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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View of Le Vieux Port in Marseille       Photo: David Scott Allen MARSEILLE: “EUROPEAN CAPITAL OF CULTURE” IN 2013 One of my scariest walks was to the Gare-de-Marseille-Saint-Charles. It was just as dawn was breaking and, having made a couple of wrong turns, the clock was moving uncomfortably close to the departure time of our train. Weighing the remaining minutes and the long distance to the Europcar office, my husband dropped my daughter and me off—along with a lot of luggage—so we could walk just a few blocks to the station while he deposited the rental car and ran the numerous blocks back to the station.…

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All across France today, on January 6th, parents are asking the youngest member of the family to sit under the table as dessert is being served. Pourquoi? Because it is the Day of the Epiphany and the Galette des Rois (the Cake of Kings) is being served. “Je ne comprend pas,” you say. In France, the Day of the Epiphany–the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas–marks the day that the Three Kings brought their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the manger in Bethlehem where the little Lord Jesus was asleep on the hay. The word epiphany comes from the Greek word epiphaneia…

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It doesn’t matter where you were when 2012 rolled into 2013 or how you welcomed the New Year–quietly or with great fanfare—if you are lucky enough to be alive as another year begins, embrace it. It is a gift. I prefer a quiet New Year’s Eve. Even a little solitude. It gives me a chance to reflect on the past year and plan for another. What worked well? What do I wish I had done differently? How shall I approach the New Year to make the most of it? Inevitably, I put pen to paper and record my New Year’s resolutions, thereby breathing life into…

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Chez Manfull The allure of Provence for many of us is its wonderful cuisine coupled with an unfettered life that we imagine leisurely unfolds every day from the time we stretch to greet to the morning to the moments before we close our eyes to dream about the next day. We think of strolling through vibrant markets, baskets laden with fresh produce, cheeses, olives, and baguettes that will later find their way to our table; savoring long lunches in courtyards dotted with terra cotta pots of lavender and rosemary; sipping pastis alongside artists and writers in cafes à la belle époque; and enjoying exquisite multi-course…

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The Modern Trobador is back at the keyboard after a brief hiatus to work on a photography exhibition in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. I have managed to weave together a post about photographs of Africa in New Hampshire, photographs of Africans in France, French Presidential trips to Africa, and the bestowing of France’s most prestigious award to Liberia’s President, all of which I hope you find interesting (and impressive that I wove it all together, coherently, I hope!). Africa is on my radar these days because I am part of an organization, the Seacoast African American Cultural Center (SAACC), which organized and just opened a photography…

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At Le Castellas, to guess who else is coming for dinner is always part of fun.  You can count on the goats, but we’ve also been joined by cats, dogs, sheep, and pigs. On our last visit, a horse came to the table and a fox watched from a short distance. Deep in the very heart of the Luberon, about 22 kilometers (a little over 12 miles) from our favorite village Lourmarin, lies the tiny village of Sivergues.  With an elevation of 584 meters (1917 feet), it is the highest inhabited village in this area.  Last count, there are 49 people who call Sivergues their…

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Sixty kilometers (38 miles) from Lourmarin, in the French department Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, lies Forcalquier where, every Monday morning, a lively market transforms the sleepy city. It is well worth the hour-or-so drive from Lourmarin to go to the market as well as to see a different side of Provence. So different that, in fact, some would not even consider this area Provence. Technically, Forcalquier is part of Provence. The administrative region of Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azure (PACA) certainly includes the departments of Vaucluse, Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-Maritimes, parts of Hautes-Alpes, as well as Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Ask most people what departments define Provence and most will include at least the Vaucluse, the Bouches-du-Rhone,…

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