Journées du Patrimoine is Sept 21 & 22

It's that time again: The 41^st annual Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days) takes place Saturday and Sunday, September 21 and 22, in cities and villages all over France. The program was launched by the French Ministry of Culture in 1984 and has since spread all over Europe; this year 50 countries will take part.

Officially it's called European Heritage Days or JEP, (for Journées Européennes du Patrimoine) but everyone just calls it Patrimoine.

Roughly 20,000 sites or so across France are expected to participate. This is one the biggest events in the country and one of my favorite weekends of the year.

The idea is that a wide range of monuments, religious sites, estates, gardens, museums, workshops, galleries, ateliers, factories and more are open for special visits, including many that are normally closed to the public. Most sites are offering free entry and will have a guide on hand; some host special tours and events (mostly in French). Some of these events may require you to sign up in advance, for others you just show up. Some villages will have events on Friday Sept 20 as well. 

Every year, Patrimoine has a loose theme but this year there are two that overlap. The first is  "Heritage, Routes and Connections" which pertains to planes, trains, cars and boats...but also roads, paths and other routes used for spiritual or commercial purposes. The second is Maritime Heritage, including seaside architecture, shipbuilding, aquaculture and more.

Ok, allons-y! What to see and do?

The main Journées du Patrimoine website is here and the department-by-department listings are here. But keep checking back because details continue to roll in as Patrimoine weekend draws closer. Local tourist offices will have Patrimoine info on their own websites and over the years I've found that their info tends to be more comprehensive and up-to-date than the nationwide Patrimoine website.

Every year, my village (St. Remy) publishes its own terrific map/guide to all its Patrimoine sites and activities. You can see the 2024 version in PDF form here. Or, grab a hard copy at the St. Remy Tourist Office.

And here are the programs for Avignon, Aix en Provence, Arles, Marseille, Nimes and Nice. The large Luberon region is here. But don't forget about our hundreds of smaller villages which sometimes offer fantastic tours and visits as well.  

Then there are listings for the six departments of PACA (Provence Alpes Cote d'Azur): Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Alpes-Maritimes, Bouches du Rhone, the Hautes-Alpes and the Var. For the Vaucluse, try here and here. And here's the Gard (which is not technically in Provence but never mind…we love the Gard anyway!). 

Up in Paris, there are more than 1,500 sites participating this year. See a great listing of events and some highlights here.

Throughout the weekend, some activities will happen at specific times, on one day of the weekend on both. (You can expect tours to be in French but a translator is sometimes provided or the guide may speak some English or someone in the group might offer to translate.) For example:

*In St. Remy, enjoy a 1.5 hour guided tour of the old village at 9:30 am on Saturday (to reserve: +33 4 90 92 05 22, meet at the Tourist Office). Or, join a guided “discovery” of the Canal des Alpines on Sunday starting at 2:30. The canal hike is an easy, flat 6 km and includes a visit to the Domaine de Lagoy (rendezvous in the parking of the College Glanum).

Also in St. Remy, the architectural site of Glanum is offering free entry all weekend with guided tours (no registration needed) on both days at 10 am, 11 am, 2 pm, 3 pm and 4 pm. See all the Patrimoine activities at Glanum here.

The Jewish Cemetery in St. Remy, created in the 15^th century and normally closed to the public, will be open Saturday from 10 to noon and Sunday from 10:30 to noon and from 3 to 4 pm, with guided visits available both days.

*In Nimes, go behind the scenes of the Arènes (the Roman amphitheater), and visit the areas usually not open to the general public (including where the bulls are kept before bullfights and bull games), the chapel where the matadors pray before entering the ring, and more. Or climb the scaffolding on the façade of St Castor cathedral for a once-in-a-lifetime close-up glimpse of  the medieval frieze depicting the Old Testament, which is currently being painstakingly restored by stonemasons and restorers. Also in Nimes, there's a free organ concert on Saturday from 2:30 to 3 pm, at the United Protestant Church, built between 1714 and 1736…on an organ built in Avignon in 1814.

