The French say “In April do not take off a thread” ( meaning a thread of clothing ) as it could feel summery or back to winter within a day. It sure was true this year ! We enjoyed a beautiful weekend with 82F/ 27C , gardening and cleaning up the pool and the next day temperatures fell down to 38-55F / 4-12C with 50 miles/hour Mistral wind blowing our brains out for now 10 days straight . But Mistral days bring us 300 days of sun per year in Provence and we sure feel thankful for that . So it can be beautiful, green with flowers blooming everywhere or cold and rainy, you just take a chance when traveling at that time. This year , Easter being so early , most businesses re opened in April but you could still have many closed until May . The horde of tourists hasn’t arrived yet and it can be the best time to explore !
Of course when you come to the south of France for the first time you want to see what it is known for , and you should see it, absolutely. But if you have already been to the Riviera, seen the lavender fields in summer, explored many hill town villages in Provence, this is for you ; an other area we just discovered and fell in love with: The Aveyron region just north of Carcassonne , east of Toulouse. It isn’t nearly as touristy as the Dordogne but seriously hits all the marks on our books. Where ever you go in France , there will be beautiful cathedrals, chateaux, wonderful local food and the Aveyron is no exception but we also loved the incredible scenery , natural wonders and medieval villages , so different from where we are from .
Here are photos of our little road trip. Happy Springtime to you !
First was Navacelles Circle with it’s tiny winding road down and up the valley carved by the Vis river 15 Million years ago
We then drove through the Tarn Gorges and stopped at La Malène for a picnic lunch by the river . Lots of people come to canoe in summer here.
Muret le Chateau is a very central base to tour around and the most charming little village, with a cooling river for hot summer days and a beautiful waterfall. The hotel is simple but offers an incredible half board. It is a modern cuisine using fresh, local , organic ingredients. Out of the eight of us , no-one was disappointed by the chef’s menu. We loved how quiet and small it was but if you want more options to eat and have a drink you should consider a bigger town . The view from our room … church ringing in the morning and birds singing , a very peaceful place to stay. https://www.laubergeduchateau.com
Nearby is the medieval village of Conques, labeled as one of the most beautiful village in France and an important stop for St Jean de Compostelle pilgrims. The Abbatiale is worth visiting with a guide as some parts are not accessible otherwise. The contemporary stained glass from renowned artist Pierre Soulage must be even more beautiful at sunset . I am sure the site gets very busy in summer , specially the famous treasure of Ste Foix relics but it’s a really big part of this church’s history .
Nearby Canyon de Bozouls where we took the short hike down and up the church; but the site is better seen from walking atop around the edge. In summer the river down the hole has a nice and cool hiking trail.
You are pretty close to Laguiole if you decide to visit the famous knife making town and the Lot Valley from there . But we decided to check out a unique knife maker in Marcillac on our way back to the hotel. Le Liadou was originally used as a tool by the farmers of the surrounding vineyards . It is still all hand made in Marcillac , a beautiful knife to use everyday at the table . It’s a more rustic knife than its close neighbor of Laguiole but the heavier built feels wonderful to hold and cut. We ordered custom carbon blades for ours and ebony handles that will go very well with the rest of our daily cutlery. But I have to say that their light color horn handles were pure perfection. https://le-liadou.com/pages/couteau-aveyron-marcillac
There are very few vineyards left in the area , only about 600 acres in total spread out in many small patches . We took a look at one from the view point of Cassagnes Comtaux so if you decide to visit the Aveyron , know that there is more here than just castles and foie gras !
We have been many times to Carcassonne so we skipped it and tour the different ruins of the Cathare castles just south of the medieval cité. There are 22 sites total and we only hiked to 5. It is quite impressive to imagine life at that time and the history behind the ruins still standing after years of religious war .
Puilaurens was a mysterious one
Peyrepertuse our favorite. Can you see the castle ruins on top of the hill ?
Quéribus
Chateau d’Arques
Even if you never come to visit the Cathare Castles, I hope you enjoyed visiting vicariously through these images !
Back home it is a more colorful picture we can see with tulip season in full swing !!! Holland doesn’t have enough land for their bulbs so they have them grow right here 10 minutes from us. These fields made it to Instagram influencers list last year ; 6 Million tulips that attract thousands of visitors now that the fields are open to the public . No need to fly to Holland 😉
On a last quick update … we are still working on our house and back at painting now that temperatures allows us the use of oil based paints to cover the stains of the old walls . We even decided to let go of the rusted patina of our entry gate … That was a very hard decision because we do not want to loose the spirit of the place and have a new looking house. How do we bring some charm to this village home without looking totally run down, that is the dilemma ! Where do you stop once you start or can you ? We are giving it a try after much deliberation …
This is the garage how it was in 1930 with my grand father , dad , tall grand mother and lady on the left. The gate was there already pretty shabby .
Voila, May is around the corner , visitors are coming soon and more little trips planned ! Stay tuned , forward this blog to your friends who are not following it yet and keep my motivation to write alive !
Spring is here and you probably are already planning trips … How about Paris ? Paris …always a good idea and the perfect stop to recover from Jetlag before to continue on to other destinations in Europe or even France. We usually go in winter when the countryside isn’t as lush and colorful so being in the city feels vibrant and wonderful .
