Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer: If you’ve been following my blog for a while you’ll know that one of the things I love most about France is the chance to spend the weekends pottering round some of the fabulous local ‘brocante’ markets. In the Summer, the weekends pass by …

Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer: Not every day starts with blue skies & sunshine in Provence and Saturday was one of those days! When we woke, the rain was drumming on the roof and the whole place just looked soggy, so any thoughts of a bike ride went out of …

Tell me there’s a brocante nearby and I’m there! If I start off another blog post with “one of my favorite things,” please excuse me. It’s just that it’s so hard for me to contain myself when describing some of the fun things to do in France. Like going to …

Contributor blog post by Michel: You know I love santons, the hand-made clay figurines that depict the colorful people, traditional trades, activities and costumes of Provence. In Provence, they are set out at Christmas in a Provençal crèche (nativity scene). …Continue reading here for Michel’s description of these tiny clay figures …

Contributor blog post by Vaucluse Dreamer: If Saturday is a day for the local market then Sunday has become a day to spend the morning pottering around a local Brocante market or village ‘Vide Greniers’ event. In the summer, we often found that we had to make a choice between …

Now that I’m settled in France, I’m beginning to understand why I love it here. I’m a hopeless romantic. It didn’t happen by accident that I live in a tower apartment. I’m a princess. Or at least, I always wanted to be one. If I had long hair, I’d wish …

Wandering through Les Docks Village last week, late morning, I was surprised how quiet it was. It’s been open a year now and is an imaginative conversion of a very characterful industrial building. Visitor’s Guide to Marseille This 1858 dockside warehouse, is 365m long (for the days of the year), …

Lovely connections develop in Provence and ours is one. My friend, author Patricia Sands is a lady with a fabulous re-invention story (please read her full back story here). Following her popular “Love in Provence” trilogy (Lake Union Publishing), she is currently working on her fifth novel. This story is …

A mixture of seawater, alkaline solution and fat Documented use as far back as 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon A carved “recipe” found on a stone slab from 2200 BC The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans all used it Cooked for 8 days in a cauldron, dried for 2 days in …

During our recent stay at Mas d’Augustine in Langudoc-Roussillion, we took a quick drive to check out the nearby village of Saint Quentin la Poterie. Saint Quentin has had a history of pottery making for centuries. Kilns (where the clay is baked) date back to the 13th century here. …Continue …