*In Marseille on Friday night at 7 pm, take a special nighttime double-decker bus tour of the city (10€) and see the famous Notre-Dame de la Garde basilica, which will be exceptionally open this evening. (For info and to book, click here.)  

Or, take the "Marseille Liberated" Tour on Saturday at 3 pm and retrace the journey of the fighters who liberated the Garde Hill and the sanctuary on August 25, 1944...10 days after the Allied forces landed in Provence (book here).

Or, sign on for free guided tour of Marseille's Vieux Port on Saturday or Sunday, from 10 am to noon or 2 pm to 4 pm. Reservations are required; call +33 8 26 50 05 00 or marseilleexperience.com. 

Or take a tour and sketching workshop at the port L'Estaque quarter of Marseille (info here).

*In Aix, there's a free guided tour of the 14th-century Hotel de Ville (Town Hall), on Saturday or Sunday at 10 am, 10:45, 11:30, 2 pm, 2:45 or 3:30. Or, if more modern architecture is your thing, take a backstage tour of the music hall called 6MIC on Friday (5 pm to 6:30) or Saturday (10 am to 11:30). To sign up: billetterie@6mic-aix.fr

*In Arles, the LUMA Foundation is offering special events by reservation on both Saturday and Sunday…see them here. Also in Arles, there's a guided tour of the show “Antoine Raspal, from Réattu to St Trophime” on Sunday from 2:30 to 4 pm, celebrating the reinstallation of two monumental paintings by Antoine Raspal in the Saint-Trophime church. The tour is free but register before Friday Sept 20 at 4 pm please: +33 4 90 49 37 58, reattu.reservation@ville-arles.fr

And really, that's just a fraction of the fun stuff you can do during Patrimoine. There's a beach clean up on Corbieres Beach in Marseille, a kayak trip on the canals of Martigue, a treasure hunt for families in Roquebrun-sur-Argens, a horse show in Pertuis, 8 or 17 km runs and a gourmet walk in and around Oppede, a 32-km tandem bike ride around the Mont Ventoux...and much more.

As the Patrimoine weekend gets closer, the organizers will continue to update the clickable nationwide map, which you can see here. It's all a bit clunky but you're smart and you'll figure it out!

And for additional updates, follow the Journées Européennes du Patrimoine on Instagram and on Facebook. 

Vive le Patrimoine de France! 

Photos: Get out there and explore! A few of the thousands of sites hosting Patrimoine events include: (1) The ancient village of Glanum in St. Remy. (2) The Basilica of Notre Dame de la Garde in Marseille. (3) Fondation Vincent Van Gogh in Arles. (4). LUMA Foundation in Arles. (5) The Saint-Trophime Church in Arles, to learn about the career of eminent Arlesian painter Antoine Raspal. (6) Carpentras and other villages of the Vaucluse; join a tandem bike ride here.(7) The Roman Amphitheater in Arles. (8) Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on the Cap Ferrat (info here). (9) The Jardins du Roy René and the Musée du Calisson in Aix. (10) Villa Roche in Nimes. (11) Norman Foster's Ombriere at the Vieux Port in Marseille, on a guided walk from the Ombriere to the MUCEM Museum. (12) The port of L'Estaque in Marseille. (13) The Théâtre Antique in Orange. (14) The Jewish Cemetery in St. Remy. (15) The 6MIC Music Hall in Aix (16) The Chateau d'Aulan in Aulan, 8 km from Montbrun-les-Bains, in the Drome Provencal. (17) The Maison Carrée in Nimes. (18) This year's Patrimoine poster.  

Goat Plans This Weekend?