But Paris being the center of the Olympic Games this summer, it is much talked about by everybody right now. Many tourists plan to avoid it this summer. Go or avoid ?? That is the big question. Will there be subway strikes ? train strikes ? any strikes ?? Enough trains to and from the city ? The owner of our little Hotel in the middle of St Germain said they got fully booked right away for the entire duration of the games, even at a premium price and for a minimum stays of six nights . Many people plan to commute from Airbnb places way outside of Paris … if there are enough trains and subway …Because those commuter trains, RER, subways are normally full with parisiens coming to work everyday. So Mme Hidalgo, Paris’s mayor is sending letters to all Parisians asking them to either work from home or go away on vacation ! Uber drivers told us they won’t have access to Olympic sites drop off , Taxi drivers said that with all the road closures traffic will be a nightmare . That being said, Paris is such a walkable city that even during all the transportation strikes I’ve been through, it is not too much trouble walking all over town … and you can eat all those calories you already burned off that day, guilt free ! The French wanting to be different, I am sure that these Games will be special . Can you imagine going to a beach volleyball game at the Champs de Mars right under the Eiffel Tower ?? Being in Paris during the games …despite all we heard , I still think is a good idea !
In winter, it is the perfect time to visit the normally busy Louvre museum. But even during the busy season you can skip most of the line if you enter through the underground shopping gallery of Le Carrousel du Louvre . And if you are into vintage second hand clothing, check out the cute store in there.
I downloaded from Le Louvre website an itinerary with all the major pieces to see . You can choose different themes , depending if you have been before or not, how long you want to spend. This self guided tour will take you straight to where you want to go and not get lost. It will also gives you just enough informations so you can see each piece under the best angle, understand and appreciate it.
I had studied the Raft of the Medusa from Gericault in art class but to see how immense it is in real was amazing and quite a contrast with the Mona Lisa . Kids were taken at the most recognizable painting of French history : The Liberty leading people
There are many places to grab something while inside the Louvre , Angelina is one of them but even if you are not going into the Louvre you could see inside the magnificent marble statues room from Café Marli . It is a very coveted table inside the restaurant but we did it once with Parisian friends who had their contacts there.
You can do some serious shopping in Paris or just window shop ! So much to see and get inspired by… Here are a few favorites that may not be on your radar yet. Antoinette Poisson creates prints in the XVIII century style . They sell it as wallpaper, boxes, cushions… Patterns, floral fabrics are making a huge come back and this is all I love for an old French house . Their perfume displays with three dimensional cut paper is amazing . Next door is a small shop specialized in vintage dishes . This is the new hot look for your table !!!
Love love Love charming Marin Montagut in St Germain
The departments stores are a good place to find all your favorite main brands. Le Bon Marché always has some kind of art installations going on .
The newly remodeled La Samaritaine is not as big as the Galleries Lafayettes and also has a very nice selection in a more intimate setting . The art nouveau structure alone is worth a stop .
Fragonard pillows : Are you sleeping ? No I Love you
Of course all the couture brands have major store fronts in Paris but if you look for vintage designer clothes or accessories check out the last level of le Printemps called 7ème Ciel . It is more than second hand designer things, it also has eco responsable fashion, vintage and up cycling home decor . The small privately owned boutique J’y Troque near the Opera also carry second hand designer things at affordable prices . Chanel window …always some cool ideas to steal like sawn large front pockets on wide leg jeans .
Modern or antiques …love both !
We have a new favorite restaurant ! A discovery made thanks to a post from Mimi Thorisson. We use to sell her beautiful cookbooks in our shop. I am a fan and if you do not know about her take a look at one of her cookbook next time you are in a bookstore. The photography from her husband is amazing and I loved the recipes of her French country house book a lot .
Josephine chez Dumonet is a small restaurant on the Rue du Cherche Midi in St Germain des Prés. There is nothing around it , you can just walk right by it and not imagine the magic inside. Nothing has changed as far decor, it is a bit shabby but friendly and unpretentious . We loved beside the perfect execution of the food, their old fashion style of serving: they will make your tartare table side as you like it ( it was huge , big enough for three) or bring a whole terrine of pickled herrings and a bowl of potato salad so you can help yourself and eat as much as you want . The calf liver with raspberry vinegar sauce was incredible as was the pigeon but the Grand Mariner soufflé stole the show ! By far the best one I ever had and I cannot wait until the next time in Paris so we can go back to eat there . They close on Saturday and Sunday.
Also in St Germain and maybe not as intimidating as far as food options is the Procope , the oldest restaurant in Paris. It’s a mythical restaurant, a place steeped in history where the greatest writers and intellectuals have gathered (Rousseau, Diderot, Verlaine…) a historic decor. Since 1686 , Le Procope offers a traditional and bourgeois French cuisine, through different specialties such as Coq au vin and Tête de veau, braised beef cheek, and homemade Mille-feuille. https://www.procope.com/en/
Brasserie Lipp is still one of those place we like to go. The tourists and regulars / les habitués mix in a tight elbow to elbow setting; the waiters have been working there for ever and always make jokes with their clients; the food is constant , and the îles flottantes are the best in town . Just Do Not come in shorts in summer !!!! That is the only sign in English near the entrance of the restaurant and they will not let you in unless they are as they told me “nice” dress up shorts !
The covered passages aways boost a lot of Parisian charm and you can find quaint little bistros in most of them.
The spire of Notre Dame is back up . Can you see it ?
Easter is early this year and we are getting ready for it …making a a lamb stew and a pavlova with loads of whipped cream and the first strawberries of the season . Oh and bought a bunch of chocolate eggs, hen from our favorite patisserie, chocolate shop in Carpentras “La Maison Jouveau” .
