Lyon Urban trail by night: my first trail running experience!

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| Le Blog Bio & Nature

I don’t know what you did last saturday but, given the fantastic weather (!), staying cosy with a good herbal tea or going out for a pinte of Guinness in the warmth of your local pub were probably the two most suitable options for the evening!

Otherwise, you could also try another alternative: running the Lyon Urban Trail by night! Which is, as it name suggests, a trail race in the city of Lyon. By night. Under the rain. Well, well, well…

And I bet you see me coming a mile off! Of course, I went for the rain and the mud! It’s been on my agenda for a long time and, believe me, giving up because of bad weather was not even an option!
For my first trail running race, I chose the smallest distance of 12km and had the pleasure to run with Mister Bio, who is not normally interested in official races.

We left for Lyon quite early in the afternoon and managed to grab our race numbers without having to queue up.
After that, and in order to avoid waiting under the rain for too long, we found shelter under one of the tents of the small race village located on the hill of Fourvière. And, around 7pm, we eventually joined the starting line!

Everyone was wearing a little headlamp, so it was really beautiful and it made the atmosphere quite unique! Rain was supposed to stop but in fact the exact opposite happened: it intensified just before the start! But Continue reading →

Leather: a tricky question.

| Le Blog Bio & Nature

Leather is a subject I’ve been wanting to explore here with you for ages. I know that it’s a tricky and controversial question, but I am really interested in your views on the subject!

To be clear: no I do not eat meat, no I would never ever wear fur (even vintage fur), but yes I am still wearing leather… and I do find this a bit disturbing and totally paradoxical!

Some people dissociate leather and fur. For them, it is OK to boycott fur (as it is widely pictured as unnecessary cruelty) and, at the same time, to wear leather without even questioning this habit. However, fur and  leather are the exact same thing: leather is basically a hairless fur!

It is also commonly said that leather is just a by-product of the meat industry, and we tend to believe that since the animal has already died, its skin will necessarily go to waste if we do not transform it into something useful (whereas, in the case of fur, animals are specifically bred for their skin).
That is probably a valid opinion, but it is not mine.  And yet, that is exactly what  I am doing: boycotting fur on one hand, and wearing leather on the other! And, from an ethical viewpoint, this does not feel coherent to me. At all.

If I’m still making this questionable choice at the moment, it is mainly because Continue reading →

Three natural & organic beauty brands made in Norway!

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| Le Blog Bio & Nature

In order to complete this little series in relation to my last stay in Oslo, I’ve decided to share with you my discovery of three natural and organic beauty brands entirely made in Norway.

Let’s begin with my absolute favourite between these three gems!
Neven is a small-scale brand created exactly two years ago in Oslo by Mila and Veli. They produce zero-waste, cold-processed soaps and shampoo bars, as well as other natural body products such as body butters, lip balms, salves and serums. Everything is created and packaged from scratch and by hand.

Speaking of the packaging, they are simply gorgeous! Most of them are made of very cute glass jars and bottles. And, cherry on top, the price range is fairly affordable (remember: Norway is not a cheap country at all in general!).

I have several Neven products and I am particularly fond of the “Relax” mood serum which I’ve had the opportunity to try out for the brand’s second anniversary (it will be available online soon apparently).
It’s a simple perfumed oil serum made out of jojoba oil and several essential oils, and packaged into a little glass tube with  steel roller ball. Its smell is heavenly and I got into the habit of dropping off a small quantity on my wrists and smelling it as often as I want to!

As I’m getting more and more interested in natural and hand-made fragrances (plus I have also changed quite heavily my habits in term of perfum use), I must say that I am always delighted to discover new scents and alternative ways to use and wear them.
Wearing perfum can really by much more intimate than the wide-spread use consisting of spraying oneself generously with totally synthetic and soulless scents!

Enough with this long digression, let’s talk about the second brand I discovered: Continue reading →

My vegan, vegetarian & organic Oslo city guide.

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| Le Blog Bio & Nature

During my most recent trip to Oslo, a month ago, I realised with great pleasure that the norwegian capital was not to be outdone in terms of vegetarian-friendly and vegan restaurants, as well as pleasant places to shop organic food and beauty products!

While travelling, even though I really like to explore new places, I also take a massive amount of pleasure in going back again and again to cities and areas that I already know. Mostly in order to assess by myself how they’ve changed and evolved over time, but also to try and see them with the eyes of a local! I can’t help but ask myself the exact same question, in every corner of the world I visit: “could you live here?”

And in this case, Oslo is clearly a winner! I had mixed feeling about the city during my first visit some 13 or 14 years ago, but now, after my last two stays, the answer is a big and sincere yes! Even more now that I’ve discoverd some interesting vege-friendly restaurants and grocery shops!

So here is my little veggie and organic Oslo city guide!

Røtter
Ullevålsveien 39, 0171 Oslo
Open every day until 21h // Bio // Vegetarian and vegan-friendly

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Røtter is a nice grocery shop where you can find vegetables & fruits, good bread, meat alternatives, vegan cheese etc… and also a lot of organic beauty products, some of which are even made in Norway (stay tuned for more info on that subject very soon).

Røtter has a second location in Oslo (Røtter Frogner / Colbjørnsensgate 12), but I’ve only visited the one in St Hanshaugen, a nice and trendy (but not “over-hip”!) part of the city which served as home base during my stay. Røtter was litteraly at the corner of my street and I must say that it turned out really convenient to grab my organic pasta the day before the half-marathon!

Every time I went employees were very nice and helpful. Prices are a bit high (as it is almost always the case in Norway unfortunately), but, if you pay attention to what you choose, it is acceptable.
Nevertheless, if you want a better value for your money, it is apparently worth checking Sunkost Gunerius (Storgaten, 32) out.

Continue reading →