The departure is only days away, and I’m very excited. I’ll be returning to Provence as a featured expert again on the New York Times Journeys Walk in Provence tour. First stop, before the group tour begins, is Marseille. This large port city often gets a bum rap…
I recently had the opportunity to interview Martine Bertin-Peterson, founder of the culinary travel adventure company Goût et Voyage. Martine escorts tours to Provence, Tuscany and Umbria, and she conducts cooking classes. I met Martine when she invited me to speak at Alliance Française in Doylestown,…
Hankering to visit coastal Maine during the peak of September? Looking for ways to jump-start your creativity? Curious about the craft of food writing? Voraciously devour Pete Wells’ restaurant reviews, Kitchen Sisters’ podcasts, or David Lebovitz’s food blog? Eager for any excuse to eat lobster? If…
When I visit Paris, I routinely hop the bus or Métro to the 12th arrondissement at some point during my stay to explore Marché d’Aligre. Bicyclists weave a crooked path past pedestrians pushing baby carriages or pulling market carts. During my most recent trip, I stayed in…
The chef scrunched up his nose like a wrinkled overripe apricot. A student in his cooking school in the south of France was aware that strawberries grow in Provence, and he had asked if the menu would include them. The chef became so upset at…
Interested in exploring a market in Paris that combines high-quality goods with a relaxed ambiance and an elegant neighborhood? If so, one can’t do much better than Marché Président Wilson. It springs to life each Saturday and Wednesday morning in the posh 16th arrondissement. Market…
Dreams are made of “April in Paris,” and this April my dream came true. The trip was a combination of work and pleasure, although with travel writing the line between them is blurry. Throughout Paris, trees are proclaiming spring with a halo of buds. Gardens…
Clotilde Dusoulier is one of the pioneers of food blogging. Although born and raised in Paris, she writes her blog Chocolate and Zucchini and books in English. One quality that consistently comes across in her writing is how much she cares. Cares about flavorful food, about…
Dear Mr. Mayle, I am sorry that it is upon the news of your death that I am sitting down to write this note. Thank you, Mr. Mayle, for introducing me to Provence. Before reading your books, I had a fuzzy idea at best of…
The capital of Alsace (now the Grand Est region in France) and the seat of the European Parliament, Strasbourg is a cosmopolitan city with diverse attractions, including one of the best Christmas markets in Europe. As entrancing as Strasbourg is, there are good reasons to…