Hope you have a wonderful spring , lovely Easter Holiday with family and friends and we’ll catch up on spring touring the Cathares Castles and the Aveyron region in our next April post. Thanks for reading and following us in this journey back home rediscovering France and everything we missed.
February…. the dead of winter… but to me the worst is over . By now it actually feels like spring is already coming; days are longer and the sun is higher. I didn’t think I would enjoy that time but staying put , eating earthy food, taking it a bit slower and hibernating inside if the Mistral is blowing feels peaceful and wonderful. Then we long for spring’s first strawberries and summer activities !
But February is also a nice time to visit places when they aren’t crowded. The French Riviera back country’s mimosas are in full bloom. They grow wild everywhere on the hillsides. It’s a ray of bright sunshine in the house and that sweet smell is heavenly !
Pretty display in my village home decor boutique
Pascal and I went to college in Nice and this use to be the view from our tiny studio above the pizzeria in Cros de Cagnes ( below on the last floor of the yellow house) We had a little terrasse and I only had to cross the street to be at the beach !
February is also a month for Love giving, receiving and sharing .My home town has some beautiful and delicious window displays !
Truffle season is at its peak right now so we decided to go check out our old truffle oak field , see if it bore any . I had only been once, a long time ago . My mom loved truffle hunting with her dog and I was fortunate to grow up enjoying delicious omelets all winter long . I was afraid that years of neglect would have transformed that field into a jungle but to my surprise it had not … or someone had maintained it a minimum to secretly come and harvest the black gold ?! It was so beautiful with the winter light, a magical moment. I felt like I was walking in my mother’s shoes. What started just like a stroll in my oak field brought me closer to her and I understood why she was so attached to this piece of land, my land now.
My friend Delphine had come with her dogs and it didn’t take them very long to start digging…and yes these old trees still bear truffles , black truffles ! But more than the truffles, this was a special day in so many ways. I am home here, this is my place to be and I am truly my mother’s daughter as on my way back I picked up some branches of almond blossom to make an ikebana …just like she would have done .
Second month and I am on schedule ! Thanks for reading 😉 Next month will be all about Paris as we were just there and I couldn’t pack too much in one post or your wifi will hate me and your computer will have an indigestion of photos ! Until then have a great month !
I know… I planned to write a lot more this past year and it didn’t happened.
So part of this New Year resolution was to write a post a month and I am already almost behind !! I have so many photos to share with you ! Life has been full and very fulfilling. We worked a lot on our house which by the way isn’t finished yet but we now have a very comfortable living space that really changes everything. We took little trips around, hosted many friends visiting, went back to San Diego for the first time since moving back to France and enjoyed every minute of 2023.
This was our very first Holiday Season feeling at home with a real kitchen , a living room , a TV again so we just cooked, eat, watched movies and enjoyed hibernating . It got cold and frosty in the morning but the Mistral is always keeping us dry and sunny most days. At least days feel already much longer and afternoons call for basking in the sun … next thing you know it will be time to eat in the patio and strawberry season again.
But for now it still very much looks like winter around us. This is not the Riviera and nature takes a break. It is bare but beautiful and we get to see some snow even though never for more than a few days.
Exactly a year ago this week, we were landing in Marseille, returning to our homeland after 25 years of an expat life in California. As hard as it is to believe, we are still not yet settled, still under construction and despite our plan to be sitting in our living room by Christmas, the only piece of furniture we unwrapped just before New Year was our bedroom set. Yes we are getting tired of our “camping” situation, yes our bodies are pretty broken and sorry I haven’t had enough time to write blog posts but there is no way we can complain no matter how overwhelmed we get sometimes. 2022 will forever be a very special year and we can only wish to have our dreams continue to unfold here. May 2023 be a beautiful year for you and your loved ones as well. Life is what we decide to make of it and we are making the most of each moments.
Sun rising from behind the Mont Ventoux and the Dentelles de Montmirail
It is impossible to write what “une année en Provence” has been like in a post … it could be a book 😉 But photos can say a million words so here are the highlights of this memorable year.
By March, spring was really starting to show, our move was still on a boat somewhere, we were hustling 7/7 to make room for it and researching for our remodelling but we always found time to see the beauty surrounding us .
Nîmes and the Roman arena … best spot to have lunch break !
Le Pont du Gard, an other Roman marvel. As kids we use to walk across on the very top, now closed for obvious reasons. But the best was to float underneath on a hot summer day !
We love our local farm !
Les Dentelles de Montmirail are such beauty and wonderful hike just 20 minutes from home !
And then it was Easter at my cousin’s olive farm in Nyons. I would go just for the view but they also make THE best olive oil and tapenade 😉
Our container had finally arrived safely, we were still finding, sorting, storing treasures while construction was starting on my family home.
I had never been to the Calanques near Marseille…Only accessible if you hike or arrive by boat. My cousins made that dream come through and I took my first swim in the Mediterranean Sea in a very long time. The Calanques became so popular that in summer you will need a permit as the access is restricted to avoid overcrowding this fragile ecosystem. Go off season then ! May water temperature was a brisk 15C / 60F but we are use to that in San Diego.
Peony season, days getting longer…It was time to meet some San Diego friends in Paris, because Paris is always a good idea and connecting with the ones I miss, even more.
Can a cake be so beautiful and taste so incredible !!! Merci Cedric Grolet for creating such treats !
