EASTER IN PROVENCE MARKS THE START OF BULLFIGHTING

Posted on April 1, 2012February 19, 2016 by Susan Manfull

La Feria Corridas—the bullfighting festival—is so firmly ingrained in the Easter traditions of the Camarague area that, in this south western area of Provence, “Feria,” which means “festival,” seems to be synonymous, this time of year, with both Easter and bullfighting. In the main bullfighting arenas—Arles and Nîmes—as well as in the many small towns that set up temporary arenas, Easter weekend marks the start of bullfighting season. We found ourselves in Aigues-Mortes one Easter weekend sev...

WITH LAVENDER, ROSEMARY, AN OLD 2CV, AND A BIG HEART, L’OCCITANE EN PROVENCE WAS BORN

Posted on March 25, 2012December 30, 2015 by Susan Manfull

Lavender is a magnet for tourists to Provence. Our post, "Lavender: A Flower Rooted in Sun-Drenched Provence," remains our most read article and questions about lavender season dominate our inquiries. That a factory tour in sunny Provence is a popular tourist destination may not be such a surprise, then, when the company is L'Occitane, manufacturer of lavender-infused lotions, soaps, bath and shower gels, essential oils and much, much more. L'Occitane--pronounced “lox-ee-tan”---stores have po...

10 MARKETS IN PROVENCE: AIX-EN-PROVENCE MOVES TO THE TOP IN THE SPRING

Posted on March 18, 2012January 23, 2016 by Susan Manfull

With spring around the corner and warm temperatures to follow, the market in Aix-en-Provence is at the very top of my list of 10 favorite markets. The city’s famous flower market will soon be an irresistible cacophony of color, scent, and variety, a veritable garden in the midst of the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville. It is the place to be on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. We usually start our market expedition here in the flower market although we always park sou...

CELEBRATING MY FRENCH ROOTS: BONNE ANNIVERSAIRE GRAMPI!

Posted on March 12, 2012November 27, 2015 by Susan Manfull

Do you ever wonder why you are drawn to France? If you are reading this, I suspect that France tugs at your heart strings, as it does mine. Do you know why? I trace my affection for France to my grandfather, Grampi, whose birthday we are celebrating today. Born in 1906 in Uxbridge, Ontario, he would have been 106 years old. He died in 1997 and I miss him terribly. To mark his birthday, we are drinking Old Fashioneds in his honor, followed by a dinner of lamb shanks, pilaf, green beans, and a bot...

40 FRENCH EXPRESSIONS WITH “CHAT” FEATURING LES CHATS DU LUBERON

Posted on March 4, 2012January 4, 2016 by Susan Manfull

If you have traveled to France, you may believe that there are more cats there than in any other country. And if you have traveled south, you undoubtedly believe that they all reside in Provence. France is ranked 5th in the list of countries with largest number of domestic cats; but, of course, France is much smaller and less populated that the top four countries (United States, China, Russia, and Brazil). The number of domestic cats in France probably hovers right around 10 million (compared t...

McDo McBAGUETTE! McMON DIEU!

Posted on February 26, 2012November 27, 2015 by Susan Manfull

McDonald's in France Photo: McDonald'sThe big news out of France this week is that America’s most famous (or infamous, depending on your point of view) fast food joint will start rolling out its burgers on baguettes in France come April. But, hold on to your berets before you roll your eyes and start waxing sentimental and barking sanctimonious: France is McDonald’s second largest market (of course, the U.S. is its number one market) with over 1200 restaurants in the country long recognized as ...

“VAN GOGH UP CLOSE” AT THE PHILADELPHIA MUSEUM OF ART: AN EXAMINATION OF LANDSCAPES FROM PROVENCE AND AUVERS AND A FEW STILL LIFES FROM PARIS, TOO

Posted on February 19, 2012December 30, 2015 by Susan Manfull

Befittingly, perhaps, we arrived in Philadelphia to find frigid temperatures and falling snow, just as van Gogh had found in Arles when he arrived from Paris 124 years ago on February 20th. It took van Gogh only three days before he and his easel were en plein air, painting one of two pieces aptly entitled Landscape with Snow (1888).For us, once inside the stunning exhibition of over 40 of van Gogh’s paintings, most of which were painted in the South of France, our fingers quickly thawed a...

A CHILLED PIERREVERT ROSÉ FOR A CHILLY VALENTINE’S DAY

Posted on February 12, 2012January 3, 2016 by Susan Manfull

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and I am thinking “pink.” A chilly Valentine’s Day is expected—even in Provence!—which, in my opinion, calls for a festive wine! So, from our very humble collection of wine that masquerades as a wine cellar, I selected one of my favorite rosé wines: A 2010 rosé from Domaine La Blaque, Appellation d’Origine Controlle (AOC) Pierrevert. I know the wine well and am confident that its marriage with my salmon will be divine—the crisp, dry, ever so miner...

VAN GOGH’S LAST YEAR IN PROVENCE: REFUGE IN AN ASYLUM, STARRY NIGHTS, FIELDS OF WHEAT, AND IRISES

Posted on February 5, 2012January 3, 2016 by Susan Manfull

Vincent van Gogh is on my mind again these days. Those Don McLean lyrics—“Starry, starry night, Paint your palette blue and grey, Look out on a summer's day, With eyes that know the darkness in my soul”—are playing over and over again in my head. (1) I have always loved van Gogh’s artwork—who isn’t moved by the sadness of Old Man in Sorrow, the humility of The Potato Eaters, the swirling shades of blue in Starry Night, or the striking beauty of his Irises—and, as a psychologist, I’ve long bee...

FRENCH COURTS: CA VA PAS, NON?!

Posted on February 2, 2012December 29, 2015 by Susan Manfull

A February 1, 2012 ruling in France has left sensible people scratching their heads: Google has been ordered by a French commercial court to pay over 500,000 euros because it gives away web mapping services. Only in France! The precise ruling, according to The Economic Times, is that the Paris court found “Google guilty of abusing the dominant position of its Google Maps application and ordered it to pay a fine and damages to a French mapping company.” That mapping company, Bottin Cartogr...