Blogs from Lourmarin, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe

Aix-en-Provence is known as the Paris of the south and a stunning city but we delayed our anticipated visit there when the weather turned stormy. We had whizzed through it on the way to Cassis, so ithe trip did not seem too daunting. We know the spots where we took wrong turns and how to avoid tolls if we want to. Nevertheless, with only a few days left in this area, last night we almost balked! So many things to see, stories of impossible parking, my inability to walk long distances, especially uphill, and the tricks that Google maps plays all conspired to make us hesitate. Loic, our host, used to live in Aix, but a little like a native speaker trying to help a language beginner, he doesn’t understand our challenges and airily tells it ... read more

This whole trip began with a dream at home in Australia about Cassis, a tiny town on the south coast of France, just 22km east of Marseille. Over a year ago, I was browsing the internet looking for ways for us to get to Europe again, and came across the Camargo Foundation - an institute situated in Cassis for the encouragement of artists, thinkers and performers. Thy offered several residential courses each year for selected participants, including accommodation and some support - it sounded too good to be true! We felt more and more drawn to it, and Peter put together his application. We knew, however, that it was a long shot and probably favoured artists with more profile. As the months went by we talked about the options and what we would do if Cassis ... read more

This is our fifth trip to Europe together and we have generally used trains to get around - until this time. Peter has always dreamed of tootling around Tuscany or Provence in a car but it has seemed like more of a nightmare for me. My left brain predominates and the challenge of reversing everything I know from fifty years of driving on the left side of the road feels insurmountable. My can-do husband, however, is the right-brained artist who can reverse trailers using mirrors and once drove on the other side in Los Angeles in a borrowed car! Could I sit in the wrong sided passenger seat and enjoy the ride? Well, we are doing it and I haven’t screamed once, at least not aloud. As our plan developed, it was clear that to live ... read more

Lourmarin is indeed a plus beau village and that is why we chose to stay here. We looked up the offical list of the ten most beautiful French villages and checked them all out - but Lourmarin's location in Provence, and the fact that it is fairly flat and not clinging to the side of a mountain won us over. We were also to discover that it has an extraordinary number of galleries and artists for a tiny place. So that was it and the rest of our trip developed from that decision. After our big journey from Paris on Saturday, it was like coming home when we drove into La Luberonne chambre d’hôtes. There are villas and a pool at the front, but this cottage is the old farmhouse, situated at the back of the ... read more

Uzes and the Luberon, 17, September Thru 28th September Ed & Wendy had arranged a swap for us all just outside the Languedoc-Roussillon town of Uzes. This house built into the ramparts of the town was originally bought and re-furbished by a Swedish couple and their architect, it was subsequently sold to an Englishman, the current owner. Yes, it's pretty nice and very comfortable! I'm not going to ramble on with a diary style blog, but am just going to mention the highlights. And, as always with us, it has a high food content. Caroline is doing a food blog, but personally I'm in search of the perfect Steak Tartare, and I think I found it in a restaurant in Aix. While traveling with Wendy and Ed, we have spent our lunchtimes in some pretty nice ... read more