After my first true visit to Marseille, I can’t say enough good things about the city. While I’m composing my thoughts for a post on the long weekend, I want to share some highlights: the doors and windows of Marseille. Marseille, the second largest city in France, is one of …

Contributor blog post by Ashley Tinker: Spring is Upon us! Or, at least, it is here. I remember growing up in Montréal when you could smell the spring mud and ice thawing, there would always be one last snow generally right before my birthday on April 26th. Urgh. For all …

Contributor blog post by Ashley Tinker: Most French people like sauce and herb flavouring, but not much spice. Many expats move to lovely small towns in Provence and after a couple months being spoiled with ratatouille, slow cooked lamb, bouillabaisse and all other French Mediterranean delicacies, they start asking where is …

It took over 600 years to open this luxurious bed and breakfast in the heart of Avignon. La Divine Comédie is a jewel of a guest house with five suites and a magical garden, the successful outcome of the owners Amaury de Villoutreys and Gilles Jauffret’s vision. They purchased the …

I can honestly say that cycling in Provence is always a delight, but sometimes we do a new ride that just makes my heart sing & leaves me feeling as if I’m grinning ‘from the inside out and that’s just how I felt after doing this route earlier this week. …

Seared duck breast is quick and easy to cook. The meat is seared on high-temperature for about 5 minutes a side, then allowed to rest. However, the trick with duck is to create just the right sauce – fruity, savoury, wine or port. The inspiration for this recipe comes from Christmas flavours (citrus and pomegranate) and colours, and I served it for good friends during the holidays.

Mary Kay Seales calls the U.S. Pacific Northwest home. During much of the year, she works as both a freelance copywriter and as a writing professor, for international students, at the University of Washington, in Seattle. However, she has also lived and worked in a long list of diverse destinations …

“Night Nurse Needed – Should be young and pretty.” This was the ad Henri Matisse placed with the nursing school in Nice, France in 1942. He was seventy-two years old and still working while recovering from a serious surgery. He required constant care and needed someone to fill in while …

As I mentioned in my last couple of blogs we’ve really enjoyed exploring the area on foot this Winter and in turn, it has meant we’ve had a very happy dog! We have managed to discover some new walks, but have also enjoyed treading well-worn paths, like this one that …

By Sophia Mose: French Property and Taxes Traditionally, France did not have a reputation as a tax-efficient country for wealthy residents. In particular, the pre-2018 French wealth tax on worldwide net assets made headlines for chasing away celebrities such as Gerard Depardieu. However, as of the 1st of January 2018, …