THE CITROËN 2CV: I LOVE THAT TIN SNAIL

Posted on June 9, 2013January 4, 2016 by Susan Manfull

I always wanted a Deux Chevaux. I first saw that much beloved French car when I first visited Paris in 1972. I remember thinking that something that funny looking must have been a model car project gone terribly awry. A sardine tin on wheels. But there were so many...partout. My grandfather, with whom I was traveling, along with my grandmother, had a certain fondness for the car, an affinity that should not have surprised me since he and my grandmother had owned one of the first Corvairs and...

CAVAILLON MELONS HERALD THE START OF SUMMER IN PROVENCE

Posted on May 26, 2013January 15, 2016 by Susan Manfull

For years I thought I didn’t like melon. However inviting those deep orange slices of juicy cantaloupe appeared, I knew they tasted like cardboard and had the texture of baby food. One of my most vivid memories of melon encounters goes back to adolescence: I was staying with a best friend’s family in their cabin in Shaver Lake, a small community nestled in the Sierra Nevada’s of California. I came to the breakfast table and, to my horror, found half of a cantaloupe waiting for me. Panic set in:...

TAKING THE KIDS TO PROVENCE: WAXING NOSTALGIA AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR A MEMORABLE FAMILY VACATION

Posted on May 20, 2013January 23, 2016 by Susan Manfull

I offer my thoughts about taking the kids to the Luberon area of Provence, where we have many years of vacation-with-kids experience, but I do so with the caveat that what worked for us—a family of three with many child guests--may not match the temperament and spirit of your family. Chart your own course—and let us know about your adventures. It’s nearing that time of year again: the annual family vacation. For us, summers have long been associated with packing up the family and heading to Pro...

DOMAINE DES VAUDOIS: WINE, OLIVE OIL, AND A LOT OF HISTORY

Posted on May 6, 2013January 15, 2016 by Susan Manfull

Cabrières d’Aigues, home of the Domaine de Vaudois, is not on the typical traveler’s itinerary. It lacks the visible charm of other Luberon villages such as those featured prominently in a Rick Steves’ tour guide or a Peter Mayle novel. In fact, a quick google search for information about this village reveals little more than “a tranquil village in the Luberon” and the distance to neighboring villages, like Cucuron and Ansouis. But, don’t underestimate what you might discover in a morning in thi...

WHILE WAITING FOR PROVENCE’S LAVENDER SEASON, ENJOY THOSE GORGEOUS POPPIES!

Posted on April 29, 2013January 23, 2016 by Susan Manfull

Lavender and Provence are inextricably tied together in the minds of almost everyone who yearns to visit—and revisit--Provence. What comes to your mind when you think of Provence? Someday I will survey people about the images “Provence” conjures up. But, in the meantime, I’ll put my euros on lavender as the first image that pops into the minds of most people. Rosé wine, pastis, truffles, bouillabaisse, markets, the slow pace of life, the mistral, and Cézanne—all certainly con...

LE PONT JULIEN: ANOTHER ROMAN BRIDGE TO ADMIRE

Posted on April 15, 2013January 2, 2016 by Susan Manfull

The Romans left a lot behind in Provence: temples, aqueducts, baths, theaters, forums, arches, and whole cities, to mention just a few of the larger structures we find in this region. Some of the best preserved Roman architecture in the world stands in Provence. Even the ruins left standing alone in desolate fields are pretty amazing. Arles and Vaison-la-Romaine are thriving cities today, whose residents indifferently file past Roman remains that are so interesting and beautiful, the ...

SAINT RÉMY’S WEDNESDAY MARKET IS ONE OF OUR FAVORITES

Posted on March 31, 2013December 29, 2015 by Susan Manfull

This article is part of a series about our ten favorite markets in Provence. Thus far, we have written about Aix-en-Provence, Apt, Cadenet, Cucuron, Gordes, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and Lourmarin. When we chose our top ten markets, we considered the quality and variety of the offerings, the friendliness of the vendors, and the ambience of the venue. Practical issues (e.g., traffic and parking) were also weighed, but, in the end, it was the market itself that mattered most. Get there early and avoid t...

POSTCARDS FROM FRANCE: PROVENCE AND THE CÔTE D’AZUR

Posted on February 10, 2013January 8, 2020 by Susan Manfull

Today's Café Gaby lies where rue de Henri Savournin appears to end, on the left.

Part One of Two Parts “Postcards from France” was inspired by the current exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston entitled “The Postcard Age: Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection,” featuring over 700 miniature pieces of art from his very sizable collection of postcards. Today’s post focuses on postcards of Provence and the Côte d’Azur and what I learned from the curator of this MFA exhibit about the history of postcards. Next week’s post will feature postcards f...

À TABLE EN PROVENCE: WHEN THE WORKDAY IS LONG AND HARD, THE MEAL PREP IS QUICK AND EASY

Posted on November 19, 2012November 27, 2015 by Susan Manfull

Chez ManfullThe allure of Provence for many of us is its wonderful cuisine coupled with an unfettered life that we imagine leisurely unfolds every day from the time we stretch to greet to the morning to the moments before we close our eyes to dream about the next day. We think of strolling through vibrant markets, baskets laden with fresh produce, cheeses, olives, and baguettes that will later find their way to our table; savoring long lunches in courtyards dotted with terra cotta pots of laven...

LE CASTELLAS ENCORE: IT’S ALWAYS A WILD EXPERIENCE AT LA FERME DE CHÈVRE IN SIVERGUES

Posted on October 14, 2012January 3, 2016 by Susan Manfull

At Le Castellas, to guess who else is coming for dinner is always part of fun. You can count on the goats, but we’ve also been joined by cats, dogs, sheep, and pigs. On our last visit, a horse came to the table and a fox watched from a short distance. Deep in the very heart of the Luberon, about 22 kilometers (a little over 12 miles) from our favorite village Lourmarin, lies the tiny village of Sivergues. With an elevation of 584 meters (1917 feet), it is the highest inhabited village in...