Tag Archives: France

Avignon, where popes once reigned

Posted on April 10, 2015 by noconbach

For 68 years during the 1300s, Avignon was the center of the Catholic world. Seven popes reigned from this Provencal location, nearly 600 miles from Rome…and they were French, not Italian. The Palais des Papes, papal palace, still stands as a glorious … Continue reading →

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Ménerbes and l’Isle-sur-le-Sorgue, truffles and treasures

Posted on April 10, 2015 by noconbach

Ménerbes is the small village nearest the spot where Peter Mayle (and his wife!) spent A Year in Provence. We read the book and wanted to see what the appeal was. It’s a beautiful old walled city high on a hill. This area … Continue reading →

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Roussillon, a very colorful town!

Posted on April 9, 2015 by noconbach

Roussillon is north of our home base of Saint-Remy-de-Provence in the Luberon region of Provence. It’s another small town, but it has a unique and colorful history. For many year’s, this was one of the main sources of “ocre,” the red or … Continue reading →

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Van Gogh’s Asylum, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Posted on April 9, 2015 by noconbach

He was the thief of sunflowers, gathering them via rapid brushstrokes. Vincent van Gogh was one of the most prolific and influential of the Post-Impressionist painters, producing over 2,000 paintings and drawings in just over 10 years in the late … Continue reading →

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A Day in Provence – Wednesday Market at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Posted on April 8, 2015 by noconbach

After Peter Mayle wrote A Year in Provence in 1989, Francophiles the world over yearned to relive his experiences enjoying the excellent markets, fascinating people, and delicious food of Provence. So here we are. Nous sommes ici! Our home base for a week or … Continue reading →

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La Corrida d’Arles, definitely NOT a rodeo

Posted on April 7, 2015 by noconbach

We happened to visit Arles at Easter weekend, just in time to experience the festivities of La Feria, the fair, with a highlight being La Corrida, the bullfight. Each day of La Féria de Pâques, Arles has a running of the bulls before and … Continue reading →

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