Blue Nude: Memory of Biskra by Henri Matisse This post coincides with David Scott Allen’s current post (5/26/12) on Cocoa & Lavender.  Entitled “When A Brownie Isn’t A Brownie,” David writes about two desserts that may well have been served on Saturday evenings at 27 rue de Fleurus in Paris in the early years of the last century. We had dinner with friends in Manhattan a few weeks ago.  The discussion naturally gravitated to what we were doing for the weekend.  Somewhere between the antipasti platter and my ragu alla Bolognese with fresh tagliatelle, I mentioned that we were going to see the New American…

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If you love markets, now there is one more reason to love Tuesdays in the Luberon. I have already written about Tuesday markets in Aix-en-Provence, Cucuron, and Gordes and haven’t even had the chance to cover two other favorite markets that take place on Tuesdays in Tour d’Aigues and Vaison-la-Romaine. And now, I just found out about another Tuesday market—at least this new addition won’t put pressure on the vacationer to decide which one to visit! The latest addition to the Tuesday line up is an evening market: On May 1, Lourmarin inaugurated an evening farmers’ market. My mouth waters when I picture the beautiful…

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Gordes, the village, has never been one of my favorite places. Just a little too trendy for my tastes. From a distance, it is a picturesque hilltop village. It is a simply stunning sight as the sun sets and a golden hue is cast on the ancient stone dwellings that climb the hill. (As you approach the village on D15, pull over and get your camera out—it is a picture perfect shot of Provence.) So quintessential, it beckons you to visit. My visits, however, have always been disappointing. Even though it is listed as “One of the Most Beautiful Villages of Provence,” Gordes has always…

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While we are in Provence, we spend a lot of time around the table, thoroughly enjoying the food before us. Most of the time that table is our own (although we are also fortunate to often find ourselves around the table in Pierre and Muriel’s home!). Readers of The Modern Trobadors know that we love to go to local markets and fill our baskets with goodies to take back to our own kitchen to cook. But, we also love to eat out. Several people with whom I correspond are each planning a trip to Lourmarin in the very near future—Kirsten in California and Sharon in…

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May 1st is La Fêtedu Travail in France. As in many other countries, it is “the worker’s holiday.” It is a very important day, a public holiday in which public offices, post offices, banks, and many private businesses are closed and some public transportation schedules may follow a holiday schedule. Parades and demonstrations to champion workers’ rights typically cause congestion and delays in traffic in metropolitan areas. This May Day will be no exception: demonstrators around the world, including France, will take to the streets in support of workers’ rights and other social justice causes. Le Muguet  Art: Alex Manfull, Age 9 In Paris, congestion will…

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This post coincides with David Scott Allen’s current Cocoa & Lavender post entitled “The Other French Laundry” French laundry conjures up all sorts of images. For my friend and fellow-blogger, David Scott Allen, visions of delectable meals from Thomas Keller’s famous restaurant surface…things like Creamy Maine Lobster Broth and English Pea Soup with White Truffle Oil and Parmesan Crisps. For my friend, Betsy Tabor with whom I have been exchanging gifts, poems, and postcards about laundry for years now —both French and American and, come to think of it, Burkina Fasoian, too—I thought she would say it’s about that crisp fresh smell that emanates from clothes left…

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It is quiet in Provence today. It is Lundi de Pâques, a public holiday in which post offices, banks, many stores and, especially in small villages, restaurants and cafés are closed. Look for family and friends gathered together for an Easter egg hunt, attending a parade or La Féria (which marks the start of bullfighting season in France) and, later, look for them around the table for the traditional Easter Monday meal of omelets. In our favorite village of Lourmarin, we checked in with friends to see how the celebration of Easter was taking form there. In the predominantly Roman Catholic country of France where…

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La Feria Corridas—the bullfighting festival—is so firmly ingrained in the Easter traditions of the Camarague area that, in this south western area of Provence, “Feria,” which means “festival,” seems to be synonymous, this time of year, with both Easter and bullfighting. In the main bullfighting arenas—Arles and Nîmes—as well as in the many small towns that set up temporary arenas, Easter weekend marks the start of bullfighting season. We found ourselves in Aigues-Mortes one Easter weekend several years ago. And there, in one of the small, non-descript arenas temporarily assembled for La Feria, we learned about course camarguaise. Aigues-Mortes, which comes from the Occitan language…

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Lavender is a magnet for tourists to Provence. Our post, “Lavender: A Flower Rooted in Sun-Drenched Provence,” remains our most read article and questions about lavender season dominate our inquiries. That a factory tour in sunny Provence is a popular tourist destination may not be such a surprise, then, when the company is L’Occitane, manufacturer of lavender-infused lotions, soaps, bath and shower gels, essential oils and much, much more. L’Occitane–pronounced “lox-ee-tan”—stores have popped up all over the States and around the world in recent years. Surely you know the ochre-colored boutiques with the peculiar word inscribed across the top. L’Occitane boutiques in Annapolis, Maryland and…

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With spring around the corner and warm temperatures to follow, the market in Aix-en-Provence is at the very top of my list of 10 favorite markets. The city’s famous flower market will soon be an irresistible cacophony of color, scent, and variety, a veritable garden in the midst of the Place de l’Hôtel de Ville. It is the place to be on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings.   We usually start our market expedition here in the flower market although we always park south of Cours Mirabeau in the Mignet parking lot (so we can stop off at Les Deux Garçons to fortify ourselves with…

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