Every year, the Carrières des Lumières creates a magical sound and light show inside a giant cavern near Les Baux. It usually features an artist, and this year it is all about Claude Monet, one of the original Impressionists. The program is so good that Val and I saw it twice! If you are in Provence this year, it is not to be missed.
Read all about it in Perfectly Provence!
Vincent van Gogh spent two years in Provence, first in Arles and then at a mental asylum in St-Rémy-de-Provence. In his works we see the people and landscape of the time, filtered through the lens of his unique artistic style. But what did they really look like? A new photographic collection now lets us see for ourselves.
Sisters Emile, Alexandre, and Augustin Sicard were talented amateur photographers at the turn of the last century. They took hundreds of photos in and around St-Rémy just a few years after Van Gogh lived there. Looking at their photos gives us a picture of his world.
Read all about it in Perfectly Provence!
After a complicated process that took eight long years, the European Commission finally granted the Melon de Cavaillon its coveted IGP designation. IGP laws (Indication Géographique Protégée) mean that only products from a certain geographic area, following strict rules, can carry the label. It guarantees quality and authenticity for the consumer and means higher prices for the producers.
First brought to France by the Avignon Popes, and a favorite of Alexandre Dumas, Cavaillon’s melons are among the best in the world. Val and I enjoy them every chance we get, as Cavaillon is just up the road from St-Rémy. You definitely have to try them when you are in Provence.
Read all about this local speciality in Perfectly Provence!
St-Rémy’s most famous former resident is undoubtedly Vincent van Gogh, who spent a year here as a mental patient after cutting off his ear in Arles. While in St-Rémy, he painted several masterpieces, including Irises and The Starry Night.
The place where Van Gogh was interned, Saint-Paul de Mausole, has recently been refurbished. So, you can now see it much as it was during Van Gogh’s time, with not only Van Gogh’s room but also where other patients lived, his doctor’s office, some of the “treatment” rooms, and more. It’s a must-see for visitors to the area, especially those interested in the great artist’s life.
Read all about it in Perfectly Provence!
Just over the hill from St-Rémy sits Maussane-les-Alpilles, a charming village that Val and I go to often. One of the main reasons is a great little restaurant, L’Oustaloun, that serves excellent food. And the service is outstanding! As one of the owners says, “We love our clients and treat them like honored guests.”
All the dishes are homemade (my favorite is the timbaline–so good!) and you can either sit outside on the town square or inside in the charming dining room with its stone walls. Don’t miss L’Oustaloun when you are in the area!
Read all about this excellent restaurant in Perfectly Provence!
Like a lot of countries, France has its cultural quirks. People kiss each other in greeting. Tailgating is a national sport. There’s a complicated protocol on what to say when entering the doctor’s waiting room.
Learn more about these quirks, plus some fun facts about France, at My French Life!
St-Rémy has one of the best weekly markets in France. Yes, I know I’m biased because I live here part of the year, but it’s still true!
If you are thinking of visiting, here’s a primer on what to expect and what to enjoy.
Read all about it in France Today!
A growing number of people have trouble eating gluten. For many, it’s an intolerance and makes them uncomfortable when they eat gluten. For others like me, who have celiac disease, it’s a serious medical condition that requires constant vigilance.
I often get asked how I manage a gluten-free life in France, the country with some of the best bread in the world (yes, I miss croissants.) I’ve put together some of my hard-earned knowledge in an article that covers shopping, dining, and more. You might want to pass it along to someone you know who has trouble with gluten and is considering a trip to France.
Read all about it in Frenchly!
Val and I love the views in Provence, whether of mountains or valleys or stunning cities like Avignon. We bike and hike to some, we drive to others, and we often bring along a picnic. Here are six of our favorites in Perfectly Provence!
Have you ever wondered where the story of Sleeping Beauty came from, or Little Red Riding Hood, or Puss in Boots? These stories we love today all sprang from the fertile imagination of Charles Perrault, an official in the court of King Louis XIV. And while today such fairy tales are thought of as children’s stories, their original audience was none other than the aristocracy of France.
From Lawyer to Writer
Charles Perrault was born in 1628 to a wealthy bourgeois family. He trained as a lawyer but loved to write, and his poems honoring King Louis XIV brought him to the attention of the monarch. He was hired as the secretary to Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Louis’ powerful minister, and became a fixture at the court. But after 20 years of service, Perrault retired and dedicated himself to writing.
Thus in 1697 appeared Histoires ou contes du temps passé, avec des moralités (Stories or tales of the past, with morals). This was a collection of eight fairy tales, most of which have become classics: Sleeping Beauty, Little Red Riding Hood, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, Bluebeard, Hop ‘o My Thumb, Diamonds and Toads, and Ricky of the Tuft. Perrault’s book was so popular that it went through multiple printings in his lifetime, and today the stories are beloved worldwide.
Was Perrault the Real Author?
One question that scholars ask is, how could one man have come up with so many great stories? Did Perrault base them on existing folk tales, or perhaps something else?
Folk tales were probably not the source. Clapbooks were common at the time—inexpensive books aimed at a popular audience. They told simple tales in simple language and often reflected the folk tales of the day. But Perrault’s stories are not found among them.
What seems most likely is that he based his stories on older tales by medieval authors, and sometimes even the ancient Greeks. For example, Little Red Riding Hood bears a striking resemblance to the 14th-century Italian fable The False Grandmother. And history has many Cinderella-type stories, the first known one going all the way back to ancient Egypt and recorded by the Greeks as Rhodopis.
A Talented Pen
What sets Perrault’s tales apart from these earlier ones is his talent as an author. While he may have based his stories on earlier works, his pen brought them brilliantly to life. The court of Louis XIV loved fairy tales, and prized stories that were told with préciosité—refined language and great embellishments. This is where Perrault shined, writing for the most sophisticated audience in Europe. His stories were a hit with Louis’ court and found their way throughout France, and eventually Europe.
Part of the tales’ popularity, especially among the elite, is because they reinforced the morality of the day. The aristocracy was presented as superior to the sometimes-doltish peasants. Women had to be reminded of their place: Sleeping Beauty was punished for her curiosity with a century-long sleep. And in case anyone missed the lesson of “don’t talk to strangers,” in Perrault’s version of Little Red Riding Hood, when the wolf eats the little girl, the story ends!
Mother Goose
Perrault is also the father, so to speak, of Mother Goose. His book of fairy tales was subtitled Contes de ma mère l’Oye (Tales of my mother Goose) and the name of Mother Goose caught on. It became popular in Britain after Perrault’s book was translated there, then crossed the Atlantic to the United States. Mother Goose has been associated with children’s stories in the English-speaking world ever since.
So the next time you read Puss in Boots to your kids, or watch Disney’s Sleeping Beauty together, you can tell them that the story first entertained the most glittering court in Europe.
