Join Us! Photographing the White Horses of the Camargue

One of the most-special experiences I've booked for my clients is a day devoted to photographing the famous white horses of the Camargue...and the cowboys (gardians) who look after them. To do this, I've teamed up with a terrific photographer who knows the best ranches, best places to shoot and best time of day for the most-magical images. She took all the photos above.

Not only will you improve your skills considerably but you'll get an exciting glimpse of a cherished Provençale tradition that many travelers miss. 

Shooting lasts roughly 90 minutes but there’s a 45-minute tutorial beforehand, plus travel time to the shooting site, so plan to spend about three hours. Workshops are suited to all levels, from beginner to professional, using smart phones to DSLRs. The best time to shoot is around sunrise and sunset so the timing changes with the seasons. Workshops are either public (where you can book as a solo and be paired with other people) or private (for you and your peeps only). Public workshops are on set dates; private ones can happen anytime.

Please note that the photographer is observing all COVID safety protocols. Masks are mandatory and group sizes have been reduced for social distancing. 

By the way, people often refer to these horses as "wild" but that's not the case...there are no white horses just lurking around the Camargue! They're all owned by someone and most live on ranches (manades), behind fences or sometimes gates. Many ranches are indeed open to the public at certain times...but that's another story for another day. In general, you don't just roll up to a ranch and start shooting the horses...and you almost certainly wouldn't get great shots. So that's why these workshops are ideal.

Two types of private workshops are available on your choice of dates.  A group of 7 to 10 horses running in the watery marshes is 825€ (for up to 8 people). A group of 5 to 7 horses on the beach (and running in the sea) is 1650€ (for up to 10 people). The price is a flat fee for your group; each workshop includes gardians in traditional gardian garb! Private workshops are available year round.

Public workshops are available on set dates, starting three hours before sunset. June is sold out but the dates for the rest of the year as as follows:  July 1, July 8, July 15, July 22, July 29, Aug 5, Aug 12, Aug 19, Sept 5, Oct 3, Oct 10 and Nov 7. These alternate between the marsh (180€ pp) and the beach (235€ pp). 

Whether you sign up for a public or private shoot, you’ll meet the photographer in or near Aigues-Mortes, about 45 minutes from Arles. For the marsh shoots, be sure to wear water-proof boots to the knee. For beach shoots between May and October, bare feet or walking sandals and shorts are fine. Masks won't be provided...you need to bring your own.

This same photographer also offers three-day workshops, shorter sessions focused on the birds of the Camargue (flamingos and others) and workshops on demand for groups of all types. Let me know what interests you and I'll reach out! 

In May 2021, there will be special workshops with mares and their new foals...probably five of each. These public shoots will be held on a private ranch, in a typically marshy and lovely Camargue landscape with birds, reeds, etc. 

For more info or to book: whattodoinprovence@gmail.com. 

*Note from Julie: If you're heading for the South of France, please check my websites ProvencePostTravel.com and WhatToDoinProvence.com. There you'll see all the ways in which I can help, whether you need a completely custom itinerary or just a couple fab tours or activities. We do lots of hotel and villa booking too, all over Provence and the Cote d'Azur, and would love to help you find the perfect place!

You're Invited: Cannes Film Fest Luncheon

The annual Cannes Film Festival Luncheon Party hosted by the American Club of the Riviera always attracts a great mix of locals and visitors. This year it's Saturday May 14 and everyone is welcome. There are 75 seats available on the terrace but if they sell out and the weather looks good, more tables will be set up on the beach.

Guests will gather for Bellinis and hors d'oeuvres at noon at the restaurant Vegaluna Plage Restaurant, just in front of the Carlton Hotel. During the three-course lunch (foie gras, sea bream, apricot tart), film industry folks will provide insider insights and, as in years past, there will be a famous film quiz.

If you're going on to the Palais des Festivals afterwards, it's an easy ten-minute walk along the seafront.

Water, wine and coffee are included in the price: members 65€, guests 75€. The reservation deadline is Monday May 9th and the event is expected to sell out. For all the info or to reserve: americanclubriviera.com. 

