Pre-smartphones, we used to buy travel guides, soft cover “bibles” that we studied before arriving in a new destination. We relied heavily on the written word to guide our travel experiences for must-see locations, places to stay, where and what to eat. During the 1980s, “Europe on $20 a Day” …

Take a November Break Sadly, the month of November does not have the relaxed feel of those long mid-July days, or the stress of back-to-school (la rentrée) in September, or the anticipation of the December holidays. So, why not insert a bit of excitement into this dull month and gather …

The Gift of a Town Perched on a hillside with its back to the Mistral wind, Ansouis is a gem of a village in the Luberon that definitely earns its status as one of the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. With its tiny laneways, houses built into ancient ramparts, …

Provence Love Stories A budding romance, a Provencal setting and voila – a love story. The following list of books only begins to scratch the surface of the popular women’s fiction genre. However, these are authors we recommend as they write beautifully, inviting you into the lifestyle in the South …

Navigating the streets of Uzès on a market day is not for the faint of heart, add some road construction to the mix, and it gets a bit spicier, but I was determined. On the agenda, was a hands-on cooking class at le Pistou Cookery School, and the promise of …

Travel Guides for Provence Remember when we carried around hefty paperbacks to guide our travels? In the 1980s, long before smartphones, tourists faithfully checked these guidebooks for reviews on hotels, restaurants and the must-see sights. Backpackers conscious of space and weight often discarded the pages for a city or region …

You’ve got Mail Who doesn’t like getting a beautiful package in the mail? Some gift boxes provide clues about their contents. There is the telltale cardboard shape of a book from Amazon or Barnes and Noble. At Tiffany & Co, their packages in Tiffany Blue – Pantone 1837 (trademarked) tied …

Culinary Holiday in France Occasionally magic happens in the kitchen, but the odds are better if you have some training. In the case of Chef Francois de Mélogue and his wife Lisa, they have a collective 30+ years in the hospitality industry, and both enjoy entertaining – a winning combination. …

Joy of Cooking in Provence True confession, I am a committed foodie (although the grammar checker that doesn’t seem to like the word). Maybe that admission will get me off the hook for not being able to objectively delete thousands of photos of markets. Over the years we have taken …

Soaring in the Alpilles In the idyllic playground of the Alpilles, my husband (aka M. Avion) stumbled upon utopia for those who like (or wish to try) soaring. In the heart of the Bouches du Rhone, is a location where the confluence of meteorological elements and geology create near perfect …