There are some things that are found only in France: the Tour de France bicycle race each summer, the Meilleure Baguette de Paris (Best Baguette in Paris) contest every March, fairytale châteaux by the hundreds, les villages perchés (hilltop villages) of Provence, transportation strikes when people need the Métro and trains most—i.e., at vacation time,…

The French love the earth. This passion takes various forms. For many French, having a garden is de rigueur (a must). Whether a large potager (vegetable garden) in the country or a few herbs in pots on the apartment balcony in Paris, a bit of dirt in which to make things grow is a link…

When our French Affaires travel group boarded the plane in Dallas a couple of weeks ago en route to Paris and Provence, we saw local fashion directors and buyers dressed to the nines. We quickly realized they were on their way to la Fashion Week in la Capitale (Paris). Leather riding-type boots worn on top…

As a little girl growing up in Dallas, I went on a myriad of school field trips: A tour of the then-new Dallas-Ft. Worth airport including a peek in the American Airlines flight school cockpit simulator. A visit to the Mrs. Baird’s bread factory where we saw food manufacturing at its finest and were given…

If there’s one thing the ‘Julie & Julia’ movie and book hype has done, it’s to make France and things French pretty cool again here in the U.S. Sales of Julia’s book Mastering the Art of French Cooking are going through the roof. Julia-themed French dinners are popping up in restaurants all over the country. Cooking too is hip once more, particularly French cooking. More…

A couple of weeks ago via French Affaires Weekly, we took a photo tour of Aix-en-Provence and its remarkable collection of oratoires urbains, mini places of prayer affixed to houses and buildings. But the sacred art in Provence doesn’t end there. There are les églises (churches), les chapelles (chapels), les cimetières (cemeteries) and les cathédrales…

Shopping in France has its obvious pleasures. Creative window displays are a perpetual source of eye candy. Beautiful goods tempt in small boutiques and in les grands magasins (department stores). And when a shopkeeper learns you truly appreciate his wares, he will bend over backwards to be helpful and informative whether or not you purchase…

France’s Christian heritage is evident almost anywhere you go in the city or in the countryside. Soaring cathedrals, village churches, carved shrines, crosses large and small, public and private chapels, and more are prominent in the visual space, witnessing a time when faith and daily life were woven tightly together. In Aix-en-Provence, one of the…

One of the things I love most about French Affaires is the spirit of community–with a French twist. Whether it’s Francophiles gathering stateside for a French wine and cheese pairing class or a visual tour of the best of Paris or a talk on magical gardens in Provence…or whether it’s a group of friends on…