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 contenders, but, to paraphrase France’s well-known author Jean Giono, it’s the lavender that taps into the soul of Provence. Or, as the well-known English writer Peter Mayle wrote, perhaps…

By:
On:
In: Art, Lavender

Entrance to Carrières de Lumières  © Culturespaces The Carrières du Val d’Enfer–the quarries in the Valley of Hell–have provided limestone for over 2000 years. The Romans exploited the quarries for material to rebuild the nearby Celto-Liguirian town of Glanum back in 200 BC and later to create the Roman city of Arles. In the 11th century, the notorious Lords of les Baux built their formidable chateau out of limestone from these neighboring quarries. (Now referred to as the Chateau des Baux, it is a “must see” on our list of tourist destinations in Provence.) The quarries continued to provide limestone until they were closed in 1935.…

By:
On:
In: Art, Museums, Places

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 and our hearts were warmed. We reveled in the beauty of Van Gogh Up Close, an impressive collection of…

By:
On:
In: Art, Culture, Events, Museums

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 been intrigued by what demons may have plagued him. A few years back, in an Abnormal…

By:
On:
In: Art, History, People

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 writer Louis J. Salome, author of “Violence, Veils, and Bloodlines: Reporting from War Zones,” describes the elaborate labyrinth he had to navigate when he went…

By:
On:
In: Culture, History

If world-famous artists like Paul Cezanne and Vincent Van Gogh fell in love with Provence, Montana wildlife painter Monte Dolack says it’s got something to do with the luminous landscape and the culture he too found so captivating during recent trips there. “There’s a sense of wildness, but almost no natural forest. It’s shaped because of people planting things, so it has a different look that’s kind of intriguing,” said Dolack (who has stayed twice in our rental apartment in Lourmarin). “The vegetation is subtropical– palm trees, oranges, lemons. And the French are terrific at taking care of it.” Lourmarin And in the Lourmarin area…

By:
On:
In: Art, People