It all started with a backpacking trip to France in 1967. Patricia Sands spent her 21st year travelling and working in Europe, taking in the sights with her peers. After those 12-months, she was hooked on travel and unaware of the promises that Provence held in her future. Life moved …

With both music and Provence thumping through his veins, Manolo-J is a musical brand name to his fans. A true “southerner” Manuel was born in Cavaillon some 25 years ago; he now calls Saint Remy de Provence home.

It took less than three hours for mon fils and I to find a restaurant in Lyon that’s worth writing home about. We arrived by train at five in the afternoon and we were ordering “bouchon lyonnaise” style at the Bouchon de l’Opera by eight. Lyon, France is famous for …

Tasty Bites in Uzes Mon fils and I are on the way the Lyon, the “stomach of France.” The 5-star restaurants in Lyon are hardly within our budget; nevertheless, we’re ready for some extraordinary French cuisine. Meanwhile in Uzes, we’ve been spending a lot of time at local […] Explore …

Paul Shawcross is an Economics major who turned his sights to travel, photography and writing in the 1990s. He has written many freelance articles for Francophile publications. His experience led Michelin to knock on his door for help writing and revising their Green Guides – for a long list of …

In awe of the French: Anytime I take a trip within France and walk among ancient Roman ruins, I am thankful to the French. In French towns and villages where the Romans used to roam, you can actually see, feel, touch and experience the places of the past. […] Explore …

By aixcentric If you are in Marseille for the Christmas lights and market, you may like to drop into the new exhibition at the Maison de l’Artisanat which is showing three centuries of seasonal objects from St Petersbourg. Fine china and costumes are arranged in tableaux taking the visitor back …

I’m still getting used to a Northern Hemisphere Christmas. Yes, I’m one of those strange people from the south who thinks Christmas should be hot, spent outside by the barbeque, enjoying a traditional festive menu of prawns and mangoes, before an afternoon swim to cool off.  

By aixcentric Today is the feast day of Saint Barbara – Sainte-Barbe – and in Provence, the day for planting blé d’ésperance ready for the Christmas table. If you are new to Aix, these are the corn-seeds currently being sold from makeshift stalls – and grocery shops – usually for …

Now that you have seen some of the foods that make Lyon one of the world’s great pleasures, here are a few of the sights that make the French city a true world treasure. View from the bank of the Rhone Rubin sculpture in the entrance garden to […] Explore …