If you're casting about for something to do this weekend, hoof it over to the small village of Fuveau for the launch of Yoga Chèvre in Provence. Buoyed by the success of a session they held near Nice earlier this month, the founders of Yoga Chèvre will host a second class at the same place at 6:30 pm on Friday...and then, on Sunday, a 6:30 pm class at a peaceful toy goat breeding farm about 25 minutes from Aix. I kid you not!

Turns out that Goat Yoga has been a thing in the US for a while now (in January, CBS News called it "the latest craze") but from what I can tell this is the first time it's happening here in the South of France.

Credit for the trend goes to an Oregon woman named Lainey Morse, who realized, while struggling through an illness and a divorce, that she always felt better after hanging out with her goats. She began offering "goat therapy" to others through Goat Happy Hours, welcoming people to come cuddle her pets. It was at a "kids and kids" birthday party that one of the moms, a yoga instructor, convinced Lainey to add yoga to the mix. The concept grew so popular that Morse soon quit her marketing job to run The Original Goat Yoga full time.

A quick Google search turned up goat yoga across the US, in Canada, South Africa, Australia and beyond. Just before the holidays last year, Denver International Airport created a one-day goat-yoga room, “to surprise and delight our passengers, but also show the world that going to the airport can be unexpected, relaxing and fun,” according to the airport’s communications team. 

When a goat gave birth to twins during a goat yoga class in Georgia in May, the story made the New York Times. The Times also reports that goats are wildly popular on Instagram.

And now we all get to try it too. The founder of Yoga Chèvre is a Nice-born yogi now living in Los Angeles; she discovered it there and is extremely excited about bringing the idea back home. "This is a Hatha Yoga class, more focused on relaxation and meditation," she tells me. "So the benefit comes from the yoga but also from the goats, who definitely add joy and happiness. It's been proven, of course, that interaction with animals is very good for humans but especially interaction with goats, who are particularly playful."

"Goats seem to bring out the best in people," said one instructor online. "They make people feel good. They have no boundaries."

"Yoga is about breathing," said another aficionado. "Goat yoga is about laughing."

The classes in Castagniers (20 km from Nice) and Fuveau will both be taught by yoga instructor Melanie Lopez, a partner in the new venture.

In Castagniers (June 29 and July 22), there will be six goats, plus a sheep and a cat that love to join in the fun.

In Fuveau, you'll be joined on Sunday by 25 "very small, very rare and very friendly" toy goats. There's another class there on July 21st and then one every weekend in August and September. Sessions (priced at 30€ each) will continue throughout the year if there's interest. 

For more info and to reserve, see Yoga Chèvre on Facebook and at yogachevre.com.

Photos: (1-3) From the Yoga Chèvre website. (4-5) Goat Yoga is all over Instagram; these two are from @azgoatyoga and @thatssonif.

Invite: Another Fine French 4th of July Fête!

Last week I told you about a 4th of July party in Provence for American expats who are Democrat...or leaning that way.  Today I’ve got another holiday invite for you...but this one is open to everyone.  One love, baby!

The American Club of the Riviera (ACR) will host a Musical Evening and Dinner on Tuesday July 4 at Castel Plage restaurant in Nice.

While enjoying a three-course dinner, you’ll be entertained by French-American soprano Amy Christianna Blake, praised by the New York Times for her beautiful singing, strong energy and stage presence.  Amy is a West-Texas native now living on the Côte d’Azur.

My peeps at the ACR tell me that Amy and her quartet of “cream of the crop” musicians will be doing Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, Gershwin and more, “to carry us into that chic and svelte ambiance of the Great White Way.”  And because no "Broadway Classics" evening is complete without a few numbers à la Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers and Gene Kelly, dancers from the Nice Jazz Off Dance Academy have been invited to perform.

The party starts with an apero at 7:30 pm and the dress code is smart casual. Tickets are 75€ pp for ACR members and 85€ pp for guests. Please confirm your reservation as soon as possible, before Tuesday June 27th, as the event will almost certainly sell out; 80 guests are expected. Reservations can’t be confirmed without payment and there's no "pay at the door.” To book and get more info, click here. Questions? Call +33 (0)6 48 62 39 72 or email: co-president@americanclubriviera.com.

