I always say that Paris is not just a great place to visit.   It is a state of being.   It is a state of mind.   That is why I was ultra-thrilled to be asked to join an event in my own neck of the woods called Paris In Our Backyard!  …

Note about this photo at the bottom of the blog!   Before I left Quebec this visit, I found myself reminiscing about my first experiences in la belle province.   Growing up I always felt that I had unfinished business in the province of my birth and eventually it drew me back.   Previously, you’ve read…

  How do you feel about the cinched-in waist? Personally, I miss fashion where suits were tailored and people wore dresses that accentuated one’s waist.     When one is on vacation and it is 38 degrees celsius| 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, I say, find an air-conditioned museum to visit.   Which is what I…

  If you are looking for a slice of France in North America, look no further than Québec, also known as la belle province|the beautiful province.   I have spent a little time here this summer and so begins my short series on its largest city,  Montréal.       Even for many Canadians, arriving…

  On my various trips to France over the years, I usually come home with some Herbes de Provence, usually in those pretty little clay jars.   They make great gifts and everybody likes getting them.   Herbes de Provence are the perfect assemblage of dried herbs that make any stew, soup, meat, poultry or…

  Thought the title might get your attention.   So.   I am going to expose a little more of myself than I usually do…   And if you are a gentleman reading this, you might decide to go no further …   Because this blog is just between us ladies.     Cherchez La…

    Welcome back everyone —- and so begins a new season of womanofacertainageinparis.com.    I hope you have been enjoying the summer, and the winter if you are in the southern hemisphere.   That which shall not be named is still wreaking havoc around the world but at least many of us are now…

  In the last few years, high-quality tea shops in Paris such as Dammann Frères, Mariage Frères, and Palais des Thés have been doing a brisker business.   This as more and more people have acquired a taste for tea, and I have discovered that it is much easier to get a decent cup of…

  Ok. Tell me honestly.  In all of your French travels, have you ever heard a French person utter the words ‘Zut alors?”   Damn! Darn! Shoot!  However it really translates, I have seen it in French cartoons, and even on T-shirts, but never once have I heard any French person utter that phrase in…

If you are a longtime francophile and have not heard of author Peter Mayle, you have probably been living under a rock. Mayle (pronounced like “mail” ) was one of the very first ex-pats (British) to popularize moving to France, and in particular, living in Provence. Mayle wrote delightful memoirs, his first being A Year…