 feet. Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is known for their year round antiques, second hand (brocantes) stores and market and they don’t disappoint.
The goods were all of a much higher quality than any I had seen in prior markets and all at fair prices for what they were selling. I did succumb and buy an old blue and white enamel house number sign since they had my number. I later learned that I had gotten a very good deal on it since they have become trendy in the UK and sell for quite a bit there.
I strolled happily for hours with the many others – local and foreign – enjoying all there was to see. Besides the quality brocantes, there were actually products made in France at this market as well as plentiful food. There were two stalls selling clothing made in Nepal with unusual clothing designs and providing good conditions for the Nepalese workers.
People were in cheery moods and the market was quite busy, so walking was more of a shuffle than a stride. The downside to any of these markets is that there are beggars and people trying to get you to give them money for their dogs. Pickpockets are also alive and well. I was stunned by how quiet people can be. I was sitting by the river eating my sautéed vegetables from one of the vendors and as I was turning to get up, I was startled by a young man who had sat down close to me, whom I had not heard or sensed at all. I checked my pockets as I walked away – thankfully I have a lot of zippered pockets in my jacket which are very handy. So as not to call attention to myself I have tended to take pictures with my pocket camera instead of my larger SLR, which screams tourist.
The bus driver between Avigon and Isle-sur-la-Sorgue had on a radio station playing an eclectic selection of tunes from Bob Marley, Beatles, Bluegrass, French contemporary, and really bad English-spoken bubble gum music – the French seem to love that – what is with that?
After regrouping at my Hotel I went out to do what everyone else was doing on a sunny Sunday afternoon in Avignon – walking through the park. Old and young were out taking in the day, flowers were blooming and the cafes in the square were bustling.
French women live up to their reputation – even the not incredibly beautiful ones are beautiful – how do they do that? Is it the water or the wine? The only small consolation I took was that since all the French women are so beautiful, no one will hassle unglamorous old me schlepping around in my winter overcoat looking 15 pounds heavier than I am because of my full pockets, and with two pairs of glasses on – one pair on my eyes, the other sitting on my forehead ready to read something at a moments notice. Really – I am surprised no one has offered me money yet. ☺