french culture Archives - Curious Provence

The Bells of Bonnieux

September 22, 2020 by ashleyt 8 Comments

Our Experience with the Church Bells of Bonnieux

Vincent gils bonnieux carillonneur. Church bells of bonnieux. — Vincent Gils, Carillonneur (bell-ringer) of the Èglise Haute de Bonnieux.

Recently, we stayed in the hilltop village of Bonnieux in the Luberon valley of Provence where we were treated to a singular sensory experience. We reached out to Vincent Gils, the only carillonneur (bell-ringer) left in the Vaucluse area and one of few left in France.

Vincent’s father, Bernard, taught him to ring the bells. Before him, his father was the custodian of this church, at the summit of Bonnieux, with 900 years of history. His father says that “Pour moi, mon clocher, c’est un piano volant” (for me, my bell, is like a flying piano). Nowadays, churches in France have automated bells. However, in Bonnieux, bells are rung by hand for mariages, baptisms, funerals and religious festivals. Vincent has been doing it for the last thirty years. He agreed to allow us to witness the ringing of the bells as he was on that day going to pay homage to a villager, a good friend, that passed away that week.

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Learn your ABCs in French

March 31, 2017 by ashleyt Leave a Comment

I came across this document in a pile of papers in a french flea market. It’s dated 1896. I find details like this really indicative of their time and culture. For example, the imagery of a military hat, canon, soldiers, rifle, and sword are most certainly indicative of their time. The inclusion of factory and ‘wagon,’ an English word?, point to the industrial revolution. Then again, both words are surprisingly still there in the modern chart. Can anyone think of a French word that starts with W?

I’d love to know who decides which words are chosen for these types of things. Are they chosen ‘par hazard’ or are they given much thought? It’s interesting to note that the first 2 letters in the modern French chart below use the same words. Of all the words in the world!

Do you know all of these? I must admit that I had to look a couple of them up for their exact definition. Even then, it’s tricky as many of the above images are toys.

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La Jeune Fille de XVIII Siècle Illustrations

March 6, 2017 by ashleyt Leave a Comment

La Jeune Fille de XVIII Siecle: The Young Girl from the 18th Century

I found this curious book some time ago. When you search for it on the internet, it’s prefaced with “nos petites grandes mères” or “our little grandmothers.” I love etchings and engravings (having done quite a few myself) so I when I first flipped through the pages, I marveled at the romanticized French scenes from the 18th century. As I continued on, I was reminded of how limited the women’s world was at that time. It’s the same confined spaces that reappear in all the images.

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My Vegbox in Provence

October 14, 2016 by ashleyt 2 Comments

French seasonal produce from a weekly vegbox

The contents of my vegbox in Provence. Delivered to my door every Friday.

May I brag for a moment?

Have you seen how ridiculous this Provençal version of a vegbox is? This was in September. We started receiving our vegbox during the summer when I found out that half my street also gets the same parcel delivered once a week by a local Paysan. Why didn’t anyone tell me sooner?

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Transhumance St Remy de Provence

May 16, 2016 by ashleyt 4 Comments

**The next Transhumance in Saint Remy de Provence is Monday, May 21st

This morning Robin and I drove over the Alpilles to see the Transhumance pass through the town of Saint Remy de Provence. The Transhumance is when, in the Spring, the sheep from the southern plains are led back up to the cooler mountains to graze on the fresh grass there. There are 2000 sheep that pass through the small town of Saint Remy; it’s quite the site to see!

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The 9 Best Markets in Provence

April 19, 2016 by ashleyt 85 Comments

CuriousProvence Market Tours

Curious about in the ins and outs of working in a market in Provence?
Do you want to taste the best Provencal ingredients?
Would you like to eat breakfast at the market with the workers?

Book a foodie market tour with me!

