Châteauneuf, my Secret Hill Village
The Alpes-Maritimes department is bursting with a multitude of pretty hill villages, “villages perchés” in French, built during the middle ages in strategic spots on mountain tops and hillsides. There are at least 15 within half an hour’s drive of...
Shortened Words in French
It will probably come as no surprise to anyone who’s tried to learn a language and then put it into practice in a native-speaking country that the French language spoken in France, by French people, can be quite different from the language you studied at school....
Paris-Nice: the Cycle Race to the Sun
It’s called the Race to the Sun and 7 years ago under a perfect spring sky the 72nd Paris-Nice cycle race came through Roquefort town. Wind and rain may buffet the riders at the beginning of the course in the north of France but no one can remember a time when...
What is Pain d’Epices?
Christmas in France is all about food and at this time of year you see supermarket shelves and market stalls groaning with piles of delicious festive specialities. One of these, found at no other time of year, is pain d’épices. This tasty pâtisserie comes in various...
Coast Walk: The Cap d’Antibes
The Cap d’Antibes on the French Riviera, a name synonymous with luxury properties, phenomenal wealth and perfect manicured gardens is not often linked with untamed natural beauty. But a walk around its coastal path reveals a surprisingly wild landscape, often...
30+ of The “Plus Beaux Villages de France”
France is full of enchanting villages and among the approximately 30,000 communes there are undoubtedly thousands of beautiful ones. However, officially there are exactly 159 Plus Beaux Villages de France – 159 most beautiful villages of all. But how can there...
Wild Swimming in Rivers on the Côte d’Azur
We are so lucky in this part of France to have the choice of the sea and rivers to swim in. The PACA region has over 30 rivers, lakes and streams most of which are accessible for a dip, splash or full-blown wild swim. These rivers range from gently meandering streams...
Driving to the South of France
Driving to the South of France from the UK or Northern Europe is very doable, even pleasurable, particularly if you make the journey part of the fun and take your time. Many of the guests at Lou Messugo drive from the UK, Paris, Belgium and Germany and while there...
A Selection of Recommended Restaurants for Lunch
I never write about restaurants on this blog. It’s just not something I’ve ever done. But I have a friend who eats out much more than I do and is always telling me about great little places she’s discovered in the area. She’s forever saying I...
Visiting the Lavender Fields of Provence
Is there a more beautiful season in Provence than lavender season when the countryside turns purple and the heady scent of lavender perfumes the air? Vast fields of purple stretch as far as the eye can see, dotted only with a lonely tree or tumbledown cottage. This...
A Mongolian Odyssey
I originally wrote this piece about a Mongolian odyssey in 2015. It was a guest post for a series on memorable journeys on The Expat Partner’s Survival Guide and I have decided to repost it here as that website is no longer active. I’ve taken some crazy...
Stormy Weather – Lost in Translation
We’ve been having some incredibly stormy weather over the last couple of weeks. The Côte d’Azur knows how to do dramatic weather: when it rains it really does pour! Stormy Weather These dark threatening skies might make good photo ops but seeing as...
Cycling on the Côte d’Azur
Cycling on the Côte d’Azur and its back country is one of the most popular pastimes of both residents and visitors alike. It’s not a coincidence that many of the world’s top pro cyclists are based and train in the area. The geography and climate make it ideal cycling...
School’s Back!
School’s back! High school started again in France this week. Primary had already gone back a couple of weeks ago. This is the new normal. Masks are obligatory for high schoolers and teachers. In our collège (middle school) the classes are split in two. Half...
Travel Freely in France
Big news in France. Phase 2 of deconfinement has been announced. From June 2nd we will be allowed to travel freely in France. Restaurants, beaches, parks and museums will open (with social distancing rules in place). This is great news for tourism and for little...
Why Choose Lou Messugo Self-Catering Gîte for Your Post-Lockdown Holiday
I’m sure everyone is looking forward to getting back to normal in a post-covid-19 world. Sadly this may well be quite some way off. In the meantime the desire for a change of scene, a mini-break or even a holiday is undoubtedly getting stronger, the longer...
A May Long Weekend Trip
May is normally a great month for a long weekend trip. With all its public holidays making 3-4 day weekends we usually take the opportunity to explore the region. We jump in the car and head off within a roughly 3 hour radius. Over the last few years we’ve been...
Déconfinement: End of Lockdown
The great excitement this week has been déconfinement – the partial relaxing of lockdown. As of Monday 11 May in the green areas of France, (see my last post for explanation) we have been able to leave our homes without an attestation (permit), stay out for...
Going Green
This week at Lou Messugo it’s been all about going green. We’ve been eagerly watching the deconfinement map of France change colour while watching the new grass in the garden growing before our eyes. Deconfinement Map Going Green All eyes have been on the...
The Best French TV Series to Watch
If you find yourself reading my blog then I assume you’re a bit of a Francophile, or possibly planning a trip to France, so have I got a treat for you: a glorious selection of French TV series to watch. These days it’s all about binge-watching. Box-sets...
Roquefort Market
Our local market in Roquefort les Pins has opened again, albeit under rather different conditions. There are only a handful of stalls and a strict one-way system in place with lots of barriers. However, if it means we can get fresh local produce and get outside...
Nostalgia in Lockdown – Travel Memories
Lockdown is making me nostalgic for past travels. This week it’s all about nostalgia in lockdown and travel memories as it’s been hard not to think about where we should have been right now. We are supposed to be on the beautiful island of St Martin with...
Craft Beer on the French Riviera
It’s Friday evening apéro time and I’m trying to decide which beer to drink for my apéritif. Despite being in lockdown, or in fact strangely, thanks to being in lockdown, I have an unusually large and varied selection of craft beers from French Riviera independent...
The Ups and Downs of Lockdown
The ups and downs of lockdown became evident this week. I began on a high and ended on a low. Easter was lovely, despite being just us, no extended family like most years, we had a great time. As I hadn’t been in shops in the days before Easter I hadn’t...
Finding Contentment in Confinement
It’s been a good week with seemingly lots going on in our lockdown life. After three and a half weeks we’re finding contentment in confinement. Our tech skills are improving and we’ve been having fun with backdrops for Zoom get-togethers (which now...
Lou Messugo is 10!
We are 10! Lou Messugo is 10 years old this week, happy birthday to us! Lou Messugo is 10 We welcomed our very first guests on 6th April 2010. Kathy and Nick from Aberdeen were grandparents of a classmate of one of our kids, visiting France from Scotland. They took a...
Lockdown Rhythm
Our lockdown this week beats fairly consistently to the rhythm of gardening and baking with a first-time family walk and another hole in the fence apéro breaking up the boredom. That’s about all there is to say about the lockdown rhythm at Lou Messugo during...
How to Travel Without Travelling
There are times in our lives when we dream of travel but it’s not possible. This may be due to financial, health or time constraints or something more sinister such as the world is facing right now with the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. Personally I dream of travel...
Quarantine Reality at Lou Messugo
This week quarantine reality at Lou Messugo gets boring! We’ve been getting into a rhythm of croquet – lots of croquet – technology and finding the best way to shop for groceries. We’ve tried Leclerc Drive (“click-and-collect”)...
Instagram latest
Follow me with
