City in Bloom… Bormes-les-Mimosas

Bonjour from a drizzly South of France. We are in full “rentrée” mode – the word that signifies the official return to school and work after the summer holidays. And let’s just say that the current French mood matches the brief showers we had this afternoon… dark, stormy, and with just a bit of a… Continue reading City in Bloom… Bormes-les-Mimosas

Fall Comfort Food at Le Clos du Père Louis

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,… Continue reading Fall Comfort Food at Le Clos du Père Louis

Chocolate Festival at Belgentier

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… Continue reading Chocolate Festival at Belgentier

Lavender Shopping in Le Castellet Village

Le Castellet is a medieval village perched high above autoroute A50, and about 45 minutes north of Aix-en-Provence.  We visit this beautiful town often, not only for it's proximity to the vineyards of Bandol but also because it's an undeniably "picture-perfect" Provençal village. Many a Frenchman (& woman) rave about this enchanting spot, and this usually sleepy… Continue reading Lavender Shopping in Le Castellet Village

Going “Bio” (Organic) in Correns, France

It was a near perfect day as we pulled-up to the small village of Correns deep in the heart of Provence Verte (Green Provence) last Saturday.   We were, in fact, a few degrees away from "perfect" as by 11am temperatures had already reached 35° C on what was one of the hottest days of… Continue reading Going “Bio” (Organic) in Correns, France