I took the Thierry Mugler suit I had bought with my first pay check modelling back in 1985 to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs for a retrospective exhibition . Works of art !
I never miss going to Brasserie Lipp in Saint Germain just across famous Café de Flore and Les Deux Magots. The decor hasn’t changed, the service is always witty and the food never fail. Save room for dessert as the îles flottantes ( floating islands) are a must !
Beautiful flowers at the entrance of the Ritz
Fashion is an art form well represented all over Parisian Museums but the new Dior Gallery at the fashion’s house is pretty incredible. The collection of miniature Haute Couture dresses made for each client before the actual outfit was made is unbelievable.
Roof tops in Paris have cafés and bars but I was taking my friends for a Provencal dinner at Perruche on top of Le Printemps Men’s department store. The view, the Eiffel Tower sparkling at the hour on a warm night is a real Parisian experience and the food is on top as well !
Catching up with Gaston’s cousin 😉 and exploring different neighbourhoods
May in Provence is a beautiful time to visit those villages before they get mobbed by tourists as soon as summer is officially here. Saignon and Gordes are some on that list.
By June, it was already too hot to cook…ceviches, carpaccios, simple diet of fruits, vegetables and the occasional bbq were on our menu.
Our sunset walks around the house …
The fragrant yellow Genets flowers were covering hills but the lavender was not in bloom yet in the mountains.
Dinner with a view in Seguret
Brocantes are everywhere and every week end in summer; The largest ones being in Villeuneuve les Avignon and of course L’Isle sur la Sorgue.
Amazing antiques and Mise en Scène !
It was our first 14 Juillet in France ! People were eating, dancing, our village was partying for three days and I got to eat my favorite chichi ( French fried beignet)
The most beautiful time of the year !
We grew up here, the scene is familiar but it always amazes us.
The best way to cool off in summer and less crowded than the beaches…
We love nougat , we sold nougat and if you are in Provence you must go to Sault to stock up in the very best nougat because they make it with lavender honey . Please do not buy the ones sold in blocks at tourist shops and farmers markets, not only they are more expensive but aren’t even close in quality. André Boyer now even have a patisserie and sell the most delicious orange blossom ice cream ! I’ll drive an hour for a couple of scoops of this !!
The drive along the Gorges de la Nesques is also worth it .
We are always looking for real old materials, not new and aged…this is not the US anymore but a country where we can find the real deal even though most places these days mix the old with the new as it is getting harder and harder to find.
Love our “new” bench ! It will be the best place to warm up when comes winter.
As much as we need to get the house to fonction, we want it to look untouched, just as my great grand parents would have known it. The concept is hard to get through here as people want new, clean and modern. So we cleaned years of dust, installed old tiles and put back the old stuff so my summer kitchen keeps its movie set charm!
One of the few flowers my mom loved so much that survived years of neglect, are the Japanese anemones. We love their wild garden look just as much as they remind me of my mother.
I wish our gate looked like that…
Armoire coming out – bath tub going in… and time to paint!
Daytime look – Evening look . I had to dig deep in our boxes to find something else than work clothes to wear at our friend’s daughter wedding!
Summer nights in Nîmes roman theatre… Sting was finally coming; we had our concert tickets since 2020. It doesn’t get much better than that.
This is as close to our air conditioning as we would get this year!! So time for naps
That week end was just unbearable: 41C nearly 106F and we needed a break from this heat so we headed south to the Riviera to hang out at our friends with a real pool! We have known each other since College, he was my best men, my big brother at heart and it is so good to just be able to jump in the car, turn on the AC and drive 3hours to spend a couple of days together. As much as we miss our California friends , it is wonderful to find our French friends still here in our lives after all this time away.
My lemon verbena was going crazy so I poached white peaches in an infusion of it. Served cold with the infused syrup, it is a delicious summer treat.
And when it is that hot, we just eat out in one of the nearby village. Tonight we try the newly open bistro in Buisson
That bakery !!!! Can’t wait to come back in winter when they cook hearty stews in the bread oven for lunch ….Plus it is one of our favorite drive.
It was now August and all the contractors were off for the entire month. It was too hot to do concrete, too hot for us to paint or do anything else in fact. It dries too fast, crack…so we had to do the same and enjoy a vacation. We met with friends in Germany, drove together to Danemark to visit more friends, then Sweden with all of them… the itinerary unfolding as we went with no return date… This is the most free we ever felt and it is an amazing feeling ! After years of running our business, the pressure of it, it is sweet to just have time and also it was way cooler up north! Here are some snapshots of what 6000 Kms looked like.
First we stopped in Barcelonette because it was their annual Mexican week and we were craving Mexican food.
Barcelonette is tied to Mexico since 1800 when about 3000 men left to try their luck in America. If a few settled in Louisiana, most of them continued to Mexico where they became very rich. They then came back home to Barcelonette where they built mansions which you can see all over town.
Overnight stop in two of our favorite cities: Annecy and Strasbourg
The Lorelei in Rhine Valley where our friends are from.
Lübeck was such a nice surprise, great stop before to take the ferry to Danemark.
Helsingborg, Sweden. Getting some inspiring food and decor at Madame Moustache.
Could we wake up in a more peaceful place? By the time we arrived, it was pitch black. Walking with our flash light and bags through the tall grass seemed like for ever before we found our little cabin by the sea…and had to go all the way back to find the bathrooms and showers! Glamping in Sweden was the most wonderful.
