From the excess of the Riviera to the wilderness of Camargue or the big ego of the historical cities, Provence is great from the highest mountain to the serene sea. But at the heart of it all you will find the Luberon - and that is a coup de coeur to last a lifetime.
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POSTCARDS from happy MYKONOS
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POSTCARDS: If it’s February, then it’s Carnival in NICE!
Nice Carnival is one of the greatest carnivals in the world: every year before Mardi Gras, there are two weeks of daily events and parades, including the famous Night Parade (on the Promenade du Paillon) and the Battle of Flowers (on the Promenade des Anglais).
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Bet you didn’t know: Carnival was born in Nice!
Did you know that the Carnival in Nice is the original carnival-type celebration ? We all know about – and even travelled to – the famous Carnival in Rio or in Venice, but few of us are aware that the Nice Carnival is the oldest ever mentioned, namely by the Count of Provence Charles d’Anjou in 1294. The Nice Carnival is not only one of the major carnivals in the world, but it is maybe the greatest in terms of the complexity of the parade: each year has a special theme which sets the tone for the design of 18 spectacular floats and all the masquerades and connected activities. The 2020 theme…
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POSTCARDS: Shabbat in the Holy City
The Shabbat is the Jewish day of rest. It begins a few minutes before sunset on Friday evening and it ends when three stars are visible in the sky on Saturday evening. The Western Wall is the most sacred place to be and to pray on this day, and every day.
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POSTCARDS: Driving on beautiful Amalfi Coast
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POSTCARDS: ACQUA ALTA in Venice, a beautiful disaster
Like all great beauties, she is incredible, irresistible, fragile and dramatic, alltogether. Venezia’s destiny as a forever endangered realm of wonder has a tragic beauty to it, and nothing makes it more obvious than the acqua alta days. On October 29, 2018, an exceptional high tide flooded Venice. It was the fourth highest ever recorded, and the most dramatic in over a decade. The conscience of her ephemerity only added to the beauty, as La Serenissima was stripped of the hords of tourists and the waters held the mirror to her face for two days in a row.
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Vendemmia or Tuscany in all its glory: harvest season
September is here, so we are slowly getting ready for one of our favorite escapes, the vendemmia/ grape harvest in Toscana. And while we’re at it, we save the dates in the calendar – well, the usual wonders: the wine tastings, the community harvest and the exploration of the cantine, the local fairs honoring Baccus, the mystery tours and the pranzoni – all the incredible food of the season This year, due to hot weather and climate particularities, the vendemmia takes place sooner than usual. Forecast says historical low harvest but some extraordinary grapes to be expected in very limited quantities. Heat waves and extreme weather grew smaller, atypical grapes,…
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POSTCARDS: Barcelona is Gaudi’s playground
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A story of tides: the secrets of Mont Saint Michel, revealed
Is it a castle or an island? Is that the desert or the sea? Is it Bretagne or Normandie? Each day, this castle becomes an island, then the sea withdraws to leave treacherous sands behind. Meanwhile, a whimsical little river draws the border between the two realms, making Mont St. Michel part of Normandy. The mountain has always been a place of awe; beautiful and inaccessible, it caused many to perish at the mercy of tides. And as it happens with so many places of awe and beauty, it has always been a site of worship. In the early days of Christianity, monks were using Mount Tomb – that was…
