My mother might not approve as some of my relationships these days start via social media – a tweet, a Facebook “like.” That is exactly how we ended up on a rocky trail bordered by the Durance River and cherry orchards with our new friend Charmaine. We spent a Tuesday …

Maybe the panhandlers should have headed to Provence instead of California! Gold appears to be easy to come by under sunny Provencal skies, according to real estate agents who gush about the chic Cote d’Azur, the star-studded Var and Peter Mayle’s gold-dusted Luberon. The village of Eygalières has the geographic …