Yesterday I gave a talk to the International Women’s Club of New England. The subject was the Lubéron—not surprising, eh?—but what was surprising was which slide generated some of the most lively conversation, especially after the talk. This is a very sophisticated group of women (and yesterday there were two men in the audience) who have traveled widely and frequently. They are a savvy bunch. Many are from European countries, including France. And, yet, the thought that a paradise such as the Lubéron might have a few thieves in the mix was, well, inconceivable. Preposterous. And I understand why. How do you reconcile two such…

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As we roll in to our favorite village in Provence, I always feel good when I see Lourmarin’s charming profile–the one that graces the masthead of The Modern Trobadors–and I know that when we round a few more corners, we will see its majestic château. This (mainly) Renaissance château, the first of this period in Provence, sits atop a hill, dominating the western view of the village, as it has–more or less–for at least 600 years. Today, this majestic building draws visitors from around the world–tourists who simply want to see this lovely castle as well as young artists, writers, and researchers who are invited…

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  The growing demand for excellent rosés—and Provence’s ability to meet that demand—was unmistakably clear at “Provence in the City 2013,” a tasting of rosé wines in New York City last Tuesday. With over 30 wineries from the heart of the world’s eminent rosé region, this tasting was the largest collection of pink wine producers that the United States will see this year, according to Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence (CIVP), the French group that hosted the event. Brasserie Cognac restaurant, in the heart of Manhattan, was the perfect setting for this annual event. An amazing array of hors d’oeurves were served under the…

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Last weekend brought another snowy Sunday to New England….and to parts of Provence. It snowed unusually hard in the Var where Trobador reader Pamela O’Neill said she had to brush off several centimeters of snow from her car. But the roads were so icy she could not go anywhere. So, what to do? If she were on this side of the Atlantic, we would have asked her to join us…. And what does a small group of Francophiles do in New Hampshire? Ah, mais bien sur, they gather ‘round the piano to listen to the music of France’s most famous chanteuse. Édith Piaf, born Édith…

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Amour has captured the hearts of movie-buffs, critics, and those that bestow those coveted awards every year. The Austrian film—I know, you thought it was French!—swept France’s César Awards this past Friday evening: Best Film, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. It also received the Palme d’Or award at Cannes this past spring. At tonight’s Academy Awards, this wonderful movie is in contention for five Oscars: Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Director, Best Foreign Language Film, and Best Original Screenplay. Sadly, Jean-Louis Trintignant was not nominated for Best Actor. Amour is not a movie for everyone. It…

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Part Two of Two Parts This is the second of two posts inspired by Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts exhibition entitled “The Postcard Age: Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection,” on view through April 14, 2013. Showcasing around 700 postcards from Mr. Lauder’s massive collection—which he recently gifted to the MFA—it is an immensely interesting and fun exhibition. The first post, last week, entitled “Postcards from France: Provence and the Côte d’Azur,” focused on the postcard craze that swept across the world around the turn of the 20th century and showed postcards from a friend’s collection of images from the South of France. This…

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Today's Café Gaby lies where rue de Henri Savournin appears to end, on the left.

Part One of Two Parts   “Postcards from France” was inspired by the current exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts (MFA) in Boston entitled “The Postcard Age: Selections from the Leonard A. Lauder Collection,” featuring over 700 miniature pieces of art from his very sizable collection of postcards. Today’s post focuses on postcards of Provence and the Côte d’Azur and what I learned from the curator of this MFA exhibit about the history of postcards. Next week’s post will feature postcards from the other regions of France and I will present what I learned about Mr. Lauder’s collection of postcards. I am grateful to…

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What is the Lubéron? It is a range of mountains called the Grand and the Petit Luberon divided by a valley called the Combe de Lourmarin; a regional park called Parc naturel régional du Luberon; a cultural region that has long drawn an eclectic mix of writers, hikers, and well-heeled Parisians; and, as of 1988, an Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC), meaning its wines achieved a high enough level of quality to merit their inclusion in the government system that protects the integrity of French wine by governing its production and origin, among other factors. With so many reasons to visit Provence’s Lubéron, it’s hard to…

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The complicated and factious situation in West Africa, now centered in the former French colony Mali, has been difficult to fully understand without a background in the long history and politics of West and North Africa, its people (especially the Tuareg) and the emerging network of terrorist groups, some of which are connected to al-Qaeda. Having a good map is helpful, too. Beyond a recent acquaintance with the Tuareg, a vague notion of the location of Mali’s famous Timbuktu, a mental image of Mali’s neighboring countries, and an appreciation of the region’s music, I didn’t know much more. Articles I found helpful in elucidating this…

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It is 12 degrees outside as I write this post. The wind is howling and the ground is covered with several inches of snow. Portsmouth, New Hampshire is not in the Alps, the place from which this Swiss dish hails, but the blustery weather makes me long for a roaring fire and one of Switzerland’s storied and traditional meals. Hint: it has a French name. Not fondue…the other Swiss meal with the French name—raclette. In the United States, nearly everyone is familiar with cheese fondue, but very few people know about raclette. And yet, it is said to be more popular in its native country…

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