Floral Friday

 Small pots of traditional muguets take center stage at a local primeur.

- Happy Fête du Travail weekend -

May 1, 2026

Baskets and bags

 

 

Baskets and tote bags for sale are usually a sign that a market is nearby.

 

Fruity Friday

Seasonal fruits piled high at a local maraîcher.

Fève Friday

 

It's fèves and petits-pois season til the end of July.

 

Above: market supplies dwindle by mid-morning 

 

Below: shelling peas for fresh pea soup

 

 

 

Fruity Friday

 An outdoor fruit stand on the Left Bank. 

 

Fig Friday

It's the end of the fig season, but figs can still be found in most markets and on market streets.

 

Meringue Monday

 Gigantic meringues vie for space in the window of a pastry shop.

Christmas village

 

A Christmas village, complete with a mini Christmas market and live entertainment, has been set up in front of an illuminated Hôtel de Ville.  

Ends tomorrow, January 3, 2021

 Place de l'Hôtel-de-Ville 

Paris by the sea #4

Since last week when I began posting photos of île de Ré there's been a surge in my visitor stats, mostly from the U.S., which tells me that perhaps travel is at the forefront of many minds right now. We're praying that restrictions will soon be lifted but here in France there's been another kind of surge: coronavirus cases - the dreaded deuxième vague? - meaning that for us too, travel to foreign soils or even within France may become unlikely again for who knows how long. However I thank you for your visits and will continue to post, all the while hoping to see you in Paris in the (near) future! - BPJ

Above: on a small street inside the village of Ars-en-Ré; local church dating to the Middle Ages w/its landmark black and white steeple and snow white entryway

Below: spices entice from a market stall; Pineau des Charentes, the region's signature apéritif mingles w/French wines, beers and cognacs; local fresh oysters for lunch

 

A week in Provence #7

 

One of the most delightful market outings imaginable was the Sunday morning marché at Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. The market runs along the river, with no shortage of cafés and restaurants.

Above: fragrant herbes de Provence and lavender; regional olive oils and vinegars

Below: leisurely start each day with breakfasts of homemade confitures and cakes, fresh orange juice, coffee, fruit; still hot-from-the-oven artisanal croissants with chocolate filling; arriving for dinner in Lacoste to sweeping views with village of Bonnieux in the background 

A week in Provence #6

For much of this road trip before heading out each morning we'd map where a village market would be on that particular day, getting us up and out early.

Above: stalls at the compact Thursday morning market in the village of Ménerbes, home to British author Peter Mayle of "A Year In Provence" fame

Below: the obligatory stop-to-refresh in nearby Lourmarin followed by a summery lunch

***

As friends and I recall when we get together and exchange stories from what we call our "Cadaqués days," a time of adventure, misadventure and intrigue, there was the time I'd been invited by "Captain" Peter Moore and Catherine, his Swiss wife, to their home for lunch. The  house was an architectural wonder on the tip of a sort of peninsula surrounded by security cameras and stunning views of the Mediterranean. Inside, the walls dripped with paintings and, incredibly, enormous Salvador Dalí wall tapestries, something I'd not realized existed. An effervescent Irishman, Peter had served in the British Royal Navy prior to becoming Dalí's personal secretary and business manager, accompanying the maestro all over the world for years, and was to become embroiled in an international art forgery scandal. But on this idyllic day it was just me, daughter Danielle (quite small back then), Peter, Catherine, and their guest and dear friend, Lyle Stuart, publisher of a controversial children's book by a certain Peter Mayle called, "Where Did I Come From?" Just before we left, Lyle, enchanted with Danielle, disappeared for a moment and soon emerged with a copy of the book, which he duly signed and dedicated then and there, a cherished gift and memento of that wonderful afternoon now buried somewhere among piles of books in our Montmartre home.

 

Meanwhile Peter Mayle, who I never did get the chance to meet, was working on "A Year In Provence," published not that long after, in 1989. the year of Dalí's death. In 2018 he was to pass away in his beloved Provence. - BPJ

 

Fish Friday

Social distancing while shopping for fresh seafood.

***

 

For many, the virus seems to have triggered a sort of "protective instinct" in our partners - some say the reason more men than women seem to be at all the food markets these days, insisting that we ladies stay home and let them brave masked shoppers, wait in lines and leave the eggplant squeezing to them. - BPJ

Paris' 21st arrondissement #2

 

Provençal-style markets, small fishing villages, local fleur de sel and fleur de sel goat cheeses.

 

On the nearby tiny island of Aix where no cars are allowed and access is solely by ferry a man makes his way down the main street.

 

***

 

Getting there: 

By TGV train from Paris: leave early to La Rochelle (just 2 1/2 hours)

At La Rochelle rent a car and head to île de Ré, a 10-minute drive

 

By car from Paris: approximately 4 hours 

If driving, plan on spending at least one night