Provence from Fayence outwards

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.

Liverpool off to Cannes

You have to just love it. All those Liverpool city councillors and 5 other public sector supporters all off to pitch Liverpool at a big property bash in Cannes. "The big guns of Merseyside's private and public sectors head to the French Riviera this week in a drive to generate millions of extra inward investment," reports Cheshire Online. (For overseas readers, Cheshire is where many of Liverpool's rich live). I'm sure they'll do very well in old Provence.

What's stranger is this: "Liverpool's award-winning brewery, Cains, will also have its famous lager on draught in the south of France for the first time. The company's Finest Lager will be on tap to quench the thirst of chief executives and property magnates from all across the world... The beer and lager can be sampled at the Liverpool stand in the Riviera Hall Palais des Festivals along with champagne and continental breakfasts every morning."  You choose: Cotes de Provence, Burgundy or Cains or (as the article suggests) Champagne? 

Call me a snob but only city councillors from England's north west would drink beer for breakfast along with a continental breakfast: j'aimerais un pain chocolat et une pression Cains.

Kingfisher Calendar 2007

Provence and the French Riviera is the destination of choice for the all new, colourful, action-packed 2007 Kingfisher Calendar. It's very exciting, really. Last year it was Pirelli, and now, the renowned Indian beer brand.

I am struggling to find the link between Provence and this beer: curry is not a popular on the Cote d'Azur. I am also struggling to spot the relevance of the subject matter to Kingfisher's product. Beer is more of a bloke's drink, really. Association with football works with in England.

Personally, I'm a Cobra man, but after this calendar, I am inclined to switch. The views of Antibes and Cannes are quite fetching.

Go Provence Visitors

The secret is out...here are the top 25 words that people typed into Yahoo! and Google to find "Provence from Fayence outwards". Interesting read for the analytically-minded (the comments are mine):

ryannair (a mis-spelling)
fayence (obviously)
baguette recipe (a bizarre source...)
beyond provence (the great Provence information site)
grape diet (don't we all?)
carol drinkwater (our neighbours!)
provence vineyards (with good reason)
provence ceramics
truffle price (the great local luxury)
rod stewart house (where is it?)
a good year peter mayle (doing the rounds in the cinemas, just)
provence (where?)
l'oiseau de baumaniere
noreva (the anti-wrinkle jam you can't buy anywhere)
bargemon (where Beckham owns a house)
callian
ratatouille pronounce (it seems people just can't say it)
provence weather (360 days of sunshine, I recall)
pronounce ratatouille (as above)
mons (home from home)
fayence restaurants (favourite haunts)
mediterranean glamour (do we have it, yes we do)
wines of provence (keep 'em coming)
michelin star restaurants (even more favourite, sadly less frequented)
pronounce provencal (easier than ratatouille)
callian provence (no. 2 local village two after Mons)