PÉTANQUE GOES WELL WITH PASTIS

A glass of Pastis next to a scoring tool for pétanqueWe played pétanque, drank pastis, and spoke a little French last weekend. The only sign that we were in Portsmouth, New Hampshire was the Norwegian Maple tree—a poor substitute for the stately Plane tree that is rarely far from any game of pétanque in Provence—but, it didn’t matter. Palm trees could have framed the terrain where the games took place. All eyes were on the players and their boules….well, unless they were on the pastis. C’...
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FÊTE VOTIVE ROLLS INTO LOURMARIN

The annual Fête Votive rolled into Lourmarin last week, completely consuming this tiny Luberon village, as it does every year on the last weekend in August. Unfortunately, the mistral blew into town around the same time; but nothing could dampen the palpable excitement that fills the hearts of the inhabitants of Lourmarin and their guests during this festival. Every village in Provence has a fête votive, each slated for a particular weekend every year. These fêtes or festivals pro...
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