When I moved to Provence, all I envisioned were gold and purple fields weaved around rolling hills. I didn’t expect to see a blanket of snow covering my dreams. It was February and it snowed the night before we arrived and was so thick that our little economy car couldn’t make it up the driveway. We parked our car outside a neighbor’s house and trekked in the snow to our front door. Our experience in Provence has been nothing but surprising ever since. Of all the places we have lived (Orlando, Montreal, Marseille, Bordeaux, and Lantheuil), I will miss our little provincial village of Banon the most.
Here’s what I’ll miss about Provence:
1. Villages stuck in the past. These small stone villages with antique embellishments make you feel like you have traveled back to the 1800s. You can still find the water areas where women used to do laundry, steel rings where horses were tied, and ornate carvings in building corners. We even found bories scattered around the countryside – old stone houses that were abandoned about 3,000 years ago.
2. Change of seasons. I’m from Florida so I’m accustomed to living in a warm climate. What I love about Provence is that we experience a change of seasons. And unlike Normandy, you actually get to enjoy a real summer. In Provence we set up a pool on our balcony, and in Normandy during this time of year I was wearing a winter jacket and snow boots. Okay, the snow boots were my brilliant idea to keep the cold water out and warmth in.
3. Life in the slow lane. Even if you are accustomed to speeding your way through life, you can’t help but to slow down in Provence. Life seems simpler here, and you can’t help but to stop and enjoy the smaller things. Pull over on the side of the road to enjoy a magificent view, sip a cool glass of white wine while looking out to the Mediteranean, or climbing on top of a cliff only to sit and watch the world below. This is the place where you can take a deep breathe of fresh air and relax.
4. Provincial food, of course. We have explored many restaurants while living in Provence, with many of them being in the Michelin guide. You can’t come to Provence without dining out at least once. My husband even bought me a provencial cookbook as a hint. Unfortunately, nothing has come out quite the same.
5. July. I’m not sure if there is a more lovely place to be in the world in July. Driving through the countryside, I wanted to pull over every couple minutes to take photographs. There were lavender and sunflower fields everywhere, and it was more stunning than any photograph. At one field, I jumped out of the car and sprung across a lavender field to take photographs only to realized that I was completely surrounded by millions of bees. I stood there for about fifteen minutes to take my photographs, even photographing a bee, and then ran out of there before one of those bees gave me a second glance.
Alexa says
Oh my gosh! I came across your blog through Top Mommy Blogs… and can I just say I am SOOOOO jealous!!! You are living the life I used to dream would be mine! I studied my Junior year of College in Mulhouse (near Strasbourg) and then worked in Paris for a little while after graduation. I always thought I’d stay over there, but that’s not the cards life dealt me. However, I am really enjoying living vicariously through you! oh! I’m so jealous!!!!! 😉 And congrats on your book – I also want to write books, so if you have any advice for me, I’d love to hear about how you got started! thanks!
jessica says
Oh, I am so jealous! I love Provence preciscely because of all the things you’ve mentioned above. Even the mistral seems heavenly sometimes! I like the city I live in (Lyon) and Paris is okay, too, but I really do prefer Provence. It’s what convinced me to give up my life in the states and try to make a fairy tale come true in France. I still want to make it my home one day, and feel like I am getting closer all the time. I understand that you’ll miss it, but as we live here, we are lucky enough to be at least be able to go for vacation.
I have written a couple of blogs about it specifically, as it is truly my “chouchou” of this country. If you’re interested, here they are:
Azur Fairy Tale: http://chezbabette.tumblr.com/post/1727307480/an-azur-fairy-tale
More than Paname: http://chezbabette.tumblr.com/post/4658812034/more-than-paname-france-je-taime
Great blog and congrats on the soon to be new addition to the family!