The 69th annual Cannes Film Fest launches with a screening of Woody Allen's new film, Café Society, on Wednesday May 11 in the Palais des Festivals’s Grand Théâtre Lumière. The festival runs until May 22 and all the info is here.

Château Shopping in France?

This is kind of fun: HGTV and Magilla Entertainment got in touch the other day, looking for families who are about to buy and renovate "a castle, château or very large estate" in Europe. If that's you and you want to be considered for a new TV series, you should email: castingdirector@magilla.tv. Be sure to include your name, location, phone, photos of yourselves, photos of your new property and a brief paragraph about your story. And if you haven't found the perfect property just yet, you may be in luck...because look what I just found online. This nine-bedroom, 18th-century château above is set on 83 hectares--near Lourmarin and Ansouis in the Southern Luberon region of Provence--and it's for sale. The main house (a Provençal bastide) has more than 1000 square meters of living space, while the property features a farmhouse, hayloft, winery, stables, garages...and even a preserved private chapel with frescoes. It all sits at the edge of a magnificent 31-hectare, wholly private lake. The property is less than an hours drive from Marseille Airport, 30 minutes from Aix. The price is upon request but whatever it is, you're worth it! For more info, click here and then use location Luberon.

Grace of Monaco To Open Cannes Film Fest

The 67th annual Cannes Film Festival is coming up May 14 to 25th and of course it totally takes over the town; this year 200,000 people are expected. The opening night film is Olivier Dahan's Grace of Monaco, with Nicole Kidman as Grace Kelly. Unfortunately, all the fancy screenings and parties are for industry insiders only...not for you. But Cannes is primo for people watching with the best celebrity sightings at the red carpet entrance to the Palais des Festivals and at the Bar des Celebrites at the Carlton. And, as in years past, there are definitely open-to-the-public events around town that will let you feel the buzz, even if you can't actually hang with Scarlett, Sarah Jessica, Sofia and Sophia, all of whom will be there. Here are two of them.

“Cinema de la Plage” is a free, nightly movie screening under the stars, on Macé Beach, next to the Palais des Festivals. Shows begin around 9:30 pm (''usually'') and no tickets are needed. Yep, just show up. And because your comfort is paramount to me, I inquired about seats and blankets and was told that both will be available...if you arrive early of course. Here's the schedule: 

15 May Eight and a Half, Fellini 1963
16 May For a Few Dollars More, Leone, 1965
17 May The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, Leone 1966
18 May United Passions, Auburtin 2014
19 May Seconds, Frankenheimer 1966
20 May The Warriors, Hill 1979
21 May La Folie des Grandeurs, Oury 1971
22 May Polyester, Waters 1981
23 May Pulp Fiction, Tarantino 1994
24 May Purple Rain, Magnola 1984 

More info about Cinema de la Plage appears here.

And once again, the American Club of the Riviera will be hosting their fabulous Film Festival Lunch in Cannes on May 17.  The reception starts at noon and will be followed by a four-course meal; insights will be provided by film-world insiders and there will also be a quiz.  It's all held  at the Belle Plage Restaurant and everyone is welcome. Details are on the ACR website here...or you can contact BGintell@aol.com for info.  Seats for non-members are 59€ each but book soon as they're almost sold out.

My friend Jackie Pressman has lived in Cannes 14 years and looks forward the festival every year. Last year she told me that if they enter a drawing, locals can get special invites to come to certain red-carpet screenings...apparently it's the Mayor’s way of apologizing for all the traffic, crowds and commotion. "But the truth is the festival is exciting," Jackie says, "and we all love it down here. Many non-industry people come just to soak up the atmosphere." 

Grace of Monaco is set to hit U.K. theaters on June 6, with Warner Bros. distributing the film there. The film doesn't have a U.S. release date yet as the Weinstein Company pulled it from its 2014 release calendar back in January. Apparently there's been a dispute between director Olivier Dahan and Harvey Weinstein, with the former saying that his film is finished but that he doesn't want to sign off on the version that Weinstein wants like to release. "There are two versions of the film at this moment," Olivier told Libération in fall 2013, "mine and his … which I find catastrophic." Dahan also accused Weinstein of creating a Grace of Monaco trailer that doesn’t reflect the film, later insisting that the actual film conform to its trailer. 

