I’m living vicariously through another family’s blog. The family in question is living in “my” house in Puyloubier, France. They are on a year-long sabbatical and their children attend the school that my girls attended last spring. I especially love the blog’s photos, because our old friends from the village occasionally make cameo [...]
Yes, I admit it. I’m a little nostalgic (homesick?) for Puyloubier and Provence.
All week I’ve been trying to channel my inner French girl and enjoy the simple pleasures of life. The girls and I picked wild flowers, baked a clafoutis, took walks and read books. Dan and I have even been able to carve [...]
Without a doubt, our favorite souvenirs are the experiences and the friendships we made in France. But those are harder to unpack and describe in a single blog post. Here are the tangible versions of our souvenirs:
My favorites:
My French shopping basket. I bought it the second day I was there and I used [...]
This is a guest post by my husband, Dan.
Almost two months after Laurie and our daughters arrived in Puyloubier, France, I finally flew in from Seattle to join them for the last 10 days of their stay. After landing and making a quick stop for lunch in Marseille, Laurie took me to the [...]
Grandma’s here! The poor woman must be absolutely exhausted after 24 hours of travel – but did we let her go to bed early? No way!
We spent the entire evening at a friend’s house – eating outside, drinking wine, talking, laughing… What a great group of people – a truly special night.
Welcome to [...]
View of Marseille from the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde.
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La Basilique. Apparently, the Marseille football (soccer) team prays here before each match!
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Girls light a candle for Grandma Jitka. [...]
In 1827, the Pasha of Egypt gave the King of France a giraffe. Her name was Zarafa and she sailed from Alexandria, Egypt to Marseille, France in a special boat with a hole cut out for her neck. After wintering in Marseille, Zarafa “wearing sylish boots and a cape” walked 500 miles in four days [...]
Just a quick blog today to share with you some photos of our little village…
Puyloubier is tucked into the base of Mt. Sainte Victoire, and overlooks a wide green valley covered with vineyards and stone barns.
The village itself is really very charming. The church bells ring every hour. There [...]
It makes me so happy to wander the streets of an outdoor market with my girls – putting delicious bundles of goodness into my basket. SO HAPPY.
For lunch we had some paella from the local restaurant / street vendor. We sat outside in the sunshine… It was heaven! The girls had a fight [...]
The girls have decided that they like Puyloubier better than Paris. That’s a pretty bold statement if you ask me! But I’m certainly not gonna rock their boat. And I have to admit, so far I love it here too. But better than Paris?? That’s a tall order. Anyway. Here are my top 3 lessons [...]
Our first Sample Séjour Package is online! It’s called a Family Séjour in Provence. This sample package offers the charm and character of a small community + convenient access to the bustling cafés and cultural elegance of Aix-en-Provence. Kids could finish the school year in the local school – while parents take French [...]
Last post, I mentioned that we got our girls into a local public school in France. I’ve had a lot of friends ask me “So, how does that work? I mean, you’re not French. Will they just take your kids for a few months?”
The short answer is – yes, [...]
So in case you are just tuning in, we’ve been trying to decide which rental property to choose on our next séjour in France. And… after much deliberation…. We chose option number 2! The village house in Puyloubier, France.
This place looks absolutely charming. It’s a traditional maison de [...]
On any given Friday night, you’ll find our entire family snuggled in front of the TV watching House Hunters International. It’s a little pathetic how many people know that this is our favorite show. We just love to be inspired by people moving around the globe. And it’s fun to [...]
About me
Hi! I'm Laurie - travel consultant and blogger. Do you want to live La Belle Vie? I can help!
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