Two Cool Events Coming Up This Week...

Two events caught my eye for this week, one happening in Paris on Thursday and one in London over the weekend.

Tech blog Rude Baguette, which tracks the tech and start-up world in France, will be holding its winter Paris Founders (or #ParisFounders) event on Thursday, January 28. Launched in 2013, Paris Founders "brings the global tech ecosystem together for the country’s largest networking event" four times  a year. Speakers will include investors Jacky Abitbol and Gil Dibner; Damien Bon of Stuart (a delivery startup that raised €22 million pre launch); COO Yann Lechelle of Snips; Microsoft's new startup leader Diana Flippova; Keyrus CEO Eric Cohen, CEO Franck Melloul of i24 and others. Different countries and cities are often showcased at these events and this time, it will be Tel Aviv. "Paris and Tel Aviv have long been interconnected as ecosystems, financially and entrepreneurially," explains Paola Gabriele of Rude Baguette. "In addition to showing off great founders and products on stage, we'll be bringing out special guests who are involved in both the Paris and Tel Aviv startup ecosystems."  The format for Thursday evening will be startup pitches, followed by keynotes, followed by a networking cocktail. Planning ahead, future Paris Founders events will focus on San Francisco (April) and London (July), with a large international two-day one in Paris in October. Some success stories and alumni info can be found here. For Thursday tickets and all other info, click here.

The annual France Show--the UK's biggest celebration of all things French--happens at London's Olympia this weekend, January 29 to 31st.  The organizers call it "the best of France in a day."  You'll find 150-plus exhibitors promoting French food, wine, tourism, vacation ideas, finance and legal help, entertainment and more, all under one roof.  (To see all exhibitors, click here.) Roughly 15,000 attendees are expected. As in previous years there will be a French market, cooking demos, tutored wine tastings, a language theater, a chance to play pétanque and entertainment. The France Show also hosts the largest French Property Exhibition in the UK, so if you're hunting for real estate, this is a great place to start.  There will also be prize giveaways, such as a gourmet cycling holiday in Southern France, a week-long stay in the Dordogne, a canal boating trip, luxury weekend breaks, an Apple Watch, a bike and more. Tickets are £16 at the door or £12 in advance.  Children under 16 accompanied by a paying adult are free. For all the show info including directions, hours and a schedule, go to: thefranceshow.com.

Photos: Two scenes from the last #ParisFounders event at the Hotel de Ville in Paris followed by three scenes from the last France Show at Olympia in London.

Three Flower Festivals in May...and a Joke

So two older couples have dinner and afterwards the women go in the kitchen to clean up. Still at the table, one man says to the other: "Oh, we had such a wonderful meal the other night!'

The friend of course asks "Where?"

The first gentleman knits his brow, stares into space, is clearly struggling to remember the name.  Silence, silence, silence. Finally, he's got it. "Rose!" he calls out.

"Rose?" his friend asks. "The name of the restaurant was Rose?"

"No!" says the first man, then calls into the kitchen. "Rose! What was the name of that restaurant?"

Ever since I heard that one, that's what I think of when I hear the word 'rose.' And with that, here are three upcoming festivals you might enjoy...

1. At the Villa Eprussi in St. Jean Cap Ferrat... 
 
The 4th annual Roses and Plants Festival at the Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild (two photos above) is May 10th through 12th. I recently visited the villa for the first time and it's wonderful in every way. So if you're anywhere near St. Jean Cap Ferrat during the second weekend in May, this would definitely be worth a detour. Thirty or so international exhibitors are expected: rose growers, nurseries and gardening professionals. The event attracted 10,000 visitors over its three days last year. The event pays homage to Baroness Béatrice de Rothschild, who was extremely passionate about flowers and plants; she created nine different gardens around her villa in 1912, with help of her architect/landscaper, Harold Peto. The Rose and Plant Festival will take place in the French garden. English roses, modern roses, exotic flowers, and all sorts of rare and Mediterranean plants will be on display, while  the famous perfumer Fragonard, an event partner. will be sharing its rose-based fragrances. The weekend schedule includes garden visits, gardening workshops, presentations and talks by the French rose society, the Société Française des Roses. If you've never visited the Villa itself, read The Hare with Amber Eyes before you go....a terrific read even if you're not about to visit one of the family's legendary homes. The Villa, its Tea Room and the Gardens are open from 10 am to 6 pm all weekend; it's 8 km from Nice and 12 kms from Monaco. Your entry ticket to the Villa gets you admission to the flower show as well. Full price tickets are 12.50€ and reduced rates (kids, families, students, journalists, unemployed, etc.) are available.  For all the info, click here.

2. At the Palais des Papes in Avignon...

The Ninth Annual Alterarosa Festival of Roses (above) will be at Palais des Papes in Avignon from May 9 to May 12, 2013. In the prestigious Benoit XII cloister, at least ten major rose-growers from France and abroad will be showing off more than 2000 rosebushes and providing a sneak preview of new varieities. Some 20,000 visitors are expected. The weekend includes conferences, workshops and more. This year’s celebration of roses (always a fundraiser for charity) shares the spotlight with hydrangeas. The best place to park is the Parking Palais des Papes.Tickets: 7€ and 5€. The festival is open during Palace opening hours, which are 9 am to 7 pm. Last entry is at 6 pm. For the website in English, click here. 