But that's hardly the only controversy surrounding the film. The Independent reports that the Royal Family is ''furious'' about the movie...that Prince Albert is "spoiling for a right royal row"...and that Albert and his sisters feel the director completely ignored their feelings by making the film about their beloved mother in the first place. You can read the Independent article here and see the the UK trailer for Grace of Monaco here.

Posters:  Up top is the French poster for Grace of Monaco, below it is the English version. Between them is the 2014 Cannes Film Festival poster, designed by Lagency / Taste, Paris, based on a photogram from Federico Fellini's 8½. The organizers explain the choice: "In his films, Marcello Mastroianni continued to encapsulate everything that was most innovative, nonconformist and poetic about cinema." On seeing the poster for the first time, Chiara Mastroianni, the actor’s daughter, said  “I am very proud and touched that Cannes has chosen to pay tribute to my father with this poster. I find it very beautiful and modern, with a sweet irony and a classy sense of detachment. It’s really him through and through!”  

Food, Fun, Fireworks: 4th of July in Cannes

In the USA, it's not Independence Day without fireworks. And this year, the folks behind the annual Cannes International Fireworks Festival have graciously complied...by opening this year's festivities on the evening of 4th of July. In conjunction, the American Club of the Riviera will be organizing a reception and dinner starting at 8 pm at a centrally located Croisette beach restaurant. From here, guests will be perfectly placed to take in the spectacle; the fireworks will be launched from barges in the bay facing the Croisette, with the music coming from speakers just in front of the restaurant. I've yet to see the Cannes Fireworks Festival but I'm told that the synchronization of music and fireworks is extraordinary. The evening begins with an 8 pm cocktail reception, followed by a three-course dinner with wine, water and coffee. The fireworks concert lasts about 30 minutes, beginning at 10 pm. Dress for the evening is ''beach smart casual'' and all-inclusive prices are as follows: 80€ members, 85€ for non-members, 40€ for children's menu.  Full event details are on the American Club of the Riviera's website here or contact: bgintell@aol.com.

After July 4, the Cannes Fireworks Festival continues on Sunday July 14, Sunday July 21, Monday July 29, Wednesday August 7, Thursday August 15 and Saturday August 24. For all the info, click here. 

And while we're feeling patriotic,  you might enjoy seeing the homage one young French artist paid to America here...

Whale Watching in the Med Starts June 9

Ok, I admit it: Until I wrote about this last year, I had no idea there were whales in the Mediterranean! Or that you could get up close and personal with them on day cruises. So I was delighted to find out that every Sunday, Decouverte du Vivant offers Naturalist Discovery Cruises aboard the boat La Croix du Sud V. During the nine-hour voyage you're likely to see striped dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, Risso's dolphins, pilot whales, sperm whales and the second largest animal on the planet, the fin whale. You can also expect to encounter seabirds, sunfish, loggerhead turtles, bluefin tuna, bonito and swordfish. The season opens June 9 and runs through October 20, 2013. Cruises depart from Sanary sur Mer in the Var at 9:30 am and return at 6 pm. Prices are 55€ (under 13), 66€ (students and teens), 78€ (adult) and on demand for groups.  For more info or to reserve, click here or call 06 10 57 17 11 or email to: info@decouverteduvivant.fr. 

The Coolest Campers on the Coast

 

 

OK so here’s a confession: I still have my first peace-symbol necklace; my fringed, suede purse; a very-pretty macramé-and-beaded halter maxi-dress; and more than one tie-dyed t-shirt dating to the art form’s very earliest days.  

So imagine my delight when I heard about 69 Campers, a company that rents out three gorgeously renovated 1960s and 70s VW camper vans for touring Provence and the Cote d'Azur.

By the way, I’m totally hearing the Grateful Dead in my head right now! Aren't you? 

