Need a last-minute dinner reservation for 16 people in Cassis on a Saturday night in August? No, apparently it’s not impossible. On a recent stay at a villa in Provence with a good friend and her business school buds, we decided to have a dinner out one night as a change from the huge meals…

I didn’t know Provence too well before embarking on a road trip there recently with a good friend of mine. We – well, she (I still don’t have a license) – drove from Montpellier to Avignon to Château Sainte Roseline winery, then to the coastal city of Sainte Martine and back to our rural stay…

And then there was a bakery called Boulangerie de Mamie Jane on Route Neuve in the center of Gordes. When sightseeing in small French towns it generally seems good practice to skip dessert at whatever restaurant one has lunch in and stop by a boulangerie afterwards instead. Chances are the restaurant’s desserts are brought over from a nearby bakery anyway; you will likely…

I was in a bad mood at the Sénanque Abbey when we visited with friends during our week in Provence. I was hot, hungry and hungover from a tad too much rosé the night before. Dizzied by both the heat and blinding glare of the August sun, piqued by quarrels with the beau (that were no doubt also aggravated by…

A visit to Château Beaucastel in Châteauneuf-du-Pape during my recent trip to Provence was a major check off the wino bucket list. The boo and I toured the impressive estate, learned about the various Grenache-dominant blends of thirteen varietals, heard the spiel on the region’s history, traditions and terroir. I badgered our knowledgable guide with an endless…