Candlelight Concerts in Provence

Posted on August 14, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

Imagine sitting in a comfortable seat in an ancient Roman city. As the sun sets, you can see thousands of candles among the ruins, perched on stone walls, stairs, and fallen columns.

The sky darkens and the candles begin to glow. Then a string quartet comes out and starts to play beautiful music. It is an experience that can only be described as magical.

My wife and I enjoyed that magic in June in the ancient Roman city of Glanum near where we live St-Rémy-de-Provence. It was part of a series of concerts being held this summer throughout Provence, and they promise to be spectacular!

Read all about these summer candlelight concerts in Perfectly Provence!

Part-Time Living in Provence

Posted on August 7, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

International Living is an excellent resource for people thinking of moving abroad. The magazine has correspondents around the world, experts in different countries, and holds regular seminars for those who want to learn about taking the plunge.

Val and I were interviewed by their French correspondent about our part-time life in St-Rémy-de-Provence. How did we decide to do it, how did we choose where to live, how much does it cost? For those of you dreaming of a French life, you might find it interesting.

Read all about it in International Living!

Living Between Two Worlds

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

Florence Melin is a French woman who has lived in the United States for half her life, and also visits France every year. We met through a mutual friend and had a very interesting conversation, as I’m a little bit the opposite of her: an American who lives part-time in France.

I really appreciated Florence’s thoughts on how the US compares to France. She is able to see the good points of each country, along with the occasional frustrations. I could relate when she said there are some things you can never really understand about your new country, like events from childhood and are part of the collective cultural memory.

You can read about how Florence sees the two countries in My French Life!

The Transhumance, Part of the World’s Cultural Heritage

Posted on June 19, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

For thousands of years, shepherds have moved their flocks seasonally in search of better grazing—a process known in French as la transhumance. Recently, UNESCO inscribed the European transhumance as a part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This was the result of years of effort, led by France and Spain, and it recognized the important role that the transhumance plays in Europe.

What is a transhumance like and why is it important? And did sheep really march down the Champs-Elysées in Paris??

Read all about it in France Today!

A French Controversy: Who Will Sing at the Paris Olympics?

Posted on May 15, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

Rumors surfaced recently that French President Emmanuel Macron had invited Aya Nakamura to sing at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics. A firestorm immediately erupted, and it has not died down yet.

The French-Malian Nakamura is by far the most popular French-language singer performing today. Her songs have been streamed billions of times, she has 25 Top Ten singles in France and has won multiple musical awards. Lancôme, part of French luxury house L’Oréal, recently named her its new World Ambassador.

So, why the controversy? Well, it’s complicated.

Read all about it in My French Life!

The Great Women of France, Part 3

Posted on April 10, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

Who are the great women of France? There are so many, it is hard to list them all! But let’s start with 15 who have played important roles in the history of la belle France.

There is so much to say that I’ve divided my list into three different articles, each discussing five women. This third article covers the 20th century.

Some of the women you are probably familiar with, like the great Marie Curie, winner of not one but two Nobel Prizes. But how about Nadia Boulanger, who taught some of the century’s greatest composers? Or Simone Veil, the Holocaust survivor who became one of France’s most important political figures? And did you know that Coco Chanel, the brilliant couturière, was also a Nazi collaborator?

Read all about these and other great women of France in My French Life!

The Great French Hope Hits the NBA

Posted on March 27, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

A year ago, French phenom Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama was the world’s most sought-after young basketball player. His skills were so otherworldly that even the great LeBron James could not find the right word to describe him. He finally settled on “alien,” as in “from another planet.”

What makes Wemby so rare? It’s his never-before-seen mix of size and agility. He is one of the tallest players in the world, but has a 3-point shot as smooth as crème Chantilly. That gives him a one-two punch: the dominance of a center with the shooting and ball-handling of a guard.

So how is Wemby doing now that he’s in the NBA, the world’s premier basketball league? Let’s just say that even LeBron James might be at a loss for words!

Read all about it in Frenchly!

The Other D-Day

Posted on March 20, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

June will mark the 80th anniversary of D-Day, when Allied troops landed in Normandy and began their push towards Berlin. Today, places like Omaha Beach and Pointe du Hoc offer a moving testament to the courage and sacrifice of those who helped free Europe from tyranny.

But that wasn’t the only D-Day! There was another one as well, in the south of France near St-Tropez. It followed the Normandy landings by a few weeks, where military units with names like Camel and Garbo hitting the southern beaches.

The operation met with spectacular success, pushing German troops almost all the way to the German border. Today you can visit monuments to this “Operation Dragoon” in Toulon and other nearby towns.

Read all about it in The Good Life France!

The Great Women of France, Part 2

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

Who are the great women of France? There are so many, it is hard to list them all! But let’s start with 15 who have played important roles in the history of la belle France.

There is so much to say that I’ve divided my list into three different articles, each discussing five women. This second article covers the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

Some of the women you are probably familiar with, like the author George Sand. But did you know that the mathematician Emilie de Chatelet not only corrected some of Isaac Newton’s theories, but also developed an early form of financial derivatives? Or that Berthe Morisot was considered one of the finest of the Impressionist painters? And how about the salonnières, the women who ran the famous salons of the Enlightenment, sometimes called “the cradle of the French Revolution”?

Read all about these and other great women of France in My French Life!

The Great Women of France, Part 1

Posted on February 14, 2024 by Keith Van Sickle

Who are the great women of France? There are so many, it is hard to list them all! But let’s start with 15 who have played important roles in the history of la belle France. You’ll find a few surprises on my list, like the woman who was not even French, but that’s part of the fun of learning about these extraordinary women.

There is so much to say that I’ve divided my list into three different articles, each discussing five women. This first article covers the period up to the end of the 16^th century.

Some of the women you are probably familiar with, like Joan of Arc. But did you know that Saint Geneviève, the patron saint of Paris, once saved the city from Attila the Hun? Or that Catherine de Medici brought haute cuisine to France? And is it true that Mary Magdalene arrived in Provence by boat?