Who doesn’t love a good family mystery? My father Daniel Augsburger was born in Switzerland. His mother was French and at a young age, the family moved to the South of France. He came to the United States in 1939, just prior to World War II for college and to …

It’s incredible how the energy in someone’s words radiates positivity. Reading Tessa Baker’s newsletter about her 2022 painting holidays in Provence, Antigua and the Cinque Terre, I felt like life is finally returning to “normal.”  We connected via Zoom to talk about her new creative projects, including an online course …

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to do a pop-up event with my jewellery in the cellar of our friends’ newly restored townhouse and apartments in the centre of Apt Cent Cinq. I say cellar, but this was the most beautiful, vaulted stone room, set below the …

Jewel of the Alpilles Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (often written as St Rémy) is perhaps the ideal-sized town in the Alpilles. Plenty of tempting boutiques, chic hotels, a charming pedestrian-friendly centre and many restaurants exist. The largest city in the Alpilles, St Rémy, has roughly 9,800 people. Popular all year, St Rémy can …

Pretty Eygalières Located on the northeastern edge of the Parc Naturel Régional des Alpilles, the hamlet of Eygalières has an official population of about 1,900 residents. However, when second homeowners and short-stay visitors descend upon the village in the summertime, the population swells well beyond the formal count. The setting …

Estérel French Riviera Located in southeastern France, the Estérel coastal mountain range straddles both the Var and Alpes-Maritimes departments. Of volcanic origins, the massif is roughly 32,000 hectares of rugged terrain awaiting exploration. Mont Vinaigre is the highest peak at 618 metres. According to the Estérel Côte d’Azur tourism office, …

We went to Avignon so Shirley could shop, so I took the opportunity to walk around and see what was new or different after our long absence. One of the first things I noticed, this was the first time in a long time that the Opera – Theater of Avignon …

As soon as we finished our drive around the lavender fields we started hunting for sunflowers, called tournesol in French. You may not be aware that despite the fact that you find postcards, photos and paintings of sunflowers all over Provence, they are actually native to the Americas. Sunflower seeds …

One of my favourite biking routes is the Véloroute du Calavon, in the Luberon Valley. It’s a pretty ride and very easy. Biking on a Voie Verte This route is a voie verte (or “greenway”), a paved route for bikers, walkers and rollerbladers. There is a network of them in …

The amazing region of Provence, France, has so many wonderful places to explore and points of interest to check out that it is almost impossible to decide my favourites. After not going to Sablet because of the pandemic for more than 1 year and 1/2, I am trying to figure …