During my year as an English instructor at Lycée du Golfe de Saint Tropez (Saint Tropez Gulf High School), I had many weekends and lazy afternoons to both sight see and soak up the famous Saint Tropez sun. The first day I visited Saint Tropez, I found the contrast between the intense blue of the […]
Fruit Confit at Confiserie Florian near Nice, France
Shortly after we began dating, my (now) husband introduced me to fruit confit (candied fruit). He held out a tiny sugar coated piece of orange and asked me if I wanted to try it. As I reached for it, he pulled it back and cut off a microscopic piece for me. As I tasted its […]
Nice, France – a City for Wanderers
When I worked as an English teacher in a French lycée (high school), I lived in a small town near Saint Tropez called Gassin. Gassin was incredibly lovely, and its 3,000 inhabitants were absolutely charming and more than hospitable to this obviously américaine outsider. I spent my first few weekends there perusing the goods at […]
Eze—The Peak of the Cote d’ Azur
Nice may have its boardwalk along the deep blue sea and Monaco its glitzy casinos, but in between, perched high on a rocky outcrop, is the ancient village Èze. No place along the Cote d’ Azur can match the views from this enchanting site over the sea. To get there from Nice, simply take bus […]
Wine Villages of the Southern Rhône
In the southern Rhône River valley, low, twisted grapevines cover the rocky countryside, producing some great wines. John and I have tasted quite a few Côtes du Rhône during our wanderings between the Alps and the Mediterranean, and we hope for many more. The high-speed train whisks us from Paris to Avignon, where we pick […]
Exploring Provence for the First Time
Follow Linda and Dave Beach’s story about their first trip to Provence: While we have been to France several times, neither my husband Dave, nor I had been to Provence, so it was new territory for both of us. We decided to rent a house for a week in the small village of Bonnieux and […]
Arles: a Must-See in Provence
When in Provence, be sure to spend at least a day or two in Arles and save a day for the Camargue. This small city, half the population of what it was in Roman times, is just teeming with Roman ruins and culture and the Camargue is a natural wonderland. Any visit to Arles should […]
Enjoy Charming Cassis and Visit the Calanques
“Qui a vist Paris se noun a vist Cassis, a ren vist” (He who has seen Paris and not Cassis has seen nothing). This quote by Frédéric Mistral is probably a bit exaggerated, but you may want to check it out for yourself. When staying in Provence, we love to spend a day in Cassis. […]
Vacation in Avignon, France: Tourism Sights, Hotels and More
The spectacular city of Avignon is an essential stop in Provence. Thirty-nine towers and seven gates punctuate ramparts surrounding the city. From the top of the ramparts you can understand why the site was chosen for a fort: Avignon stands high above the immense plains of the Rhône River and is the strategic point of […]