It’s probably hard to believe, but despite visiting Provence for so many years, I have only been into Aix-en-Provence a handful of times. So when my friend Marina (who runs her local French Language School Learn French In Provence) suggested an afternoon out in the town, I leaped at the chance as she knows it…
Category: Favourite places and views
Places that we have come to love over the years
An afternoon at The Thermal Spa in Montbrun Les Bains
Sometimes it takes me a while to get round to doing something and this week I finally decided I would go and try out the Spa at Montbrun Les Bains. I say finally as our lovely neighbour had mentioned it to me 3 years ago, just after we bought the house, saying it was a…
Day 2 & 3.. 24 hours in Paris…. Footsore, but what a day!
After a great day in Portobello Road, we arrived in Paris to a dramatic downpour, with the roads and pavements turning into rivers as we walked to our hotel in Montmartre. Hardly the balmy, sunlit stroll along the Parisian streets that we had hoped for…. More a saturating dash, ending with us wringing the water…
Back to Provence…. Day 1… Exeter to Paris via Portobello Road Market
I honestly thought we’d tried all possible options to get back to Provence, but it appears now that we may have found another route that is a bit bonkers, but seems (so far) to have been quite fun. This time we have incorporated a couple of market visits into the trip, which has not only…
Perfectly Cool Day By The River… Happy, Soggy Doggy
Whenever we come down to Provence for a prolonged period we always bring the animals with us.It’s a Dog’s Life in Provence Happily Pusscat immediately adapts to life here, switching from being a Devonian cat to a full-blown Provencal resident, spending her days chasing Lizards and Grasshoppers or stretching out in the shade under one…
Meandering around Menerbes
We often find ourselves sitting on the wall on the front edge of the pretty village of Menerbes, whilst we’re out exploring the area on our bikes. Like so many of the hilltop villages here it has an incredible view that stretches as far as Mont Ventoux, and we spend time just sitting and watching…
Vincent Van Gogh – Les Carrières de Lumières.
It’s always good to finally tick something off the list of things you have wanted to do for a while – last year it was finally getting to see the Fête du Citron (now to be an annual event for us) and yesterday I got round to seeing the immersive multimedia show in the Carrières…
Purple Provence – Where to see Lavender in the Vaucluse.
It’s this time of year that Provence turns purple when the Lavender fields start to explode with colour and the air fills with scent as the flowerheads gently brush against each other in the breeze. The air above them seems to shimmer with the colour and the constant buzz of bees and insects is a…
The incredible gardens at Valsaintes Abbey
I have always loved gardens, although I have to admit to not being a great gardener myself. A summer garden with deep herbaceous borders, filled with the scent and colour of roses is always a delight and we have some delightful ones around us in the UK, such as this one at Coombe Trenchard just…
Poppies & Cherries – Provence has turned red.
Having arrived back in Provence a few of days ago I’ve been really surprised at how much things have changed in the last 5 weeks. First, and probably the biggest surprise, is that everything is looking incredibly lush and green. This a such a stark contrast to the bleached colours and dry fields and verges…