Vadstena castle
Vadstena is a little town by a lake in central Sweden. We had no idea we were going to stay at the monastery and convent that have been converted into a hotel…by far the most special place of the entire trip.
We were so close now, we had to push all the way to Stockholm, visit the Wasa Museum and discover that Budapest isn’t just a city but the most delicious cake.
Our Dutch friend Yvonne who you may remember since she was helping us at the store , recommended us Zutphen as a place to stop on our way back. It sure was! Comes with canals, lots of dutch bikes, tones of historic buildings and quaint places to eat or shop.
The Chateau de Chambord was kind of on the way back since we are doing one last detour to see friends near Limoges.
You know you are back in France when paté is again in your baguette sandwich!
After a blistering hot summer, September felt like a breeze. The water was running again in the village fountains and we could take our walks around the neighbourhood.
Trees growing tilted because of the strong Mistral wind and The hat on top of Mont Ventoux announcing rain
The light had a golden glow and as soon as the harvest was over, some vines were starting to change colour while rose bushes still looked beautiful on the side of vineyards.
As the weather got milder, it was time to oil the garage gate and get construction going again. Our dual pane windows were finally here and after considering so many options we love that they look like we just repainted the old ones. Then it was on to the back yard roof and old chicken coop. Keeping it was impossible as it was ready to fall apart so we had to demolish it to discover that they had used an old iron day bed as the metal wiring for the concrete! When you have nothing, you have to be resourceful and repurposing was a necessity at the time not a trend.
It may not really be a work of art but we just couldn’t remove the patina of this wall, what they had seen and reminded us of. Inside that chicken coop, we had found condensed milk cans from World War II brought by the Americans during the Liberation. My grand parents had punched a hole to use the milk and tinned the can back to save…they are now in our summer kitchen as a reminder of what people went through. We are not sure yet what to do with the old metal swirls from the daybed but one thing we know is that we will find a purpose just like they did.
Hard to believe this is what October looked like at our favorite place for lunch by the Rhone with the Pont d’Avignon as back ground view.
Sunday Fun Day in Ménerbes
Everywhere it was green and lush again.
Our persimmon tree got fruits ! Not very many and super tiny because it didn’t get any watering this summer but so sweet and condensed with flavour .
Inside the house, it was wall paper time. Removing layers and layers of them, all the way to the last layer of newspaper dated from 1934, time of the house first remodel. We have to hide this year’s news paper somewhere too !
Removing the burlap of my teenage bedroom, we realised how crazy the electrical was. The old metal tube had been cut, the cotton wires pulled and cut to ad a couple of newer plastic wires so I could have two scones on each side of my bed. Hide all this with the burlap and I had a nice new updated room !
Of course it rained the whole month of November when we were throwing buckets of warm water onto our walls to remove the wallpaper, the electrician was drilling holes so we could have a safe home, the heater broke down, the yard flooded the barn where we stored a lot of our furniture ; it was cold, wet and Thanksgiving wasn’t Thanksgiving…It was hard, we pushed ourselves but never lost our smiles, this was part of living our dream.
It looked like fall was never going to end. It was beautiful to have the change of season and wonderful to find wild mushrooms at my local produce shop too!
Our persimmon and plane trees in the village were also turning gold
With colder temperatures our mostly raw fruits and vegetable diet was out the door It was time for hearty food, cheese AND dessert !
Our hardwood floor was coming soon and we were plastering, sanding , painting as much as our bodies would let us…Removing the 70’s faux wood linoleum ,we discovered underneath the 1934 linoleum just above yet an other layer of newspaper to date that !
Winter arrived overnight, just like that! The oak trees shaded their last golden leaves and December came with bitter cold temperatures, Mistral over a still very damp countryside, snowflakes, frost and then perfect blue sky.
After the drought of this summer, we received this fall as much water as in an entire year and the Sorgue river was at its highest levels in over 15 years. The spring rushed out of its grotto at 51.000 litres per second about 13.000 gallons/second into a furious river. In my memory, Fontaine de Vaucluse was a tourist town with souvenir shops and ice-cream stands on each of the road…not in winter !
After a cold day walk, it was guilt free orange flower flavoured beignet time :Chichi !(pronounce “she-she”)
Christmas was looming in…but we didn’t have to worry about it, worry about the sales, the inventory, the after Christmas…
Despite not having time to go to the different Holiday events happening or any special markets, we managed to go to Saint Rémy de Provence and do some Christmas window shopping.
We had heard of a 5th generation confiseur who has a shop there…no excuse not to buy some of our favorite candied fruits. The window made us drool, they gave us samples and we left with a nice assortment of kumquats, sliced orange, cédrat (a type of lemon), apricots, figs, melon, clementine and even strawberries, all gone already!
We knew by that time that Christmas in our sofa wasn’t going to happen. Our hardwood floor had been installed and that already was a big step forward but both of our backs were hurting too much; ad a tendinitis in the arm and we just had to rest, make a new plan.
The weather shifted and it was going to be very warm around 68F so we booked a hotel on the coast at the last minute and drove down to spend Christmas by the beach just like we used to do in San Diego.
We had vacationed many times in Bandol but had never been to Sanary sur Mer. How pretty ! The little town was all decked out and the boats in the port ready for a parade of lights. Unfortunately I had started feeling sick with the flu so we didn’t leave our room to see any lights that night.
Driving back on the crest road was just amazing. It was such a beautiful Christmas Day !