3. In the Village of Grasse... 

The 43rd Annual International Rose Expo in Grasse will be May 8 to 12. To kick off the event, there will be concert of the music of Edith Piaf on May 8th at 8 pm in the Espace Chiris. (Concert tickets are 25€ and you can get them at the Tourist Office.) The Expo Rose takes place on the Cours Honore Cresp and in the gardens and rooms of the Villa-Musée Fragonard, the Grasse Cathedral and the Palais des Congrès. Expect to see more than 50,000 flowers! Grasse is a world perfume capital, with 20 farms cultivating flowers for scent. Additionally, the village has 30 or so perfume factories serving the global market and ingredients are sent here from all over the world to be transformed into perfume. In addition to the Expo Rose, Grasse hosts a Jasmine Festival every year in early August. Entry to Expo Rose is 5 € per person and it runs from 9:30 am to 7 pm. My peeps in the Grasse Tourist Office tell me a good place to park is on the Cours Honoré Cresp (just in front of Palais des Congrès) but that you'll also find parking in town (at Martelly and La Foux for example ). For more info on Grasse and the Rose Expo, click here and here.

*UPDATE: Reader Nathalie Delmotte was kind enough to remind me about another festival for plant lovers, this one happening this weekend (April 20-21) in Serignan du Comtat. It's the 15th Annual Rare Plants and Natural Gardens festival and the theme this year is “Mediterranean Variation.'' Louisa Jones, who's been writing about Mediterranean gardens for more than 30 years, is guest of honor. (Her most recent book, Mediterranean Landscape Design, is here.) The aim of this 15th year will be to highlight plants and gardening activities best suited to the Mediterranean region (arid-soil plants, water savings, clean gardening methods etc.). Over 100 nursery collectors will be present, alongside Italian and Catalan experts. Scheduled for this year: in-the-field excursions, activities centered on practical themes, scientific workshops and fun for kids. All programs are in French. A 6€ ticket gives access to everything; kids under 15 are free. For info: plantes-rares.com.  

You Cruise, You Lose

The Italy-based MSC Cruises is launching a Dukan Diet-themed cruise in late January designed for passengers who want to to “shed kilos, tone up and tan.” The 11-night cruise (Jan 30 to Feb 10, 2012) has been created especially for French-speaking guests aboard the flagship MSC Fantasia, pictured above.

Guests will have the chance to meet Dr. Pierre Dukan himself at a private onboard party. 

Dukan is an MD, nutritionist and "food-behavior specialist" who created the protein-based diet after 20 years of research. The regime became widely known--and wildly popular--in France in the year 2000, with the release of Dukan’s book, I Don’t Know How to Get Slimmer.  (According to the Dukan website, it “has remained the number one diet there ever since.”)  The Dukan Diet Book, as it’s also known, has been published in 32 countries, translated into 14 languages and sold ten million copies. The book was released in the UK in May, 2010 and in the US in April, 2011.

A team of nutritionists, dieticians and a Dukan-trained physician will be onboard to give advice and care throughout the cruise, which departs Genoa and calls at Barcelona, Casablanca, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Funchal (Madeira), Malaga and Civitavecchia (Rome). Even shore excursions and walking tours of the famous ports where Fantasia docks will be part of the structured program.

At the start of the cruise, guests will receive a diet kit and personal health assessment, then get advice on diet and sports training. They’ll also be invited to daily workshops, culinary demos, cooking lessons and seminars.

I write about the cruise industry often and enjoy seeing how clever companies keep creating new theme cruises to lure first-time passengers and keep regulars coming back. From what I can tell, this is the first cruise in which Dukan has been involved.  And whether you like the diet or not, I think this is a great idea: a week to focus on weight loss and fitness while enjoying the amenities of a beautiful ship. I know quite a few people who would love to cruise but say they’re concerned about the overeating, so for them this could be a win-win. Good for MSC Cruises for the idea and good for the passengers lucky enough to go. And good for Dr. Dukan, who is probably making a bundle!

The Fantasia holds 4,000 people but MSC says it’s too soon to know how many will sign on for this particular package. Prices range from 759€ to 2779€ per person (double occupancy), based on cabin class. For more info on the cruise, click here. Meanwhile the Dukan Diet book is on Amazon US here and Amazon UK here.

This Month: Food, History...and All That Jazz

If you're a foodie, September is a fantastic month to be in France as there are three major culinary events on the calendar. (If you're an escargot, however, this could be a very bad month indeed.)  If you're a history, architecture or French culture buff, we've got you covered as well. And if you love jazz--yep, we've got that too!

