A truly spectacular place to buy a property; as well as visit for a holiday! I’ve always dreamed of having a home here. Transforming a wooden house into a cozy, stylish home. I’ve met many people in Provence who have done just that.
I dream of preparing for Christmas by chopping and stacking wood for our alpine home and HUGE FUN tasks like digging ourselves out of freshly fallen snow drifts outside the front door. Trips to enchanting villages nearby for chocolate box treats. Exquisite! Fresh mountain air, dramatic scenery, HEAPS of opportunity for cheese fondue. The snow is still … Read More
A best friend’s birthday arrived and we agreed on a spring Alpine getaway. Our chosen destination, Megeve. A traditional Haute Savoie village in the mighty Mont Blanc where the French hip and cool come to play. With the village at 1,000ft and the highest skiing point at 2,350ft, it’s not the highest and the snow can be a little dicey; but if you want perfectly groomed pistes and a great choice of beginner/intermediate runs you will be satisfied. This is a place for food lovers and the little village sparkles with cozy interior-design shops, endless patisseries and horse-drawn carriages. Our … Read More
Feels like the start of summer here in Provence……… the light is incredible……. translucent…… and the blue sky is electrifying! The region has started to warm up. It started in early May – the chill of the early morning and evening has gone making way for a soft warm feeling. Almond trees, cherry trees and soon the lavender. The colours are vivid! The mosquitoes are back!! I’m feeling a little blue too; I can’t believe its getting closer to the time when I will return to England. But first, the summer. Aix en Provence is getting busy….. tourist buses are … Read More
Aix en Provence is in a fabulous location. It’s accessible to many places. Avignon, Paris, Nimes, Montpellier, St Tropez and Nice are so easy to get to and are all interesting in their own right. But sometimes its tempting to search further a field into Spain or Italy.
Barcelona is only four hours away by car and it’s a place I have certainly wanted to explore for a long time now. Oh so tempting to go as it’s so close……. and it doesn’t disappoint. What a city! Hot, cool, passionate, wild and edgy, it has a beat all of its … Read More
We have all been there. I’ve been there a thousand times. After school activities and the quest for something that they want to stick at. Crowded swimming pool waiting rooms, windy athletic tracks – the same conversation over and over ‘you can’t give up yet you’ve just started’. The joy when finally it works – well for a while anyway!
Day three of our arrival in Provence we were directed to a fabulous event in Aix showcasing hundreds of after school activities – all the usuals from home plus mountain biking, hiking, skiing. Wednesday afternoon is when this all takes … Read More
They never appreciated a luxury holiday but now my girls (the whirls as I call them – because they are always whirling around) have really started to enjoy a touch of 5 star…….. Ooooh! they exclaimed as we were shown to our room at the stunning Villa Gallici Hotel in Aix en Provence.
Surrounded by silk and velvet and gorgeous smelling hand cut roses, everything in this magical haven had been thought out carefully. The whirls eyes sparkled! No nagging from mum to wash, they were straight in the shower with lotions and potions smelling of rose and lavender. Oh … Read More
A quick hop, skip and a jump down the A8 and the A52 and we are in Cassis. Forty minutes to be exact. An exquisite town too small to cope with the thousands that visit. Mid October and its quieter……. Lovely. Am I really here? This is one of the local beach hangouts close to Aix en Provence and it’s picture postcard perfect.
Living in London for so many years’ I regularly yearned to pop down to the coast, but it never happened as it felt too far away or I was never organised enough.
It’s the second time in … Read More
Our first day at the little CIPEC International School located just ten minutes outside Aix on a peaceful road surrounded by beautiful sunflowers. The house we are renting is four minutes away and I’m in heaven as it’s so much quicker than my school run back home. When we first ventured to the school in June for a visit it was quiet, apart from the children that is…… Fast forward to the first day of Autumn term and the quiet road is jammed with international looking cars (i.e. big ones like ours) and the sunflower field has turned into a … Read More
Recent Posts
- Ile de Re – perfect Atlantic holiday island in France
- Hotel and Chalet Le Croix Fry – authentic, charming special winter retreat
- Postcard from a traditional savoyard ski area in France
- Stunning retro chic b & b in Aix countryside
- Take a trip to the beautiful Aix en Provence
- A heady cliff walk and one of the clearest water swims in the Med
- A peek inside a beautiful chalet hotel in the French Alps – near La Clusaz
- Port Grimaud; great family hang-out
- Cassis – the fishing port with film-set looks
- A very special resort in French Alps – Megeve
