This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
The Cahier Plaisirs team of collaborators plans to travel to a large number of countries in 2024, on different continents. To encourage you to do the same, several of them are sharing their plans for this year.
Marguerite Duras, nostalgia and company!
Where will I go this year? First, let’s head to Vietnam, a country I’ve been visiting since 2000. The excuse for this long winter stay, if one was needed? In 2024, the writer Marguerite Duras (MD to her fans), who was born there, would have been 110 years old. You can be sure that I will stop in the house with the blue ceramics of The lover, to Sadec! I will also go to neighboring Cambodia, among others to Kampot, a haven of artists and another place linked to my dear MD. It is that the uncultivable rice field which is in question in A barrier against the Pacific East located in this district. In the spring, head to Melbourne, Australia, to participate in an international tourism conference. And I intend to take advantage of this opportunity to stay in the Red Center, with the Anangus. Then, Portugal for the summer season. I will return to see the rice fields, those of Alentejo, a little-visited rural region which I spoke to you about last summer and which still calls home. The coast and hinterland between Sintra and Porto also call to me. My fall dream? Moscow-Beijing by train, a samovar and a few Chekhovs at hand… Let’s go, the world is beautiful!
Carolyne Parent
Lima, golden city of gastronomy
Just one year after the terrible political crisis that shook Peru, the tourism industry is slowly getting back on track in the land of llamas and cities of gold. Beyond the unmissable Machu Picchu, Lima finds itself with a great card to play in 2024. Recently served by a non-stop Air Transat flight from Montreal, the sprawling megalopolis extends its arms to gourmet travelers ready to swallow up thousands of kilometers to satisfy their insatiable taste buds. The epicenter of the gastronomic revolution that has propelled Peruvian cuisine to the roof of the world, Lima counts among its 10 million inhabitants some of the greatest chefs on the planet. At Central, the prestigious winner of the latest The World’s 50 Best Restaurants ranking, the famous Virgilio Martínez awaits us. The former resident of the Le cordon bleu Ottawa institute takes foodies on a memorable taste journey through the ecosystems of Peru, from the Amazon to the Pacific, via the Sacred Valley of the Incas. For his part, Mitsuharu Tsumura and his cuisine nikkei offer a tempting mix of Peruvian and Japanese dishes. Nestled in the beautiful neighborhoods of Miraflores, which overlook the ocean from the top of green cliffs, his establishment, Maido, has just won the prize for the best restaurant in Latin America. Without forgetting the Larco Museum, its fabulous collection of Mochica jewelry and its café-restaurant offering a treasure trove of culinary gems, including the caused, legendary lemon potato terrine topped with shrimp and avocado. Another good reason to book your direct flight to Lima.
Malik Cocherel
Under the charm of the Côte du Midi
The Côte d’Azur is good, but the Côte du Midi is paradise! Occitanie (a region formerly known as Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées) seduces as much by its gastronomy and its seaside villages as by its rich history. First stop: Narbonne, halfway between Toulouse and Montpellier, a small town rather ignored on this side of the Atlantic. This town, crossed by a canal along which it is pleasant to sit on the terrace of a café, contains first and foremost vestiges dating from the Gallo-Roman period. There are the cobblestones of the ancient Via Domitia, a Roman road, to be seen directly in the central square, and various objects showcased at the very interesting Narbo Via museum. Then, an obligatory stopover at the medieval city of Carcassonne, renowned for its 3 km of ramparts, its castle and its Gothic cathedral, a UNESCO world heritage site to be explored on foot. Another iconic heritage treasure, Lagrasse, known as one of the most beautiful villages in France, will not disappoint fans of the medieval era either! Between sea and mountains, the region is also full of vineyards (it is the land of Muscats, Blanquette de Limoux and Saint-Chinian, among others!), not forgetting charming seaside resorts. In Gruissan, for example, we visit the saltworks of Saint-Martin Island and its eco-museum before going to relax on the Chalets beach, described as one of the nicest in the area.
Jessica Dostie
Go far for a pittance
I dream of going to Uzbekistan for the simple reason of tasting its bread. This seems to me a perfectly valid reason for travel. This Central Asian country is renowned for its unique bread-making techniques and the resulting varieties. The one that piques my curiosity is one of the most famous guys. It’s called the lepyoshka. It is a round, flat bread with a hollow center. It is cooked in clay ovens named tandyr, similar to Indian tandoors, heated with wood or coal. It is enjoyed with various dishes such as shashlik (grilled meat), soups and palov (rice pilaf). The latter has also been recognized as a UNESCO intangible cultural heritage since 2016. This meal is made by both men and women of all ages and social classes. As for cooking lepyoshka, this know-how is passed down from generation to generation. And like any good traditional recipe, preparing and sharing this dish undoubtedly strengthens bonds. They value solidarity and unity in the community, and perpetuate local customs that are an integral part of Uzbek identity.
Catherine Lefebvre
From French Guiana to North Macedonia
In 2024, I am toying with the idea of going to Guyana: for several years, this destination has been served by Air France from Montreal, in winter via Guadeloupe. Little known in Quebec, this French land of the Amazon is 98% covered by abundant vegetation, but also has a capital with a cool colonial look, Cayenne, as well as the space center from which the Ariane rockets launch. Not to mention the former penal colony of Saint-Laurent-du-Maroni, a sort of French Alcatraz-style establishment where Alfred Dreyfus and Henri Charrière, alias Papillon, were recluses… But after having exuded all the water from my body the last two summers , I will also want cool breezes, in 2024. After the Faroe Islands last May, other Nordic destinations are catching my eye, including the Hebrides and the Shetlands, in Scotland, or even Sweden, accessible by flight direct from June from Montreal, with Air Canada. Several years after passing through the superb city of Tallinn, I am still tickled by the desire to return to Estonia, even more so since the pretty city of Tartu enjoys the status of European capital of the culture 2024 — tied with Bad Ischl, Austria, and Bodø, Norway. Finally, the “cyclomaniac” in me feels damn challenged by the imminent completion of the Trans Dinarica, the first cycle route to connect the eight countries of the Western Balkans. From Slovenia to North Macedonia, its 3,364 km route is punctuated by 80 stages: enough to fill many travel plans, this year and the following…
Gary Lawrence
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