First, for the foodies.  September 19th kicks off the nationwide dining-out promotion called Tous au Restaurant, which means "Everyone to the Restaurant." Launched in 2010 by superstar chef Alain Ducasse, it's meant to get more more people out eating in restaurants, from neighborhood bistros to Michelin-starred spots and everything in between. The first Tous au Restaurant event, held in June last year, drew almost 1,000 participating restaurants and 82,000 diners. This year, I have no idea how many restaurants have signed up--but it's a lot.

So what's the deal? Diners who reserve can enjoy two prix-fixe meals (appetizer, main course and dessert) for the price of one. I know! In Valence, chef Anne Sophie Pic, who has held three Michelin stars since 2007 at her restaurant Pic,  is offering a €57 lunch menu for two at Bistro 7. Another Michelin three-star chef,  Gerard Passedat, has a €100  lunch menu for two at Le Petit Nice in Marseille. In Provence, there are 52 restaurants are participating thus far, including Alain Ducasse’s La Bastide de Moustiers  (Moustiers Sainte Marie), Hostellerie de l’Abbaye de la Celle (La Celle), La Cabro d'Or (Les Baux), Les Agassins (Le Pontet) and Restaurant Marc de Passorio at the Hotel Le Vallon de Valrugues (St. Rémy). Reservations have been available online here since September 7th and they're going fast...so pick your favorite places and book now. The promotion ends September 25th.  

OK, onward! Next we have the Fête de la Gastronomie on September 23, with more than 1,600 events planned nationwide. (Tous au Restaurant, above, is part of this larger initiative.) The idea here is to celebrate the diversity of French cuisine and food traditions. The program was inspired by the format of the nationwide Fête de la Musique, when open-air music fills streets all over France. The theme for this year is la terre or "the land"--meaning a focus on the best local, regional foods.  There are all sorts of cool events including a culinary treasure hunt, cooking classes, workshops on tableware and decor and special menus in some 47,000 restaurants. So go to the website here and plug in your postal code to see what's being offered near you. 

Then we have the The International Gastronomic Festival, September 16th to 18th. It's also called Les Etoiles de Mougins and it's being held in the village of Mougins, in the hills above Cannes. One hundred French and international chefs will be on hand, presenting demos, workshops, talks and of course, tastings--all around the theme "Art and Gastronomy." The festival guest of honor is Eric Frechon of Le Bristol in Paris; he's a Meilleur Ouvrier de France who holds three Michelin stars. Many of the events are free; others are €5, €10 or €15. Packages are available. You can get all the info and buy tickets here. Unfortunately, the festival website is in French only but the Mougins Tourist Office can answer questions in English. Their phone: 04-93-75-87-67.

 OK, enough about food. Another big nationwide event is happening September 17th and 18th.  It's called the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine and it gives you the unique opportunity to explore behind the scenes of important public buildings such as the Élysée, the Senate, government ministries and embassies. It also, in many cases, allows you free access to historic sites that normally charge a fee. (Privately owned sites may charge at their discretion but most offer some form of discount.) At some venues, there are talks or other celebrations planned. And--hold on to your hairdo now because this is big--many sites that are normally closed on Sunday will be open. You can see a list of the sites and get more info here. For the specific Provence locations, click here.  

Finally, St. Remy is having a jazz festival this weekend (September 15 to 18), called Jazz a Saint Remy. Each evening (Thurs, Fri, Sat) at  8:30 p.m., there will be a performance on the Place de la Gare. (That's that gravel parking lot by the old train station, near the InterMarche.) Plus, in the afternoon and evening, musicians--solo, trios and quartets--will perform at public sites and in outdoor cafes all over town. For info and reservations click here or email: jazzasaintremy@gmail.com.

Looking forward to seeing you all out and about!

And if you're a snail? Be afraid. Very afraid...

The Rencontres Begins July 4 in Arles

The annual international photo festival in Arles known as the Rencontres begins tomorrow, July 4. This is one of the major events on the summer arts calendar in Provence. The Rencontres encompasses gallery exhibits, slideshows, seminars, workshops, lectures, visits with curators, evening events and much more. There are an enormous number of things to choose from, particularly during opening week, so spend some time with the program in English here before making your plans. And because I live to please you, I've posted the full opening-week day-by-day schedule, in English, under the tab "Recontres Schedule in English"  just above. To get back to Provence Post after the schedule, click the tomatoes.

Provence and the British Imagination

On Nov 19 and 20, the Universite de Provence in Aix will co-host "Provence and the British Imagination," a conference (in English) exploring the role of Provence in the British literary and aesthetic imagination, from the 18th century to the present. Speakers will include artist Julian Merrow-Smith and writer Anthony Penrose, who will discus Provence in the work of his father Roland, the surrealist painter and poet. The weekend kicks off Thursday Nov 18 at 5:30 p.m., with a reception celebrating Merrow Smith's book Postcard from Provence, at Book in Bar, 4 rue Joseph Cabassol, Aix. The conference, to be held on the Universite campus, is free and open to the public. For more info and to see the full program, click here or email Claire at: davisonpegon@gmail.com. 


Above: "Autumn Vineyards, Sablet" by Julian Merrow Smith is available as a limited-edition print. It's 17cm x 12cm , in an edition of 90, price $50. To order, click here.