Expat Living: Third Culture Kid’s Locals Tips Provence

Phoebe Thomas has lived in nine countries; she carries two passports and now resides in Roquefort les Pins with her French husband and tri-cultural kids. You can read her full story here.

They chose Roquefort les Pins for practical reasons, to minimize commuting time and allow their children ready access to the school of choice. They have fallen in love with this international, small town (pop. 6500) with 25% of its population from Peru, Sweden, Cameroon, Russia, USA, Italy, Austria, Colombia, Tunisia, Denmark and Canada.

We asked Phoebe to share her first impressions of Roquefort les Pins, the Cote d’Azur and nearby sights and here is what Phoebe had to say:

Instant love, at first sight!

It has everything I love:

• stunning natural beauty
• proximity to a beautiful big cultural city (Nice)
• excellent transport links (autoroute, TGV and France’s 2nd airport close by, perfect for travel, without being noisy though)
• close to Italy (I love that we can pop over to Italy for lunch, makes me feel like I am on a mini holiday/travel every time we do that)
• close to ski resorts (can go for the day)
• close to the beach without being on the crowded coast, surrounded by interesting historical sights (particularly perched medieval hill villages)

Beyond Roquefort les Pins, our “Third Culture Kid” and contributor Phoebe shares her definition of Perfectly Provence.

#Discover

“I can’t limit myself to 3 things!”

The Old Town of Nice

Perched villages such as Gourdon/St Paul/Tourettes sur Loup all of which can be done on an easy day trip if pressed for time or over several days taking in Saorge/Peillon/and others further afield.

A coastal drive such as along the Estérel (for natural beauty) or Villefranche sur Mer and Menton (for gorgeous, colourful old ports).

#Taste

Socca (a chickpea pancake from Nice)

Rosé from Côtes de Provence

Tarte Tropezienne from St Tropez

#Relax

Enjoy a long rosé-soaked lunch on the seafront in Cagnes sur Mer/Cannes/Juan les Pins/Nice/St Jean Cap Ferrat (these are all places where restaurants are right on the beach).

Pack a picnic and head to one of the nearby places with a phenomenal view such as Plateau de Caussol, Le Caire above Tourettes s/Loup or Courmettes near Bar sur Loup (all of which can be found in my blog posts listing picnic spots on the Côte d’Azur here and here. It’s easy to spend a whole day just gazing at the view and luxuriating in the silence.

Take a ferry from Cannes to one of the islands just off the coast, Ile Ste Marguerite or St Honorat, wander around on the well-marked paths to find a quiet cove to swim/picnic/snooze/read/meditate/stare out to sea. The little beaches on these islands are always less crowded (often empty) than the beaches on the mainland and so lovely.

Image Credits: All photos were provided by and published with the permission of Phoebe Thomas