MAY DAY IN FRANCE: PARADES, DEMONSTRATIONS, AND LILY OF THE VALLEY MARK THIS PUBLIC HOLIDAY

Posted on April 30, 2012November 27, 2015 by Susan Manfull

May 1st is La Fêtedu Travail in France. As in many other countries, it is “the worker’s holiday.” It is a very important day, a public holiday in which public offices, post offices, banks, and many private businesses are closed and some public transportation schedules may follow a holiday schedule. Parades and demonstrations to champion workers’ rights typically cause congestion and delays in traffic in metropolitan areas. This May Day will be no exception: demonstrators around the world,...

PAQUES EN PROVENCE: CHOCOLATE FISH, FLYING CHURCH BELLS, BULLFIGHTS, LAMB, AND OMELETS

Posted on April 10, 2012January 3, 2016 by Susan Manfull

It is quiet in Provence today. It is Lundi de Pâques, a public holiday in which post offices, banks, many stores and, especially in small villages, restaurants and cafés are closed. Look for family and friends gathered together for an Easter egg hunt, attending a parade or La Féria (which marks the start of bullfighting season in France) and, later, look for them around the table for the traditional Easter Monday meal of omelets. In our favorite village of Lourmarin, we checked in wi...

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...

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...

ADAM GOPNIK IS RIGHT: THE TABLE COMES FIRST

Posted on January 1, 2012December 31, 2015 by Susan Manfull

As I write this week’s post, 2011 is about to roll into 2012 and I am reflecting on all the wonderful times I have had around the table this year and in years past. Adam Gopnik’s book does this to you. I highly recommend “The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food.” I might add that I “listened” to much of the book, which I particularly enjoyed because Mr. Gopnik narrates the audio book himself. Until you can get your hands on the book, I leave you with some of my favorit...

LA POSTE: MEDIEVAL PRACTICES STILL LURK IN THE FRENCH POSTAL SYSTEM

Posted on December 18, 2011December 30, 2015 by Susan Manfull

By Louis J. Salome Author of “Violence, Veils, and Bloodlines: Reporting from War Zones.” As Christmas and Hanukah approach, many of us find ourselves madly wrapping packages to be shipped off to family and friends around the globe. Will we entrust our treasures to the oft-maligned but still remarkably reliable U.S. Postal System or to one of its chief competitors, FedEx, DHL, or United Parcel Service? After that decision, the rest is straightforward and familiar. Not so in France. Guest wr...

4 DECEMBER STARTS CHRISTMAS SEASON IN PROVENCE: PLANT YOUR WHEAT SEEDS AND GET OUT YOUR SANTONS!

Posted on December 5, 2011November 27, 2015 by Susan Manfull

Department stores in the United States ring in the Christmas season the day after Halloween—with the possible exception of those states that mark the Day of the Dead—and the rest of us fall into place when we toss out the turkey carcass at the end of November, depending on where Thanksgiving lands.In Provence, December 4th marks the start of the Christmas season. It’s a long season—we all know the French like their holidays and I say that in the most commendable even covetous manner. ...

MAYOR BLAISE DIAGNE WANTS LOURMARIN TO BE AN “OPEN VILLAGE” THAT “WELCOMES ALL”…. We think he’s been successful!

Posted on October 30, 2011July 6, 2017 by Susan Manfull

Sometimes I wonder what draws people to Lourmarin. I have visited many villages now, some completely devoid of appeal—even in Provence, such villages do exist—and others with loads of appeal—things tourist books like to mention such as breathtaking views, perfectly manicured window boxes, picturesque squares, streets lined with high-end boutiques, a river running through the center of town, or a perched locale—but, when I return to Lourmarin, a humble village whose charm does not gush out all ov...

WHEN IN PROVENCE, DO AS THE ROMANS DID: ATTEND A PERFORMANCE IN ORANGE’S ROMAN THEATRE

Posted on June 17, 2011December 29, 2015 by Susan Manfull

On June 17th, some 2,000 years after its construction, the Theatre Antique in Orange, will lift the curtain for its 142nd annual Les Chorégies d’Orange festival, the oldest festival in France. If you are traveling in Provence, don’t miss the opportunity to attend one of the lyrical and musical performances in this extraordinary venue: the performers world renown, the acoustics considered perfect, and the venue extraordinary. You are guaranteed to be transported to another world. If you kno...

FRANCE PREPARES TO BAN THE BURQA AS CONSTRUCTION OF NATION’S BIGGEST MOSQUE IS LAUDED

Posted on March 13, 2011November 24, 2015 by Susan Manfull

France is poised to implement its controversial yet very popular law that bans the full Islamic veil in all public places. On April 11th, it will take effect. At the same time, Muslim leaders in Marseille, with the support of local and national politicians, are overseeing the construction of the nation’s largest mosque. Perhaps ironically, work began the day after the French government put its stamp of approval on the burqa ban bill, back in May 2010. On the very north side of Marseille’s famous...