Theatre is alive and well in Aix en Provence. I went to see a play at Theatre du Jeu du Paume (named after an indoor game "Paume" = palm, as in handball, of a version of tennis played amongst noblemen), and was introduced...

At last the earth has tilted her head down enough so we in the Northern Hemisphere can enjoy more sun! Now that I'm in a climate that is more expressive in its way of showing off the seasons, I can...

The wonderful Côte d'Azur is only a couple of hours away from St Cannat. We took a little day trip just when the mimosa were in full bloom. In California, they call this fragrant plant acacia, and it is considered...

My first full day in France was St Valentine's. Aix was decked out in Yayoi Kusama's charming polka-dotted trees to open the 2013 Marseille/Provence Cultural Festivities. I look forward to seeing more from this festival. I am getting my bearings downtown, and started...

I made it! After several months of reducing my life in the States to zero, I am finally on the positive side of the number line: building my new life in France. Oddly, the biggest hurdle in preparing for the...

Les sanglots longs Des violons De l'automne Blessent mon coeur D'une langueur Monotone.Tout suffocant Et blême, quand Sonne l'heure, Je me souviens Des jours anciens Et je pleureEt je m'en vais Au vent mauvais Qui m'emporte Deçà, delà, Pareil à la Feuille morte.—Paul Verlaine(a mostly Arthur Symons', unsatisfactory translation:The sobbing winds / Of violins /of autumn...

I was in England this July, though not for the Olympics, but to visit family. Other than the charm of the people (and their noticeably better vocabulary), what I liked best was the country's color scheme—everything was either a variation...