Food & Travel
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Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque: A Lavender Pilgrimage
My journey to Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque started several years ago and turned out to be a somewhat circuitous one. I first heard about this mecca of lavender through a bedtime story on the Calm app. And since then, I’ve often been lulled to sleep by the dulcet voice of Stephen Fry beguiling me with images of the lavender fields of Provence. Of all the delights mentioned in this story by Pheobe Smith, the charms of the Abbey captivated me most. And so, with COVID restrictions lifted this past summer, I made my way by plane, train and then automobile to les Monts de Vaucluse to finally experience the lavender…
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Saint George’s Chapel: The Final Resting Place of Queen Elizabeth II
My plan for this week had been to regale you on my recent visit to the fragrant lavender fields of Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque in the hills of Provence. However, with the sudden death of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, these memories have been supplanted with others. More specifically, with memories of my visit, a mere a month ago, to what will soon become the final resting place of this most notable monarch, Saint George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. Along The Thames This pilgrimage came at the end of my first return to Europe since the outbreak of COVID-19. It was a journey that was planned around a week-long rowing…
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The Joie de Vivre of French-Secrets
This past winter, I discovered a gentle, elegant respite from the hustle and bustle of daily life. It came in the form of a blog, written by another woman with a love of French food and culture. Adeline Olmer was born in France and moved to the United States with her family as a young girl. As a result, she has lived her life at the intersection of these two great cultures. And this has given her a joie de vivre which shines through in her blog French-Secrets. Started as an expression of food, family and home, French-Secrets has evolved over time. And Adeline’s current iteration now embodies the belief…
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Sparkplug Coffee: Travel-Inspired Blends
If you’ve been following my blogging journey for a while, you will know that I have been the author of all the blog posts I have shared. Recently though, after connecting with fellow traveller and the founder of Sparkplug Coffee, I decided to try something new. I asked her to write a guest article for me on travel from her perspective – a coffee perspective. So, without further ado, let me introduce the lovely and adventurous Kara. Hi! I’m Kara Isert and I’m the founder & Chief Coffee Officer of Sparkplug Coffee. I met Frances online in a group that supports growing e-commerce businesses like Sparkplug and Boutique L’Abeille Française.…
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Adventure Rowing Down the Ebro: Miravet
The beautiful spring weather we’re currently experiencing takes me back to the rowing tour of Spain’s Ebro River that I completed at this time of year in 2019. And looking back at these photos of one of my last pre-pandemic journeys brings a tear to my eye. Our small, but hardy, group of avid rowers had already rowed over the Sunken Village of Fayón, taken the Pilgrimage to Fontcalda and successfully navigated le Mar de Aragon. And, having departed Massaluca, we were now on our way to the charming town of Miravet in the province of Tarragona. Rowing Down a Lazy River After experiencing some challenging conditions on a couple…
