
Catching up with the Provence Guru
Those of you who travel to Provence or fancy a trip sometime soon–or who are lucky enough to live here–no doubt are acquainted with the Provence Guru. The Guru–aka, Jamie Ivey–and wife Tanya traded their London lives for adventures in Provence that spawned four books, and a glossy magazine about …
Those of you who travel to Provence or fancy a trip sometime soon–or who are lucky enough to live here–no doubt are acquainted with the Provence Guru. The Guru–aka, Jamie Ivey–and wife Tanya traded their London lives for adventures in Provence that spawned four books, and a glossy magazine about …

Cycling into the Drome Provencal
Contributor blog post by David Taylor: I am continuing to train for a further ascent of Mont Ventoux in the coming weeks so my Tuesday ride took me over the hills past Javon and down to Sault. As ever the first glimpse of Ventoux with the lavender in full bloom …
Contributor blog post by David Taylor: I am continuing to train for a further ascent of Mont Ventoux in the coming weeks so my Tuesday ride took me over the hills past Javon and down to Sault. As ever the first glimpse of Ventoux with the lavender in full bloom …

A 3-day Taster Trip to the Vaucluse
Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer: Where do I start? This last week has been lovely – the house has been full (a great test of the temporary fabric walls & open plan bathroom!) Not only has my eldest son been visiting with his girlfriend, but also my mum, so …
Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer: Where do I start? This last week has been lovely – the house has been full (a great test of the temporary fabric walls & open plan bathroom!) Not only has my eldest son been visiting with his girlfriend, but also my mum, so …

The Cicada (Cigale) of Provence
Contributor blog post by Margo Lestz: The Sun Makes Them Sing When the warm days of summer arrive in Provence, the air is filled with the song of the cicadas, or cigales in French. They’re the loudest insects on the planet and their “song” has been measured at up to …
Contributor blog post by Margo Lestz: The Sun Makes Them Sing When the warm days of summer arrive in Provence, the air is filled with the song of the cicadas, or cigales in French. They’re the loudest insects on the planet and their “song” has been measured at up to …

Self-Improvement in Retreats in Provence
My dream of taking an amazing program of 18 life topic modules designed for women who want to take some self-development action in their lives and sharing it with the world, has been at the top of my agenda, ever since being trained by Ruby Mcguire who developed the program. …
My dream of taking an amazing program of 18 life topic modules designed for women who want to take some self-development action in their lives and sharing it with the world, has been at the top of my agenda, ever since being trained by Ruby Mcguire who developed the program. …

Classic Bistro Sandwich Croque Monsieur and Madame
The ingredients are few for this dish – pain de mie (I really think the bread must be pain de mie – and never sour dough; anyone in France want to weigh in?), ham, cheese, béchamel sauce, and mustard. There are (if you look online) hundreds of recipes, each with a slight variation: the cheese in the béchamel or the cheese on top; mustard on both pieces of bread, or just one side; toast the bread, grill the sandwich, bake it, broil it, or a hybrid. Basically, they all work!
The ingredients are few for this dish – pain de mie (I really think the bread must be pain de mie – and never sour dough; anyone in France want to weigh in?), ham, cheese, béchamel sauce, and mustard. There are (if you look online) hundreds of recipes, each with a slight variation: the cheese in the béchamel or the cheese on top; mustard on both pieces of bread, or just one side; toast the bread, grill the sandwich, bake it, broil it, or a hybrid. Basically, they all work!

Conquering the mighty Mont Ventoux
Contributor blog post by David Taylor: As many people know cycling is the number one sport in France and the Luberon is the perfect location to enjoy it, there is a long flat cycle path running from Cavaillon to as far as Forcalquier, whilst there are many quiet back roads …
Contributor blog post by David Taylor: As many people know cycling is the number one sport in France and the Luberon is the perfect location to enjoy it, there is a long flat cycle path running from Cavaillon to as far as Forcalquier, whilst there are many quiet back roads …
Enjoying the Water In Provence
Finally, it’s hot in Aix, so we were very happy to go to the water this week. We visited the Lac de Quinson which is on the border of the Var and the Alpes de Haute Provence. It’s all part of the waterway which runs from Sainte-Croix to Gréoux-les-Bains. This …
Finally, it’s hot in Aix, so we were very happy to go to the water this week. We visited the Lac de Quinson which is on the border of the Var and the Alpes de Haute Provence. It’s all part of the waterway which runs from Sainte-Croix to Gréoux-les-Bains. This …

Le Petit Palais d’Aglaé Gordes New Boutique Hotel
Cantilevered to a Luberon hillside are the striking remains of an ancient oppidum and its defensive dry-stone walls; Gordes can rightly boast about its ranking among les Plus Beaux Villages de France. However, at the height of Provence’s tourist season this town, with its single thoroughfare, becomes a ghastly traffic …
Cantilevered to a Luberon hillside are the striking remains of an ancient oppidum and its defensive dry-stone walls; Gordes can rightly boast about its ranking among les Plus Beaux Villages de France. However, at the height of Provence’s tourist season this town, with its single thoroughfare, becomes a ghastly traffic …

The Blue Chair: Symbol of Nice
Like theTour Eiffel of Paris or the Big Ben of London, La chaise bleue has long been considered the symbol of Nice. The iconic chairs, as blue as the rippling Bay of Angels they overlook, are wedged in rows of 20 along the famous Promenade des Anglais. While in winter …
Like theTour Eiffel of Paris or the Big Ben of London, La chaise bleue has long been considered the symbol of Nice. The iconic chairs, as blue as the rippling Bay of Angels they overlook, are wedged in rows of 20 along the famous Promenade des Anglais. While in winter …