Jardin Secret Restaurant in the gardens of Lou Calen hotel. Greetings dear readers and friends. It’s been quite a while since I’ve done a new post, but Provence is better than ever…. and we couldn’t be happier that the spring season is upon us. Besides being involved in some writing projects, I’ve spent the last few months enjoying time with my family and taking a few small trips around the South of France. We had a wonderful ski vacation in the Queyras national park – not far from the Italian border, in the Southern Alps. And just last weekend I had the pleasure of staying at the beautiful Lo ..read more

Greetings dear readers and friends. Well, things have gone from chilly to downright snowy in the south of France. It would probably surprise a lot of folks to know that the inland areas of the region get a decent amount of snow most years. While it takes away a bit of the myth of south-of-France weather, it does make for some pretty amazing postcard-like images of hilltop villages all dressed up for the winter. We’re keeping warm huddled up next to the fire and having a big cookie bake-fest this weekend. That, along with the afternoon of waffles I promised my daughter for the Sunday gouter (sn ..read more

Greetings dear readers and friends. I hope this email finds you well, albeit with all of the turbulent events happening around the world. Thankfully, here in Provence, the Christmas decorations are up, the seasonal markets are open, and there is quite a festive air on every corner. It’s wonderful to have something to look forward to, and I am making a conscious effort to slow down on my pastry-eating in anticipation of the fabulous Christmas meal to come at la maison de ma belle mere – my mother-in-law’s house. Chez L’Ami Jean, Paris – John Donahue In this “good-feeling” spirit, I’m very happy ..read more

Greetings dear readers and friends. I’m very happy to bring you another guest post from J. Christina of Scribbles and Smiles blog fame. You may recall her lovely last post, Gorbio: A Perched Medieval Village in the Alpes-Martimes, that was featured a few weeks back. Well, I love this post and I certainly love this area of the French Riviera. A big “merci” to J. Christina for sharing with us her travels to beautiful Menton. Menton is a commune in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region in southeastern France.  It’s the last major town before leaving the French Riviera, wedged in-between the ..read more

Dear readers and friends. She’s back! If you remember, around exactly one year ago, we had the pleasure of meeting Annemarie Rawson and her husband, Richard – as well as a host of charming friends and neighbors – in her delightful book, My French Platter. In this fun and inspiring armchair-traveler’s tale, Annemarie recounts how she and Richard packed up a quite comfortable life in New Zealand and moved to southwestern France to manage a large, countryside estate. The dream! Already a study in courage, Annemarie’s “late-life adventure” is rendered all the more amazing as she and Richard have ..read more

photo credit: Jacques Dufrenoy Greetings dear readers and friends. Fall is off to a lovely start in the south of France. Apart from a few thundershowers, we’ve had days full of sunshine and clear skies. Today I’m very happy to bring you a guest post from writer J. Christina – the author and creator of Scribbles and Smiles. A passionate traveler, she loves sharing her adventures around the world, with France being a place near and dear to her heart. A big merci to J. Christina, and I hope you enjoy this post about a beautiful village in the Alpes-Maritime département. ********** Gorbio, France ..read more

Greetings dear readers and friends. I hope you’re all doing well, and it’s been great to get back to “the real world” (or at least the best we’re doing at the moment!). I really wanted to share with you this latest piece of good news for the Var département and region of Provence. It’s wonderful to see things getting back to semi-normal, and I know it’s been a hard-fought battle for everyone in the tourism industry. We can only go up from here, and I hope the success of the local cruise ports continues! ******* From the Var Provence Cruise Club (varprovence-cruise.com): The peaks in cruise tr ..read more

Greetings dear readers and friends. We’re all full of hope and happiness here in France. Things are really looking up for the coming summer months, and, along with the sunny days ahead, it’s wonderful to think of possible vacation days on the horizon. Today I’m also happy to be able to present another guest post from Agnes, of French with Agnes – a professional teacher of French classes and conversation lessons (online and in-person). I hope you were able to catch her previous tasty recipes for tarte tropezienne and a classic French brioche with a twist. She’s been kind enough to share this s ..read more

Roses along the canal in Ollioules village. Greetings dear readers and friends. I hope this post finds you doing well in your respective corners of the world, and boy oh boy, if we’re not thrilled to be getting out of lockdown here in la belle France. It’s been a long haul over these last 14 months, and although it’s far from over, it’s so nice to have a sense of hope on the horizon. There are a lot worse places to be stuck than the south of France, and I’m keenly aware of how fortunate we’ve been – along with our friends and family here – to have experienced the health crisis in a safe and s ..read more

Greetings dear readers and friends. With the nice spring weather and a chance to get out to the local outdoor markets, we’ve been cooking up a storm in the south of France. Some comforting favorites, like quiche Lorraine and zucchini (courgette) gratin, and other dishes that we only see for a couple weeks in the springtime – my favorite being grilled asparagus with cherry tomatoes and feta. I’m still a novice cook, but I love learning French techniques and half of the fun is in the tasting… n’est-ce pas? I’m very excited to have another lovely French recipe from Agnes from French with Agn ..read more