When traveling in France, one expression you do not want to meet in any form is the following: “en panne.” A few years ago, upon arriving at Charles de Gaulle airport from the U.S. after a long night’s flight, I headed to the nearest distributeur, or ATM, to get some euros for the taxi ride…

One topic that inevitably comes up in my talks and seminars on French travel and culture is le comportement (the behavior) of French people in France. I suppose this is understandable as the rudeness of the French, particularly Parisians, is legendary among American travelers. Participants want to know why some French people can be so…

One of the things I love most about traveling in Europe is coming upon art, music or cultural festivals quite par hasard (by chance). From small, home-grown occasions to grand events, festivals are typically a short-term celebration of something or someone special to the local culture. A few weeks ago while in Aix-en-Provence, I found…

One Sunday last summer as I was traveling solo in Provence, I decided to stop for a leisurely lunch at L’Oustau de Baumanière. L’Oustau, a Michelin-starred restaurant and hotel, lies at the foot of the village perché (hilltop village) of Les Baux-de-Provence in the Alpilles mountains.* It also sits at the gate of le Val…

When I lived in Paris, one of my favorite pastimes was wandering through open-air markets in whatever part of the city I happened to be in. Fruits and vegetables in season, fresh and aged cheeses, breads, whole fowl of every kind, rabbits and other game, seafood, spices, and more were a feast for the eyes…

When I arrived in Aix-en-Provence a couple of weeks ago, it was a gorgeous summer afternoon in the south of France. The sun was shining, the sky was lapis blue. But it was not hot. Strangely enough, it wasn’t all that warm. By the time I left the outdoor cocktail party for Vanderbilt-in-France alumni, it…

It is a given these days that a stay in any world metropolis is going to cost you, especially in Europe. With the euro near record highs, une tasse de café (a cup of coffee) at a major café in Paris such as Les Deux Magots or the Café de Flore on the Left Bank…

It was a rainy Monday night in Paris-and Dieu merci (thank God!), a girls’ night out. We were set to rendez-vous at the bar at the Hôtel Pont-Royal near the Rue du Bac.* Our ultimate destination was dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.* Created in 2003 by the iconic chef of the…

When I first set foot in Provence as a student over twenty years ago, the coldest winter in decades bewildered the south of France. Snow dusted palm trees and cypresses up and down the Riviera. Centuries-old fountains transformed themselves into extravagant ice sculptures. Le mistral, the notorious north wind that blows down the Rhône Valley,…