We had a quiet New Year’s Eve with Pascal then down with the flu but January looks promising in our neighbourhood. Crisp blue skies and mild temperatures, what’s not to love !?
2023 … What’s in store for us ?? We are back on the drawing board, putting the finishing touches of our kitchen design while our backs are hopefully healing! I am not sure how often I will write on the blog but if you want regular updates, follow us on Instagram or Facebook.
Just looking out the window to beautiful sunrises is the promise of a wonderful year…
Almost three months since we made it back to France ! Where do I start ?
Well, I intended to post once a month with all the updates of our new life here for all of you who do not follow us on Social Medias but it’s been a real whirlwind figuratively and literately. The Mistral greeted us in Marseille and stayed with us for the first three weeks straight which kept the sky bright blue just like in San Diego .Yes it was cold, freezing temperatures felt like 22F with the windshield but we were prepared for that and to be honest didn’t mind so much because of the bright light and dry air. Surprisingly I haven’t had a sore throat here when I have them all the time in San Diego.
The sweet scent of fresh Mimosa made the house feel like home and the chaos of the first few days melted away…Coming back to a house that has been closed for two years is a challenge but this time around we had heat AND hot water not like January 2020 if you have read the posts about that last trip. So all was fine but the fridge who died a couple of months before with all the freezer content and was thankfully evacuated by my cousin before we arrived.
With the freezing temperatures, the tiny window by the kitchen sink worked as our fridge for the first week. We lived like in the old days , buying what we needed as we needed it. Walking to the farmer’s market and bakery . This is what we had been dreaming about…no more 20 minutes drive to get a good croissant at the French Oven in Scripps Ranch ! The local little supermarket ,the size of a Trader Joes still amazes us by the selection. All this made our daily life much easier despite not having a refrigerator !
My mom’s old car started, we greased the garage door and off we went to the next town where everything is ….we needed a cell phone plan and internet to communicate. As we drove through the countryside we watched a beautiful sunset down on the vineyards. This will be the new normal …
We had gotten our wifi box and needed to prepare before the technician came to hook us up to the fiber which meant drill a hole for the cable. I think a photo will say a thousand words !
Coming into a house absolutely full of my parents things , as well as what we had left before to move , plus my grand parents treasures and junk has its down sides. We have been non stop sorting , cleaning, giving, donating, recycling and trashing 6 to 7 days a week . Our move was set to leave Long Beach on January 7th and arrive in Marseille March 4th . With 6 weeks to go we needed to make room ! Then delays started happening, boat left end of January with new estimated date of arrival for March 12th , then 19 , 23 and as today March 30th we still haven’t received it . That’s when we appreciated arriving in a full house which we can live in. We camp a little but it is comfortable and having more time to get ready was very welcome …a little time to take a breather , do something fun for us , drive around , see some friends , go for hike , research for appliances, bath fixtures, tiles and get Covid the day the container was planned to be delivered . Sometimes I think my mom is watching over us … So as I watch over Pascal and am quarantining, I have time to sit down and write a little …
It is not “Escape to the Chateau” if you have watched that British TV series but “Going back Home” for us. No, my family home is not a Chateau even though it is probably even older than the one in the TV show . It is a Mas de village, a large house where silk worms were raised in the attic at the time . Then my grand parents made it a garage and the facade still bare my name.
No there is no romantic view of rolling hills with lavender fields but this is where I was born and grew up and we will make it work. I have been soaking in all the impressions of these first few days as i am rediscovering my childhood home …here in my bedroom just above my dad’s mechanic shop.
Life as it went down the first months looked like this …
Winter Sunday drive above Nyons where there is no more Mistral !
Opening up the door to the attic …
Lavender field in winter
Back to cleaning up…
And finding my mother’s earrings and dad’s cufflinks in the most unlikely place was unbelievable
Because they went thru wars, our grand parents and parents never trashed anything…plus there were no recycling center or large trash collection like we have now.
When you have to go to Nimes in search of doors and bath fixture….
Love my local flower shop
It starts to feel like spring here too !
Sometimes the most simple things are the best …that ham is seriously The best ! Love my butcher and produce shop across the street !
Le Mont Ventoux from Le Crestet near Vaison la Romaine
Wild violets under a chestnut tree
Lunch with friends in Aix en Provence at Le Grillon
Farmer’s Market beauties
Our door to the garden
Street fair food ! A chichi ( pronounce She-She ) is a French style doughnut , just better 😉 I am a super happy girl !
At the city hall to apply for our French ID card …no more visas, no more immigration paperwork…Going back home is so much easier ! I had a little bit of apprehension, leaving our beautiful life in Southern California, but coming back is just natural, comfortable like I had not though possible…But what makes it so special is that we had left this life so now we appreciate everything like we would never have if we had stayed …
Enjoying Cinema as an Art not just as entertainment .
We loved and enjoyed every minute of our life in San Diego but small village lifestyle is wonderful !
As the end of the year is fast approaching so is our time to leave …Buying 2 one way tickets to France for January 6th made it very real. This is happening and it is coming up fast . We wanted to thank all of you who were so kind to invite us for a glass of wine or out to dinner; it was very touching but we just never got a minute and are running out of time.