69 Campers is a family business run by Matt and Jennie Tombs, and Matt's parents Vic and Louise, who all hail from England. They moved to France eight years ago, to Portes du Soleil in the Alps, and later made the move to the South, where they now live full time with their three kids (aka ‘’van-washers’’). The family and their company are based in Seillans, a beautiful perched medieval village in the Var, not far from the famous pottery town of Fayence. They’re 70 kilometers from Nice and 80 minutes from St. Tropez.

The business, Matt says, took about a year to set up. The moved to Seillans in September,  launched 69 Campers in November and will welcome their first renters in early spring.

They used a UK company to source, import, restore and customize the vans, which were found in Alabama, California and Arizona. ‘’All three are left hand drive,’’ Matt says, ‘’and have undergone professional bare-metal restoration and mechanical overhaul. They have new 1600cc Twin Port engines, re-conditioned gearboxes and new electrical wiring looms. They were completely done up to our specs in terms of colors, materials, interiors.’’

The vans are called Gigi, Margot and Amélie and each has a personality all her own.   

Margot and Amélie, for instance, are known as ''bay windows'' and have ¾ ‘’Rock 'n' Roll’’ beds, an additional double bed in the pop-up roof and a front-seat hammock. Margot and Amélie sleep five.  

Gigi, a ''split screen,'' has a ¾ Rock 'n' Roll bed and a front-seat hammock; she sleeps three. Drive away awnings and tents can be hired if additional sleep-space is required.

All three vans have cool, custom hand-made interiors with fitted kitchens, two gas burners, a sink, a fridge and storage.  A solar shower comes with the van and a portable toilet can be added for a small fee. Also available for rent are iPod docks, GPS units, hammocks, linens, mountain bikes, food hampers, tented awnings, baby seats, sleeping bags and more. Matt and Jennie will happily provide campground info and regional maps.

For touring, rentals are three days minimum in mid season (March, April, May, October) and seven days minimum in high season (June to September).

Or, consider renting one for a wedding or another special event. Gigi, in fact, has been styled with weddings specifically in mind: ''Dressed in Harvest Moon Beige and Alpine White, she creates the perfect look for your special day!'' the website says. The campers can be decorated to compliment your theme and can be loaded up with Champagne and treats.

Or if you want Gigi, Margot and Amélie for your movie, ad campaign, photo shoot or trade show, just drop Matt a note. 

The Tombs expect it’ll take some time for this new business to take off—please forward and share this story!!--but say they couldn't be happier.

‘’What a thrill to be able to marry this iconic vehicle with Provence and the Côte d'Azur,’’ Matt says. ‘’Just like these campers, the region is completely steeped in beauty, history and charm.’’ 

69 Campers

Le Clos St Michel
185 Route De Draguignan
Seillans, 83440, France 
69campers.com 
info@69campers.com
Twitter: 69campers
Facebook: 69 Campers
Tel: +33 (0)4 83  11 17 75
Cell: +33 (06) 75 8 5 25 76

Photos: Two of the three girls have already joined the family; the third arrives on February 15th.  The 69 Campers logo and slogan. Matt and Jennie Tombs looking totally cool sur la plage. 

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The Art of the Luggage Label

Tom Schifanella, a Florida based graphic designer and ad exec, loved buying vintage travel posters (mostly Art Nouveau to Mid Century Modern) until prices escalated in the late 1980s. Then one day at a local antique show, Tom realized he could pick up luggage labels --often miniature versions of the same travel posters he loved--for a fraction of the cost. ''They were usually considered an afterthought by dealers,'' he explains. Tom started buying up all the labels he could find locally, scouting them on frequent trips to New York and London and trading duplicates with dealers and other collectors. ''I quickly realized that you could amass a pretty significant collection on a limited budget and began to acquire as many as I could get my hands on,'' he says.

Today Tom estimates his collection numbers somewhere around 7000 labels, plus another 600 historic travel-related items.