20 French Instagrammers to Follow

Instagram is loaded with gorgeous photos of Provence. Here are 19 local accounts you might enjoy following...plus one I love in Paris. Feel free to share your favorite French IG accounts--or your own--by leaving the info under comments, at the bottom of this post. 

A photo posted by Camille Moirenc Photographe (@camille_moirenc) on Jan 9, 2017 at 8:28am PST

A photo posted by 19 Rivoli Photography (@19_rivoli_photography) on Oct 1, 2016 at 12:52am PDT

A photo posted by #ohprovence 💜🇫🇷 (@ohprovence_) on Jan 9, 2017 at 12:20am PST

A photo posted by ProvenceGuide (@provenceguide) on Oct 19, 2016 at 12:11am PDT

A photo posted by Sandrine 📷 💕 (@sandrine.zl) on Jan 9, 2017 at 7:45am PST

A photo posted by Jeff Ronan (@cameratheready) on Jan 9, 2017 at 7:25am PST

A photo posted by La Provence (@laprovence) on Nov 15, 2016 at 3:04am PST

A photo posted by LOVES ☆ PROVENCE CÔTE D'AZUR (@loves_united_provence) on Jan 9, 2017 at 8:54am PST

A photo posted by David Bouscarle (@davidbouscarle) on Jan 9, 2017 at 9:46am PST

A photo posted by provence (@provence) on Jan 9, 2017 at 11:40am PST

A photo posted by French-Riviera-Places : (@frenchrivieraplaces) on Jan 8, 2017 at 10:14am PST

A photo posted by Experience The French Riviera (@experiencethefrenchriviera) on Jan 4, 2017 at 12:36am PST

A photo posted by @myprovenceofficiel on Jan 6, 2017 at 9:45am PST

A photo posted by Romaric / Marseille 🇫🇷 (@romdilon) on Dec 27, 2016 at 7:48am PST

A photo posted by VuTheara Kham (@vutheara) on Jan 5, 2017 at 10:14am PST

And last but not least...

A photo posted by Julie Mautner (@theprovencepost) on Jan 1, 2015 at 9:57am PST

Thinking of Buying in the South of France?

Besides ''Are you married to a Frenchman?" "When will the lavender bloom?" "Do you miss New York?" "How did you come to live in Provence?" "Do you ever go home to the US?" "Do you hang out with Peter Mayle?" and "How's your French?"... the question I'm asked most often is probably ''Is it hard to buy property in France?"

The answers, by the way, are:  no, late May or early June, sometimes, long story, yes, no, better every day...and sort of.

If you're curious about that last one--buying real estate in France--Adrian Leeds can definitely help. She makes her living doing all sorts of things (tv shows, blogging, consulting, writing books, workshops) pertaining to the topic. She's not an advertiser on my blog (but should be!) and she's not a friend of mine (we've never met)...but I know and admire her work. And since she has a mini-conference coming up, I thought I'd share the info because so many people I hear from seem to be dreaming of--or actually planning--to buy in France. 

Adrian is the editor of Parler Paris and Parler Nice (which she calls nouvellettres), and the French Property Insider. She appears frequently on House Hunters International as an expert on French real estate...she's been on 19 episodes since 2006. Adrian and her team provide a wide range of services for buyers, sellers, owners and renters in France; you can read about what they do here.

Adrian will present "Living and Investing in France--Nice and the Côte d'Azur" on Tuesday, September 16, 2014 from 6:30 pm to 9 pm. In her words: "You'll learn how to own a 'pied-à-terre' of your own on the Riviera, in Paris or in the countryside that you can enjoy when you want...or profitably rent when you like...or just make a smart investment, plus ask me all of your questions about owning property in France." Lots more info on the conference is here.