When we closed our business end of September we thought we would have plenty of time to pack and then enjoy a vacation or take a road trip, visit friends in Oregon ….But it took us already 2 weeks to completely empty the shop before we even started at home. As organized as we were, we packed for 2 months straight, until the night before movers came…and then it was the week before Christmas ! This is our very first year not working so we appreciated this time very much … but we miss seeing you all ! Christmas in our shop was always our favorite time ; there were no more boxes to unpack or new displays to move around, just taking care and spending time with our customers. Last Christmas was the most special because we knew it was our last… Covid made it challenging but having only 3 persons maximum allowed us to have real conversations with everyone, no rush handling 12 people at the same time…it was wonderful ! You didn’t know it yet …we could not tell yet but it was a really special Christmas to us . On the night of the 24th ,when I turned the key to the front door and saw people in the street looking at our window lights , decorations and how magical our little place looked like, it hit me like a rock … this had been our last Christmas. I took some chocolates to give to the hard working staff at Cardellino restaurant , they gave me ice-cream and that made me totally melt. I jumped on my bicycle and cried all the way back home my heart full and aching at the same time . Wishing you to have a full heart this Holiday Season
Christmas Eve 2020
I will spare you all the details but this move is not just moving from house to house , it is a lot more complicated. Each day was totally overwhelming us. The load of work was huge , so much to consider, to think of, plan …not only before to ship but how we would handle it on the other side when it arrives in France ( and there are still a lot of question marks on that matter ) It was like trying to put together a giant Rubik’s cube which gave us many sleepless nights and anguish mornings. Sorting ,making sure all was well packed, safe from handling, humidity on the long boat ride in winter , possible mice…inventory it all for French customs, file paperwork…. We had saved all the packing material we received for a year, a room full of heavy duty cardboard boxes, bubble wrap in all sizes, foam, heavy crushed paper, rolls of paper…it looked pretty crazy to have that much but 127 Costco boxes later and 30 more cardboard boxes, we had used almost everything!
What ever could not fit in a box would either go in our old VW Bus or in crates we had specifically made. Pascal is rebuilding engines in his spare time… we joked that it would have been much easier if he had been collecting stamps !
Moving day …Friends came to help movers and emptied the storage in 35 minutes !
Max and his guys from San Diego Premium Moving were incredible and we highly recommend them if you ever need movers . They were not only everything we would expect from great professional movers but also upfront, responsive and more than fairly priced. They had come the day before to take care of our furniture, protecting them with cardboard shields, corners we had prepared plus blankets and shrink wrap. But moving those heavy crates was no small task .
Two trucks full later we were heading to the shipper’s warehouse in Long beach…
Looking at Pascal’s mom old bicycle, representing our shop , our reason to move to San Diego , 25 years flash back in a second and an immense feeling of achievement and gratitude filled us up Our job was done and we felt as light as feathers !
As the guys in LA were helping unload the trucks , Pascal told them it was his stamps collection 😉
I guess we are so organized we fitted a lot in a small 1450sf home with a 2 car garage that had 2 cars in it! But as French, we buy nice things we keep and take away with us so we never had a garage sale. What we would leave behind made many friends happy !
Driving back in LA traffic jam was so different than usual … we felt like we had just landed at LAX and were on vacation in So Cal ! It was incredible and happy . We stopped to watch the sun set over the Pacific Ocean , hold hands , kiss to a beautiful day and celebrated with a wonderful dinner at Campfire in Carlsbad …Enjoying California life !
You have asked us if we were opening up a store in France. Answer is “not for now “, maybe when we turn 75 and do not want to travel anymore, just open the door of what once was my dad’s car showroom and socialize with clients , have a shop dog to greet people , close when we want to take a few days off , 2 hours for lunch plus 1 more hour for a nap! So we are not sure what we will be doing after renovating our house…maybe write a book “Back in Provence” ( hopefully things have improved since Peter Mayle wrote his story and speaking French should help too ) But if you want to know please follow this blog !
Here is my family home with my grand parents and my dad in the front . Not much has changed
No, it does not have a view of rolling hills but a nice private garden just big enough to enjoy gardening and grow our own vegetables, space to spread , a barn for future projects and best of all a couple of bakeries, farmer’s market at walking distance !
Turning the page on 2021… 2022 Here we come !
Wishing you all the best for this new hopeful year !
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This corner of Mission Hills will change in a near future, so to close this chapter of history, I wanted to share all the photos and stories we gathered about this little red house we rented and loved for the past 25 years .
Our clients called it “The little French shop” or “The French shop ” some kids “The Red shop ” but in fact it wasn’t always red actually … Here is a stunning photo of how this corner looked like back at the beginning when this house was built in 1920 .
At that time the house was divided into two duplex . One entrance on Fort Stockton and one on Goldfinch . We still had the two addresses and two electric meters. This is why there were also two fireplaces in the shop all open into one large space … just in case you had be wondering !
Mission Hills was a quiet residential neighborhood. We met one of the member of the first family who lived there and she brought us a photo taken in front of the Goldfinch entrance .
Jacqueline and Dorothy Griswold’s grand parents Olive and Perry D Griswold are here in front sitting on the chairs. On the left is Nellie Griswold.
Just about a month ago, I received an incredible email . Jillian had been doing some ancestry research and recently found the address of his family’s home in San Diego . When he put it in google maps, he found out the house still existed and was our store!
