We had one glorious day in Avignon during our extended weekend at Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and instead of making it a mad-dash run to see all we could see, we opted for a morning trip to the Les Halles market and a long, leisurely lunch. The question was, as it often is in an unknown city, where […]
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Of the many villages with interesting names in the Var, I can’t help but giggle everytime I think of dear ‘ole Ollioules. Apart from having a name with way too many vowels, the village is one of the most “recherché” (sought after) places to live in the area… great access to the autoroute, about 10 […]
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One thing that I love about France (among the many) is that there always seems to be a food festival happening just around the corner. And this week one of the biggest gourmet “festivals” of the year is taking place: Tous au Restaurant. Much more than a typical festival, Tous au Restaurant is a chance […]
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Among the multitudes of food festivals happening during the summer months, Aïoli fêtes are among some of the most numerous and most popular. And you’re quite unlikely to find a more traditional, lively, and classic Provençal experience. Plus, as we discovered, they’re just good fun. Having never experienced one of these garlic-filled evenings, we combed one of our […]
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It’s difficult to talk about chocolate in the South of France without mentioning Puyricard. We first became acquainted with this artisan chocolatier at the annual chocolate festival in the village of Belgentier. Soon after, with Christmas season in full swing, I tried to fight the crowds at our Puyricard boutique in the center of our […]
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Picnics are a great way to save money while traveling and also an easy way to enjoy “natural” Provence. There are so many possible picnic spots that it’s hard to choose just one, but it seems that most folks in the South prefer to spread their blankets near the sea. Often a drive along the […]
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There’s not much that can be said about this stellar restaurant that could be any better than what we overhead our fellow diners exclaiming on Saturday afternoon: Qu’est-ce que c’est beau! (it’s so pretty) Wouaou! (the French wow) & C’est trop bon! (it’s so good). If you’ve ever eaten in France, you know those are […]
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It’s that time of the year when I don’t know exactly how to feel – a bit sad about the end of the holidays, more than a little excited about the New Year, and altogether anxious for the start of another beautiful spring in France. And if you haven’t heard, or guessed already, things are […]
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Corsican ballads played on the speakers of the Le Caribou’s brightly colored dining room as we sat down for a six or seven course meal (I lost count after a few glasses of vin blanc). Our host, a somewhat portly gentleman (read: six or seven courses…), proudly sported a bright-pink dress shirt and a welcoming […]
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It’s been a week of rain, rain, and more rain in the South of France. While we usually manage to escape all sorts of weather calamities, this wave of storms is particularly strong – evacuations, floods, and a classification of alert “orange” for our department (the Var) and 10 others. So while we’re huddled-up at […]
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Deep in the heart of the Var, off autoroute A57 (way off), lies the colorful village of Collobrieres. Known in the summer for its growing Fête Taurine (bull festival), Collobrieres real claim-to-fame is its annual Fête de le Chataigne (chestnut festival) – 29 years and counting. While we set out on Saturday to take advantage of one fall favorite, […]
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Well, there’s not too much to say about the incredible-ness that was Sunday’s chocolate festival. I think the photos speak volumes… and calories. There were a few surprises from last year though. Namely, Champagne-tasting. As if you needed another reason to make the trip? Then again, only to make sure we hadn’t “overlooked” anything, we […]
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