Provence blogger Archives - Curious Provence

Fête de la Fraise Carpentras

April 1, 2017 by ashleyt 9 Comments

strawberries at a strawberry festival in Carpentras

If you want a large quantity of strawberries, buy in the morning. You’ll be surprised how quickly these baskets disappear.

For the Love of Strawberries

One of the ways that you’re forced to adapt to Provence is living by the seasons. At first, it was awe-inspiring to see the kafuffle when certain fruits and veggies came into season. The debate in the street as to when they’re really ready… Now, I wouldn’t be able to live any other way. It’s principle to eat fruits that are only in season, even if they are available in some large supermarkets all year round.

I was recently in the States and I must say that even organic, highly priced fruit specimens had no flavour compared to the fruit here. I was in Florida! However, here, just like in the days of old, people only eat strawberries for about 6 weeks of the year. It’s worth the wait. The trick is to eat so many that you’re sick of them. No easy feat in my case.

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CuriousProvence on House Hunters International

January 30, 2017 by ashleyt 145 Comments

house hunters international filming in provence

First day of shooting. Very nervous!

Pricey in Provence

On December 27th, our House Hunters International show “Pricey in Provence” first aired on HGTV in the US.

House hunters International contacted me last year through Curious Provence. When I told them that we were interested in buying a house they wanted to start filming as quickly as possible. Usually, I’m very shy in front of the camera. However, we thought it would be a fun experience.

Anglophones abroad on the show generally rent, especially relatively young couples like us. Dedicated to our Provençal dream, we knew that we wanted to buy either in the Aix en Provence area or Les Alpilles. We quickly found out that Aix en Provence is second to Paris in terms of property prices. Urgh. Maybe next time.

Pricey in Provence indeed.

Buying a house abroad is very different from buying a property through Pasadena Texas realtor in the US, for example. There are unique considerations and decisions that you need to make. This is probably what helps make it such compelling TV.

We settled on Les Alpilles region, not much lower in price. Les Alpilles is the olive producing region of Provence. It’s absolutely stunning. It’s chic, depending on the village, while still being in the countryside. A perfect investment for us; rest assured that we had read what people had told us were the best real estate investing books so we felt well informed enough to confidently close the deal. We knew that we could find what we wanted here. Of course, we were more than happy to make sure that we had a home inspection lined up to check out any home we had our hearts set on. If you are in a similar position then I would encourage you to visit your local home inspection service. This might be found by going to https://goldengatehomeinspections.com.

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The Real Savon de Marseille: Savonnerie de Sérail

November 11, 2016 by ashleyt 22 Comments

Une Journée de Découverte à Marseille

Curious Provence is one of the official bloggers for Provence Prestige in Arles. My Provence, working with Bouches-du-Rhône Tourisme, hosted a blog trip last weekend in Marseille and the Camargue. I was proud to be the only anglophone out of the seven local bloggers invited!

What is Provence Prestige?

Provence Prestige is an upmarket indoor Christmas market held in Arles. For the last 22 years, the event has attracted some 30,000 people. Provence Prestige celebrates the best of Provence gastronomy, décor, beauty, and design. Every company or artist participating is chosen because they represent quality.

The holiday ambiance is a treat. There are more than 150 stands. You can do all your Christmas shopping under one roof! The event November 15th to the 19th (2018).

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L’Occitane Interviews Provence Blogger Curious!

August 22, 2016 by ashleyt 2 Comments

A Provence Blogger

L’Occitane, the creator of lovely soaps and essential oils in Provence, reached out for an interview last month with Curious Provence. A Provence blogger on the rise; they must have found out how much I love this beautiful region that has so much character.

Voici l’article en Français, and in English.

I always used to buy from this company in my native Montréal. Now, I live in such proximity to their lavender fields and almond orchards. Sadly, I didn’t get a box of their products! Maybe next time?…

Spring Weekend at the Gorges du Verdon

June 2, 2016 by ashleyt 13 Comments

Our Weekend Road Trip

For my birthday last year, Robin and I headed off for an indulgent long weekend at the Gorges du Verdon. When in Europe eh? We had already been to the Southern parts of the Gorges du Verdon where you’ll find many turquoise lakes. (As I’m basically part-fish this resulted in me swimming in the gorgeous clear water in my undies as my British man looked on embarrassed).