Here is Jillian family story : “My Great Great Grandparents Steve and Dollie lived on the Goldfinch side ( here pictured with their 3 youngest children) while my great grandparents Harold and Wilma lived in the other duplex on the Fort Stockton side with my grandfather Bob and his 3 siblings. I’m fairly sure they lived there from the late 30’s to the early 50’s ”
Steve and Dollie lived in Missouri and Iowa in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, where Steve was a farmer and Railroad worker. Family lore says that Dollie and her family traveled in a covered wagon across the west. They were in their 60’s when they moved to San Diego with their son Harold and his wife Wilma. Harold worked as an aircraft welder and served in the Army Air Corps from 1945-1946. Wilma loved to ride her bike around San Diego and Balboa Park. Their oldest son, my grandfather Bob, met my grandmother on a blind date in San Diego, and after they were married, they moved, along with Harold and Wilma, to Los Gatos CA where they ran a successful Auto Body shop! Our family has lived in ‘Silicon Valley’ since then “
Steve and Dollie with their 3 youngest children on Goldfinch street
That is an amazing picture Harold and Wilma on Fort Stockton Drive ! I wish the palm tree was still there. Thank you Jillian for sharing your family story,making this puzzle complete .
Then the house became a business : A Pet Shop. We heard many stories about it as people remembered a cage with a monkey named Josephine outside at the corner ! We never seen any photos but those would be something .
Our landlords Albert and Carol Regis bought the Pet shop in 1961 when they moved from Milwaukee. They ran it until they finally retired in spring of 1995. Their story was somehow similar to ours . They wanted to change careers, had packed everything they owned and moved to San Diego to start this new life and a business they loved as they were so passionate by animals. They were selling birds, a lot of birds. Our storage room was an entire bird cage and the back yard was totally filled with allow bird seeds . They had fishes ( we found the tank on the fireplace ) , horse meat and were grooming too ! They were living in the back of the shop for a few years when they started before to buy a house in Alpine where they lived until they passed away a few years ago .
When we came to look for a location for our shop back in December of 1995 , we had looked in Solana Beach on Cedros and in Del Mar too but our heart was set on this house . Our concept was to have the shop in a house and this looked just what we had imagined back in France before to even put a foot here . On some mail that was inside the shop we could read the name of the owners and a newly made friend helped us contact the Regis . We met and our story of packing our life to start a new career to do something we loved doing together resonate with them . After keeping this place closed since they had retired , they offered us to rent it , telling us we should live in the back just like they did to save money at the beginning . And just like that we became the new tenants of the old Mission Hills Pet shop.
Thank you Robert for sharing these photos and newspaper articles with us Our fist Dollar , keys with Mission Hills Pet key chain and an envelop with bird tags in it
Our dear client and local resident Molly use to work at the Pet shop. She shared many stories with us as well . Thanks for being part of our story too !
Molly how came to say good bye on our very last days at the shop .
December 1995 , we did not have a lease yet but we did shake hands and with these folks it was just as good. We had faith , trust and a good feeling that all would be OK …and all went well until we too were retiring closing the story of this little red house at the corner !
Some have stories about the people who lived here or worked at the Pet shop…we hope we have inspired you and filled your memory with stories of when we use to have our little slice of Provence right here at the entrance of Mission Hills .
Last summer 2021 , our hydrangeas really made us proud !
Next post will be more history ; this time about the house we are moving to in Provence …my great grand parent’s home ! Please follow this blog to receive an email when a new post in up !
Sometimes that summer of 2019 , we decided to take the journey back to Provence . We had called San Diego home for the past 25 years but it was time now to go back HOME . Our decision had nothing to do with Covid. Thanks to all the support, we did more than just weather this pandemic through , we did very well and the shop have never done better !
Since we made that news public at the end of July, we received an incredible amount of kind messages and so much love , it really touched us. We had put all our heart and soul into our ” little French shop” and realized just then how deeply it had impacted people and so many of you ! This has been an amazing adventure …not without some tough times but we always made it thru with dedication , hard work and the support from all our loyal customers , become friends , become family . We will miss all of you very much and have fond memories of all the stories we shared . We are forever grateful for this incredible experience, for all that we learned , the people we met , the lifelong friendships we made and everything we accomplished . We’ll never be the same and now can move back to France with a whole new set of eyes and a new appreciation for what we had left . We lived our California dream and now are living the American dream of retiring to Provence. How lucky are we !!!
Saturday September 25th 2021 , we closed the page of a fantastic book. We tried to keep the shop alive but in the end we could not work out the sale of our business and have closed it down now .
Nevertheless, we will still be posting from Provence on this blog , so please enter your email address and follow us ! ( on a phone or tablet : go to “about us” on the menu and scroll down to find the white box and follow button OR on a computer it shows on the right )
In January 2022, we’ll move back to the house where I grew up. The village has now double in size to reach 2400 people !! It will be a big change but we are looking forward to the slower pace of life of a small country town outside of Avignon.
We are going Home but San Diego will always be our home away from home !
Marielle & Pascal Giai
December 1995 …we were renting the old Mission Hills Pet Store September 25th 2021
We are very proud of our hydrangeas which we started from just a few clippings from our neighbor Bill !
It is no secret that they are the show stopper of Mission Hills …but this year they are going for the world record ! The height of our bush and size of the flowers that already came out predict that in a few days it will be a spectacle ! This mild winter , we didn’t trim them back as usual and they are loving all this gray and gloomy weather we are having here . Don’t miss it and come by before the summer’s heat fry them . Photo from May 19th and June 19th 2021
Blooming explosion about to happen !
That “blue hydrangeas” feed from Mission Hills Nursery made for some really unique colors
Our job was done and we felt as light as feathers !
Maison En Provence San Diego 