Pedalling through the petals, an experience much like tip-toeing through the tulips but on big-ass bikes weighing at least forty pounds. An umbrella and a basket of blooms out front and voilà, we would have passed for a peloton of Mary Poppins!
Read moreTHE KING OF CHEESES!
When he proclaimed, “Cheese – milk’s leap toward immortality,” American writer and media personality, Clifton Fadiman must have been referring to France’s iconic Roquefort. Cholesterol, salt and fat be damned...
Read moreEMBRACING THE DETOURS IN GORGE-OUS VERDON
The Gorges du Verdon is France’s answer to the Grand Canyon! Like a giant saw, the rushing blue-green waters of the Verdon River have cut and carved a jagged limestone gash in the Provençal landscape. The largest canyon in Europe, it’s vast. . .
Read moreHIKING, BIKING & HEAVENLY HILLTOWNS!
Entrechaux: Yet another beautiful village of the Côtes du Rhône
“Carpe diem"....Latin words to live by! Usually translated as “Seize the day”, the Roman poet, Horace, exhibited the gift of insight when he penned that phrase. It just happens to be carved in the cornerstone of the rock manor-house we are renting...
Read moreWHEN IN "RHÔNE"...
In our continuing quest to experience as much of France as possible in our year “Away, eh!”, we’ve moved! We’re now living in the village of Vaison la Romaine, about 140 kilometers north of coastal Marseille. It’s perfectly Provençal and in Côtes du Rhône Country, a region famous for its namesake wines.
Read moreFAIRYTALE VILLAGE & TEMPLAR TALE
Entering through the north gate, the watch tower thrusts defiantly upward, daring dark forces to attack. The first images I see are the primitive Templar castle and the solid, square bell tower of the adjacent church...
Read moreHAPPINESS IS A ROAD TRIP!
Bonne Année, mes amis, or perhaps more appropriately I should be wishing you a Fantastique Février! I know...we’re already pushing into the second month of 2017, yet...
Read moreA FESTIVE TOAST TO PÉZENAS
Big bonjours, festive greetings and a joyeux Noël from Pézenas, our heavenly home away-from-home for the next three months. Oui, “heavenly”! Compliments of a house exchange, we are living in a convent constructed in 1679.
Read morePARLEZ-VOUS FRANÇAISE?
“Nous voudrions une bouteille du Château Virant Rosé, s'il vous plaît …” We were dining in a wonderful little bistro in the medieval heart of Aix-en-Provence in Southern France and I had assumed the responsibility of ordering our wine.
Read moreEMBRACING “LES DIFFÉRENCES"
I love France! The French inject passion into every aspect of life. The phrase, “joie de vie”, may well be a cliché, but it perfectly expresses French exuberance for family, friends and lively conversation, fine food, wickedly wonderful wine (ahhh, the wine)...
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