Dear Friends of French Affaires,
Who does not love Provence?
I am just back from 15 days in Aix-en-Provence with a super group of “amateurs de la langue francaise” — lovers of the French language who enrolled in our favorite language school for three hours of immersion each morning.
These are some of my favorite French Affaires trip. The photo above just breathes the magic of Provence. It was taken from second floor window of the Jas de Bouffan, the residence of Paul Cezanne that his banker father bought for him and which would serve as his in-town atelier. Those of you who have seen the excellent short film of Cezanne’s life at the Hotel Caumont, can recall his exhilaration at being freed from law school and given permission from his father to become a painter. The rest is history.
Elizabeth was a student in Aix and lived on rue Cardinal in the Quartier Mazarin next to the parish church of St Jean de Malte. Five of the language group took over a charming hotel particulier steps away.
Our excursions and events are truly exceptional.
Time with Rob van Trier painting in open air behind the monastery of St Paul Mausole, south of St-Remy, where van Gogh was hospitalized and where he painted the bulk of his oeuvre, shortly before his untimely death.
Esla Lenthal is the famed creator-by-hand of lovely lavender wands (des fuseaux de lavandes). This year the visit with her was extra-special. Her parents opened their provencal Mas to us, at the foot of Les Baux de Provence, in the countryside. After a lunch of pistou soup prepared by her, green salad fresh from the market, local cheeses and a tasty fig tart, off we started on weaving our own lavender wands with her instruction.
This is the kind of event that one never forgets.
Talking to her parents before sitting down for an apero, I recalled with them the 2 months Elizabeth and I spent in a former hothouse converted to a 2-bedroom gite (la Serre). The owner was a famed Paris DJ and a true local personality. Oh, yes, they knew it.
Little did I know when we turned down the lane to their Mas, that we would be dining outside on a terrace and that the hill overlooking us was the same one I would do my daily walks on. La Serre was just on the other side of the crest! And when we dug into the local goat cheese, it turned out to be the same cheese of the same goat-herder I would pass on just those same walks. Elizabeth would be nestled in the charming gite in the middle of an olive grove when I returned.
God is a wise master of time and place.
We would return during the week for a special day in St-Remy-de-Provence as the event chez Elsa was just too magical to rush.
My colleague from Valbonne, Helene Herve, came to Aix to meet the group and do a special wine degustation for us in my apartment in the center of town. There’s a trick done with blindfolds that I had never experienced and it teaches you how much your nose is at work when you drink fine wine. Helene has just passed (with merit!) the highest level of exam for international sommeliers.
She is coming out to my South Carolina home in November for four wine events and provencal meals. We are hosting the Loire Valley trip in May of 2027. There is still availability (see the website). If you’d like her to help with wine events, let me know.
Helene and I also took a day to drive back into the Alpilles. We wanted to visit a newly renovated former olive mill in the little town of Mouries, as a possible place to stay for “live like a local” time in Provence. It is a stunning renovation, with six bedrooms and four kitchens, steps from the open air market, with plunge pool and courtyard with fountain.
And I wanted to pop by Maussane for lunch. It is the village whose church Elizabeth and I attended on Palm Sunday in March of 2009, the year we were married, and our first time together in France. Ou Ravi Provencau is the restaurant many of you will recall from French Affaires trips.
So many of you know and love the artist Jill Steenhuis, who lives south of Aix with her French husband Serge. Jill kindly visited us at the hotel in Quartier Mazarin and, over wine and champagne, delighted the group with her presentation of Cezanne and his art. Another evening to recall and treasure.
The trip begins with a visit to the famed open market at Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and lunch at Le Prevote. We then pass by Gordes for a visit at the Abbey of Senanque, known for its extensive lavender fields surrounding the cloister.
In years past I have wanted to add a return visit to the southern Luberon to take in a different feel than Gordes, typically stopping by the perched villages of Ansouis, Cucuron, and Lourmarin. This year we opted for a gracious lunch at the vineyards and open air terrace restaurant at Chateau de La Coste. And then a brief walking visit of Ansouis.
And so our trip wound down on the last day with a final dinner at le Jardin de Mazarin, including a birthday celebration of one of our guests. One of the most special (for me) return visits to Aix-en-Provence, due to such a charming group of amateurs de la langue francaise and now close friends.
Let me remind you again of the Loire Valley trip Helene and I are doing in May. There is still room.
Maud has eleven guests for her famed Paris Fashion History voyage in mid-October. I suspect that will become a perennial hit. She is operating in the zones of her passion, skill, and training. Bon chance, chere Maud.
I will have another Sacred France trip in 2027 in Provence. I would like to organize a “live like a local” stay at a lovely French home. Contact me please if this interests you and your group.
I am of course mindful that 23 September is the fifth anniversary of Elizabeth’s passing and journey to her eternal home in the Lord. She created French Affaires and it brought her untold joy. I am proud to continue on the foundation and structure she created and to extend her gifts for guests wanting her signature touch. Provence 2026 is just that kind of trip.
Love to all of you, from Maud, Helene and me (and Marcel of course).
Chris
PS. I may be in Dallas to speak about Le Grand Voyage in coming months. I will keep you posted.