The best part of living in France, other than the Provencal markets, is the fact that you can get in the car and be in a completely different landscape in a small amount of time. We have spent countless days just driving around the French countryside admiring neglected farmhouses and roadside produce stands. I had always wanted to see the Gorges du Verdon; we decided that Spring would be the best time to visit as it can be a very popular destination in the summer. Here is the itinerary for our Spring weekend in the Gorges du Verdon.

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May 1st in Provence: Arlésiennes et Gardians

May 1, 2016 by ashleyt 18 Comments

Fête des Gardians

Le Fête des Gardians is the annual festival in Arles celebrating the lifestyle and traditions of the gardians. Gardians are basically the French, more refined, version of cowboys that rear bulls for delicious daube provençal. There’s an enormous parade, blessings of the animals, a queen of Arlésiennes is elected and to top it all off there’s a 4-hour long spectacle at the antique Roman arena involving horsemanship games and bull running.

The first of May is also the day where you’ll be expected to buy ‘muguets’ or ‘clochettes du porte bonheur’ (lily of the valley) in honour of French labour day….

Christmas Market St Remy de Provence

December 19, 2015 by ashleyt 4 Comments

Christmas in Saint Remy de Provence

Saint Remy’s Marche de Noel

Here are some photos from last year’s Christmas market to get you into the holiday mood.
Dec 15-17, 2017* The date is always around the same time but changes every year.

St Remy de Provence’s weekend-long Christmas market will be this weekend! The stalls will set up in front of the Marie (town hall) where you’ll find boudin blanc, fougasse, quality wheels of mountain cheese, honey, pain d’épice, champagne, artisans and even the guy who comes every year to roast chestnuts!

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September Harvest in Provence

September 3, 2015 by ashleyt 1 Comment

A typical day of the September harvest in Provence from my enormous garden (and 3 chickens). Including tomatoes, parsley, swiss chard, eggs, nasturtium leaves

September Harvest in Provence

The mornings are crisp all of a sudden. The days are still hot. The harvest, of just about everything, is in full swing. I went for a walk and followed the smell of a skip full to the brim of grape skins before I stepped into the leaking juice running down the road. At the Coteaux d’Aix wine harvest festival in Lambesc- there are grapes between my toes as I hold my linen market dress up and squeal. Afterward, a seventy-year-old paysan cleans my feet with Savon de Marseille.

I’m fighting a losing battle as I try to make a sauce out of the kilos and kilos of tomatoes that are unhappy on my hot kitchen counter. Between batches, sweating in my kitchen, I only have a moment to reflect. Pesto needs to be made and I’m not sure how much money I should spend on the pine nuts. The locals relax at the markets; they have more time to talk. They’ve either made their money for the year during the month of August or have accepted that it won’t be made. The tourists didn’t buy as much.

As I drive by the local roundabout I smile as I notice an older woman pinching the olives on the trees there. She and a couple friends will be raking them off the branches within a few weeks. There isn’t any waste. I’m eyeing up the black husks hanging off the wrangled almond trees in the field down the road. I’ve already seen people on bikes picking from the lower branches. I’ve planted my beets and my leeks and the borage has re-seeded. I had no idea it would create such an expansive sea of mauve flowers.

I’ve started to drink red wine in the evenings. I’m actually looking forward to the cooler months where my Canadian bones (while blaming the whipping wind of the Mistral instead of the snow) will hide under a quilt with a good book and a cup of tea. Soon the leaves on the grapevines will change colour and the French women will start wearing their elegant Autumn boots. September in Provence.

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For the Love of Strawberries

Pricey in Provence

Une Journée de Découverte à Marseille

What is Provence Prestige?

A Provence Blogger

Our Weekend Road Trip

Fête des Gardians

Christmas in Saint Remy de Provence

Here are some photos from last year’s Christmas market to get you into the holiday mood. Dec 15-17, 2017* The date is always around the same time but changes every year.

September Harvest in Provence

Here are some photos from last year’s Christmas market to get you into the holiday mood.
Dec 15-17, 2017* The date is always around the same time but changes every year.