Provence from Fayence: Provence Guide

Protests disrupt holidaymakers in Provence

A horror story from Marseille where eight ladies were flying home to Dallas (via Paris) from a vintage buying tour in Provence at 6 a.m. yesterday and landed right in the middle of the French union protests and blockage at the Marseille Airport.

Dumped by the taxi driver at the gates of Marseille airport, despite extra financial inducements; they were forced to drag heavy bags overflowing with antiques to the terminal, through teeming protesters and their bonfires; met with refusal to check forward their bags past Paris and then had to schlepp from terminal A to F and were then blocked from boarding until American Airlines staff stepped in.

Read the whole story here. Bring back L'empereur.

Autumn comes in Provence

It's a sad day when the pool is shut down. We remember well the balmy days of summer, lazing for hours by the pool, watching the children make up games to play in the water, waiting for the next meal or - on a bad day - for a bank of clouds to hide the sun towards the end of the day.

Now, Pierre has been, removed the pump, installed the cover and locked up. When we come back, the poolside will be strewn with fallen olives, autumnal debris and the algae will have settled in the still waters.

Sic transit gloria Provenciae.

 

Birds of Provence

I have been asked about birds of Provence. The feathered variety, not the St-Tropez species. Not being an ornithologist, I reached for Google, fearing the worst. The search "Birds of Provence" brings up little of immediate value and, to be honest, the internet offers very little on Provence's apparent wealth of birds.

So I made a reference page of the best I could find, called Birds of Provence. The pink flamingoes of Camargue are the main attraction.

France tops "quality of life" index

Incredible. France tops the world 2008 "quality of life" index, according to Living Internation (and here's the commentary). I will retire now.

The rest of you can enjoy a taster of life in Provence in Mons.

Riviera Massage

Apprarently oriental masseuses have been cleaning up on the beaches of the French Riviera, at least until local red tape intervened. Teams of Chinese women have been massaging away in Cannes, Antibes and Juan-les-Pins last month, offering camphor oil massages for about €20. (Bargain at the price).

But...Michel Durand, head of the French Council of Masseurs and Physiotherapists (that'll be the local branch), demanded police intervention to stop what he described as unauthorised massages: “You can only practise massage in France if you have a state diploma and are registered with the local prefecture." And so, Police have begun chasing the masseuses away from the seafront after complaints from physios.

This all sounds like an amusing case of  globalisation (low cost skilled labour) versus local protectionism.

Provence scent inspires partially blind

Touching story from Napa (!) about a visually impaired girl who went to L'Occitane founder's special Provence Perfume school.

"In a four-day course, they were taught the secrets of perfume-making, a process that is less about seeing than smelling, feeling and imagining.... In Provence, the teenagers were taught how to extract oils from flowers, and they heard from a master perfumer -- or "nose," as they are known in the business. Kate Green, vice president of marketing for fine fragrance for Givaudan, a Swiss fragrance company, said there are about 350 such noses in the world. Most have been handpicked for their olfactory abilities and train for years at exclusive schools, she said."

Emma chose geranium, lavender and tea tree oil, with a bit of honeysuckle and vanilla. Does it for me...

What have the French done for us?

I am indebted to "La France Profonde" for bringing the wonderful Bill Maher article about the French to my attention. Well, more like how Americans have got it all wrong about the French, as most of their best ideas came from France.

"The American ideas of individuality, religious tolerance and freedom of speech came directly out of the French Enlightenment—but, shhh, don't tell Alabama... (The French) have weird ideas about privacy. They think it should be private. In France, everyone has a mistress. Even mistresses have mistresses. To not have a lady on the side says to the voters, "I'm no good at multitasking."

Hehe.

UFO en Provence?

Provence, it appears, plays host to the latest UFOs. What, aliens on the Riviera? Surely, not. (Although it was Cannes Film Festival last week).

I was moved by M. Mace's epic coverage: "Here two photographs of an UFO, taken by the Friend Catherine Saclier! Catherine was in the area of GEMENOS, area of Provence, in the South-east of France, on January 28, 2007…The Friend Catherine, very perceptive, felt at one time like something of odd, at this place, but without anything to see of private individual in the sky… Catherine nevertheless decides then to take photographs of the place with her numerical camera…"

Numerical cameras is the new digital. The story continues...

"Then, by téléchargant the photographs on its computer, Catherine discovers with astonishment, this luminous UFO in the sky, in top on the left photograph! …The Friend Catherine, a very discrete and very serious young woman, that I know very well, had kept these photographs for it."

I shall keep my eyes peeled and my numerical camera to hand.

Provence dumps goo

"Provence dumps goo and cools scallops" came into my Google Alert this morning & I was intrigued. I read on:

"The vat of orange goo is gone. The Palm Pilots are history. The flambe light-show has been canceled. Bouillabaisse and bourride have been bumped -- for now. Welcome to the new Provence. The empty seats have disappeared, too. "

Ha and then I see: "Provence, a charming regional French restaurant in Manhattan's Soho, closed last year following a two-decade run. It reopened last week. "

Oh well, chasing ephemera has its pitfalls.

Bondi to ape French Riviera

Top 10 beaches in the world? Surely Bondi has enough instant name recognition to make it on the list? And yet, it's a haven for back-packers. The solution: re-model it on the French Riviera - or St. Tropez to be more precise.

"I think it can have an international flavour, something like St Tropez. It doesn't have to cater to backpackers exclusively. We don't have to push them out, but we can have a bit more sophistication." The plans have been shunned by local councillors: "I think what we need to do is make it clear what we are talking about when we say the French Riviera."

Absolutely. What are we talking about? Judging by the photo...it looks...identical to a typical St. Tropez beach.