''Luggage labels are fascinating bits of hotel history from the golden age of travel, roughly the 1900's to 1960's,'' Tom explains. ''The labels were used by hotels as advertising and eagerly applied to steamer trunks, suitcases and all sorts of luggage by hotel staff, mainly bellhops.'' 

Along with other bits of travel ephemera, Tom displays the bulk of his vast collection on his wonderful Flickr site here. ''My goal is to create an online visual resource for collectors that will educate and inform,'' he says. ''Eventually I'd like to have one of the most comprehensive collections of labels on the web. And one of the best ways to do this is by encouraging other collectors to add to the images to the site.'' So if you have labels, Tom would love to hear from you.  

Tom has his favorites, of course, such as those from the great label printers and artists of the 1930's. ''Printers such as BRÜGGER of Meiringen, Richter & Co and A. TRÜB & Cie of Aarau produced some fantastic labels during this time period using stone lithography, engraving and chromolithography,'' he said in a recent interview on the blog Ephemera. ''Artists such as Roger Broders, Jan Lavies, Erik Nitsche, Mario Borgoni, J. Pashal and Charles Kuhn worked with these printers to produce label designs of exceptional quality.'' 

On Flickr, Tom has his labels organized beautiful by theme, geography and subject. For example, you can see all the France labels here...and Paris labels here...and labels by the printer Richter & Co. here...and labels from the Belle Epoque here...and labels from North America and Canada here...

Tom also displays labels belonging to fellow collectors, such as Joao Mimoso and György Rázsó, among others.

If you're thinking luggage labels might be fun to collect, Tom's best tip is is to buy what interests you, not what you think is a good investment.  Meanwhile he sells a few labels on Ebay; you can see that page here. For advertising and marketing purposes, Tom makes high-res digital images of his labels available; just email him (tomschifanella@trsg.net) for more info. Tom's love affair with luggage labels is like a little vacation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did...

Photos: A grid made from some of Tom's French labels...and a few favorites from the South of France. 

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Artists' Snapshots of Provence

Snapshots of Provence is an annual program in which invited artists create digital art promoting the Bouches-du-Rhône department of Provence. The pieces are then compiled, published online and, later, displayed in a museum exhibit. This year, the work will also be shown in collaboration with the Regards de Provence Foundation, from November 28th to December 15th, at the Palais des Arts (at 1 Place Auguste et François Carli, phone 04 91 42 51 50) in Marseille. Meanwhile, you can see the video presentation here or just click the photo.

For the 2012/2013 Snapshots program, Bouches-du-Rhône Tourisme invited 12 regional artists and young talents to express ''their very personal and contemporary vision of Marseille at the dawn of 2013.'' Marseille is the European Capital of Culture for 2013. 

The result of this year's project is 90 original photos, videos and illustrations depicting the vibrant, wildly disparate city, including the nearby towns of La Ciotat, Martigues, Cassis and the gorgeous cliffs and coves known as the Calanques.

The artists were also invited to express their impressions of the cultural venues that will front the Marseille-Provence European Capital of Culture 2013 celebrations, such as the J1, MuCEM, Friche Belle de Mai and Eden Theatre in La Ciotat.

 

''Snapshots of Provence takes a sensorial approach to the destination, intended to evoke the inimitable lifestyle, light quality and character of Provence through the eyes of artists,'' the organizers tell me.

Personally, I found the video a wee bit confusing...it loads and reloads and things tend to dart away unless you click them just so. Still, the photos and videos are stunning and the design is creative and compelling. Whether you actually get the hang of the navigation or not (try the up/down/left/right arrows on your keyboard if that helps), you can easily wile away a fair amount of time just playing around on the site, enjoying the dreamy music and taking it all in. It definitely made me want to get to know Marseille better. The final video was compiled by Uzik, the Paris-based company that creates digital campaigns for top brands such as Mumm, Dior, Perrier-Jouët , France TV, Diptyque, The Louvre Museum and Nina Ricci.

Snapshots of Provence is part of a larger project called The My Provence Festival. 

For more info on tourism in the Bouches-du-Rhône, click here.

For the complete Marseille-Provence European Capital of Culture 2013 program in English, click here.

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