Lavender is the universal symbol of Provence and our pilgrimage tour continues in search of blooming lavender. We decided to do a sneak peak of the fields in early June and were disappointed. The lavender was NOT blooming yet! The Abbaye de Senanque is said to be the # 1 photo op on the route…
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Our time in beautiful Aix en Provence is moving too quickly. Bourgeois-bohemian chic is how Aix is often described. The honey colored buildings, beautiful architecture, amazing art museums, and vibrant markets are images that will stay with us forever…plus seeing a Virgin Mary statue on the corner of so many buildings. [Ed. Plus wall to…
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The French take their food seriously! Meals are treated like a theatrical production served with proper wine for the food/season and numerous courses. It is not uncommon to spend 3-4 hours eating a leisurely dinner. If you want to really piss off someone who is French- try interrupting them in the middle of a meal/repas…it…
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Cezanne changed forever the way we think and see. He painted his mountain, Mont Sainte-Victoire, located outside of Aix en Provence, sixty times. A painting of it was the last painting he was working on when he died. He is probably best known for his series of Bathers paintings and still-lifes or the Card Players (he…
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Marseille is an amazing city. You can call it Marseille or Marseilles, but always call it amazing. In the 4th century BC, it was one of the major trading ports in the world and has been France’s primary port since the late 1400’s. There was a time when Marseille had the worst reputation of any…
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Our journey continues to another pilgrimage site in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, the ‘Saint Marys of the Sea’, which is a small fishing village located on the French Mediterranean coast. Once every year, it transforms into a cult centre, as people come here in the belief that Mary Magdalene and her closest friends and family came to France….
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Last night we had another amazing meal at a Michelin star restaurant in Provence. Honey roasted duck breast with slivered apple wine glaze and miniature garlic potatoes with fresh organic seasoned broccoli. Actually, Douglas made this lunch for me yesterday! He is a really good chef. We are on a road-trip to the Camargue- land…
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On Sunday we decided to take a road trip to the village of L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue, about 1.25 hours north of Aix, which has a huge outdoor market and antique fair. The village is surrounded by canals with moss covered waterwheels that once fueled its silk, wool, and paper mills. The guide books call it the ‘…
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We are finally settled in Aix in Provence at our Airbnb villa for the next few weeks. No more 1 night stands! Douglas calls hopping from one city to another ‘1 night stands’ and it is taxing on the body & psyche. The days are long and the nights short. Folks eat dinner between…
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“How can a nation be called great if its bread tastes like kleenex?” – Julie Child Bread is life…of course, so is wine, cheese, a good piece of meat, some fresh greens, et al. In America, we seem to be at war with bread. It is that carrier of carbohydrates that converts to sugar and…
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Lisa loves flamingos and admits that at one point in her life she had a bunch of plastic pink flamingos in her front yard. (Baby Alex, Ant, and Ash are cringing right now). Kitsch or cool?http://europe.newsweek.com/kitsch-or-cool-upward-flight-pink-flamingo-330817?rm=eu. [Ed. Lisa also put plastic pink Flamingos in front of the old lake Austin house that Douglas and Lisa…
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We left Cassis and headed 20 min east to check out a smaller town on the Mediterranean coast that was not as touristy…well not yet… La Ciotat. There was a small farmer’s market along the wharf where we bought a nice Rose from a vendor that only sells organic products. We asked him for a…
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In the heart of Calanques National Park, Cassis is a quaint Provencal fishing village that has become a bit touristy and expensive compared to other fishing villages along the coast, according to some. But, if compared to former fishing villages like Saint Tropez, Cassis may be a bargain. We are finally on the Mediterranean, the blustery…
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There is something strange in this area called ‘ The Mistral Wind’. It is a cold, relentless wind that can gust up to 60 mi/hr usually in the spring & winter. Convinced that it comes in multiples of 3 days, residents of Provence will tell you that the Mistral Wind blows for 3, 6,…
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Today we are officially in Provence! And staying in St. Remy at a romantic hotel: Mas Valentine http://www.mas-valentine.com/. It sounds like a cliché but the light is different in St. Remy and overall Provence- it filters thru the trees, it seems to push the clouds lower to the ground, it casts soft shadows across ancient…
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