By Aixcentric: So here it is, the new Aixpress bus. The manufacturers call it an ‘ie-tram’, whereas the Aix mairie refers to it as an ‘autobus’, and this does reflect the dual use of the vehicle in that it will run along inside its own designated lane for most of its journey (like …

By Aixcentric: Long before the A8 autoroute came along with its thundering heavy traffic, it was easy for Paul Cezanne to wander across to the plateau at La Constance from the family bastide at Jas de Buffan, to paint the Mont Sainte-Victoire, the Pilon du Roi and the new viaduct …

Contributor blog post by Jemma: I couldn’t write this post until things had been resolved – or mostly resolved, as the case would be. Even then, I didn’t know if I should bother. It’s France. Everyone expects home maintenance problems. And how can anything be a problem, really, if we’re talking …

Contributor blog post by Jemma: French Lessons has survived a summer that one local friend dubbed “un agenda de ministre.” Even for us non-government ministers, the French expression seemed an appropriate way to characterize our schedule in a country where public spending(as a % of GDP) continues, shall we say, to …

Contributor blog post by Paula Kane: My first week here has gone by in a flash. Perhaps because summer is always like that, or perhaps it was my fuzziness and lack of focus most of the week due to some lingering vertigo. Either way, it went by quickly with dinners and …

This article “Twenty Years Living in Aix-en-Provence”  was originally published on author M. L. Longworth’s website. The post is her reflective view of how the city of Aix-en-Provence has changed in the last two decades, and of those staples that make the city unique. Our decision to move to France …

Contributor blog post by  Jemma: French Lessons has stumbled on Hogwarts School of Miraculous Strings, and it’s right here in the heart of the Côte d’Azur.  How surprised and charmed – and humbled – we are . . . “The cello matter is more complicated than I thought,” a local friend emailed …

Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer: It’s well over 2 years now since we finally picked up the keys and opened the door to our little house in Provence after so many years of dreaming about it. We couldn’t afford a perfect house with elegant gardens and a pretty pool and …

Contributor blog post by Paula Kane: I have a system, and for a decade it’s been running like clockwork. It’s an excellent plan, and one I am rather attached to. I look forward to it, like a ritual.  Although some people think I am a bit of a gypsy and rather …

French Lessons welcomes Rachael for the second year running as our annual guest contributor. Last summer, she explained how she dealt with her impounded car at the local fourrière (pound). This year her automotive theme continues, as does her – ahem – fast wit. A few months ago, I was …