Tours are about 3.5 hours in the towns of St Remy de Provence and Eygalières. There’s lots of tasting to be done so come hungry! Tours are private and cost 250€ for 2 people or 310€ with a picnic. Day tours and combined market tour and photoshoot experiences are possible. Send me an email to ask about availabilities. curiousprovence@gmail.com

My Favourite Markets in Provence

Just about every village in Provence has a weekly market. Some villages have markets that occur twice a week or even daily! Markets are absolutely my favourite part of living in Provence.

We can easily spend a day wandering through the stalls and people watching as we sit at a wonky table with a couple glasses of rosé. The weekly market is a ritual that is truly part of living in Provence. On Sundays, you’ll see whole families shopping together as kids amazingly express great interest in the new vegetables of the season. Here are my 9 favourite Provençal markets.

Seasonal mushrooms at Le Thor market

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Joyeuse Pâques! Easter in Provence

March 26, 2016 by ashleyt 9 Comments

Easter in Provence

The bakeries are full of handmade chocolate. The church bells have stopped ringing last Thursday only to burst to life on Sunday morning, and just about everyone is planning a large meal that is sure to include some local lamb and spring veggies.

Easter Chocolate

The biggest difference between Easter here and my native North America? Most French people buy their easter eggs either at the local bakery, which has made them especially, or an artisan chocolatier. We eat a lot less, but higher quality chocolate. This is the mantra for just about anything food related here in France. The radio commercials that warn you that snacking is bad for your health make me laugh. In Anglo-Saxon culture, all people ever seem to talk about concerning eating habits is snacking! I’m personally with the French on this one- I’d rather stretch the limits of my stomach on a 3 course meal any day!

To get you into the Easter spirit, here are some scans of cartes postales anciennes that I’ve acquired through many hours of rifling through stacks of old papers at assorted vide greniers.

Vintage Easter French Postcards

Would you like some eggs?

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Tipping in French Restaurants

March 22, 2016 by ashleyt 2 Comments

Myth: You’re not Expected to Tip in French Restaurants

There’s a myth about tipping in French restaurants. The only people that don’t tip in French restaurants are tourists that read English language guides about France that tell them they don’t need to tip.

It’s true that there isn’t much of a tipping culture here in France; thank goodness! I find the constant tipping (for seemingly everything) when I visit the United States exhausting. However, it is customary to leave tips in restaurants where you have a full sit down meal. There are no absolute set rules but here’s a general guide.

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Rosemary and Bay Chocolate Truffles

November 6, 2015 by ashleyt 6 Comments

Rosemary and Bay Chocolate Truffles- “The Essence of Flavour”

Truffle faux pas

Last year, as a gift for a kind favour, Robin and I baked these amazing truffles and presented them to a neighbour in a pretty glass jar. She looked at us almost in disgust. Not only had we gone through the trouble to make truffles when most French people buy such things made by professionals- we gave her truffles in June. Personally, I’m happy to eat these gorgeous morsels all year round, and I’m not even wild about truffles (these are different). My neighbour informed me (with a pitying smile) that one should only eat truffles around Christmastime. Urgh. Another faux pas. Such is the minefield of strong French beliefs when it comes to food. Either way, it’s getting closer to Christmas so perhaps it’s safe to suggest that you enjoy making these on a blustery Sunday while going back and forth to your book next to the fireside.

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Homemade Walnut Wine Recipe

June 22, 2015 by ashleyt 27 Comments

An Apéritif for all Year

The first liquor we made in France was our homemade walnut wine. June 24^th, Saint John’s day, is the traditional day in Provence to pick green walnuts for walnut wine. Yes, it’s a specific day. However, if you manage to find some new walnuts on the ground during the next couple weeks, your walnut wine should turn out just fine! Just tell your neighbour that you picked them on the 24th…

Green Nuts

Depending on where you live the walnuts may or may not be ready. The walnuts must be picked before their hard shell forms within the lime green casing. In any case, it’s quite difficult to go wrong here (even if you do fiddle with the recipe) as this is one of the easiest and most satisfying home liquors to make.

Green Walnuts for Vin de Noix.

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