The Mini-Conference Details

Tuesday, September 16, 2014
6:30 pm to 9 pm
The Hotel Ellington, #25 Blvd. Dubouchage, 06000, Nice.
6:30 pm.: Cocktails and registration on the patio
7 pm: Presentation by Adrian Leeds
8 pm: Q & A
9 pm: Cocktails/Snacks on the patio:
   Wine/Beer/Soda 5€ 
   Cocktails/Champagne 8€
   Charcuterie or Cheese 8€
Entry fee: 35€ advance, 45€ at the door. Limited seating available. To book for the conference, click here. For general inquiries, email or call: info@adrianleeds.com or +1 (877) 880 0265.

Nice Celebrates Matisse Until September 23

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its Musée Matisse, the City of Nice is presenting, for the first time, eight simultaneous exhibitions celebrating Henri Matisse and his work.

From the heights of Cimiez to the Promenade des Anglais and passing through Old Town, the eight  exhibits are being  presented simultaneously in eight local galleries and museums: the Musée Matisse, the Musée d’Archéologie, the Théâtre de la Photographie et de l’Image, the Musée d’Art Moderne et d’Art Contemporain, the Palais Lascaris, the Galerie des Ponchettes, the Villa Masséna and the Musée des Beaux-Arts.

Nice ranks #2 in France after Paris, for the numbers of visitors to its city museums; close to 700,000 people visited in 2012. The city wanted to highlight the diversity of these museums and, at the same time, celebrate on a suitably grand scale the character, work and legacy of this legendary painter who so loved the Côte d’Azur.

In  September 1905, the art critic Félix Fénéon bought Matisse a train ticket so he could  discover Cannes, Nice, Monaco and Menton. Matisse was from the North,  born in Cateau-Cambrésis in 1869. Twelve years later, in December 1917, Matisse returned to Nice and settled into a small room in the Hôtel Beau-Rivage. He set up his workshop a few meters away, on the Quai des États-Unis, at  24, Rue Saint-François de Paule. He spent nearly 40 years in Nice and the surrounding area, until his death on November 3^rd, 1954, and throughout this time he “honoured the Côte d’Azur with unwavering fidelity and passion’’ which included, of course, the creation of numerous masterpieces. He is buried in Cimiez Cemetery.

To create the show, called A Summer for Matisse, pieces have been loaned from a wide range of French and foreign museums including the Centre Pompidou, the  Château de Versailles, the Musée d’Orsay, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the Andy Warhol Museum. There have also been numerous loans from Musées de France, especially from those museums located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur region, as well as from private collections.

More than 700 Matisse works are currently on display in themed shows ranging from The Music in the Work’ (Musee Matisse), On the Subject of Swimming Pools (Musee d’Archeologie) and Matisse: The Jazz Years (Palais Lascaris).  Matisse on the Bill (Galerie des Ponchettes) delves into advertising  poster art while Palm Trees, Palm Leaves and Palmettes (Musee Masena) explores these recurrent motifs.

All shows are ongoing until September 23, 2013.

A 10€ pass allows one adult entry to all eight museums for seven consecutive days. You can buy the pass at any participating museum.

For  more details and a list of what’s where,  click here. There’s additional info in English on the press release here. The official site is here but the pages are only in French.

For lots of other great Nice info, check out the Nice Cote d’Azur Tourism website here.

And for wonderful photos of the artist, click here.

Photos: (1) A pochoir print of Matisse’s “Polynesia.” (2) Purple Robe and Anemones, 1937. (3) Poster from a Matisse show in Nice, 1950. (4) Le Cirque, planche II.  (5) Poster from a Paris show in 1956.  (6) Self portrait in a striped T-shirt, 1906. Matisse, like Bonnard, loved cats. He lived at Villa le Rêve with Minouche and Coussi. (7) This 12 x 11-foot ceramic-tile Matisse mural called La Gerbe (The Sheaf) was commissioned in the early 1950s; read a story I wrote about it here.