Patricia Sands

Author

General Travel

Thanks to the Barefoot Blogger !

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BAREFOOT BLOGGER

Thanks to my best travel buddy for posting about our Memories Tour which will take place from September 2 to 14! She will be meeting up with us in Uzès ~ wait until you see where she lives!

Here’s what she has to say …

I’m Deborah, an American expat who has called the charming town of Uzès, France, home for nearly a decade. Through this website, I invite you to join me on an exciting journey as I share my experiences and insights from this beautiful corner of the world.

INSPIRING LIFE & TRAVEL IN FRANCE

Time Flies. Make Memories!

 “Time flies” might sound a bit trite, but it seems to be truer than ever.

That’s why I want to encourage my gal friends and followers to sign up for the “Memories You Promised Yourself” tour of the south of France with best selling author, and my BFF Patricia Sands.

It’s time to make memories you promised yourself. 

Traveling with the Memories Tour when I co-hosted with Patricia is a memory of a lifetime for me.

Here are some of the highlights of the tour:

Strolling the seaside Promenade des Anglais in Nice and touring the colorful city.

Meandering through the cobblestone streets of Saint Paul de Vence, filled with history, galleries and charming shops.


Discovering the spectacular hilltop town of Eze and enjoying the spectacular gardens of Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild.


Exploring the ancient harbor town of Antibes, Patricia’s home away from home.


Walking in Cézanne’s footsteps in Aix en Provence.


Admiring the roman treasures, world-renowned ancient and modern architecture and the spirit of Van Gogh in Arles.


Touring the ancient Roman Arena in Nimes before savouring local products at the daily market and at an exceptional olive oil mill.


Enjoying a safari to observe the Camargue’s unique flora, fauna and rose-colored salt marshes.


Experiencing market day in St Remy de Provence & the spectacular Carrières de Lumières in les Baux de Provence.


Discovering a genuine Duché (duchy) in Uzès and admiring the Pont du Gard, UNESCO heritage site and architectural wonder.


Joining harvest time and tasting the wine. 

This year I will greet you to show you where I live and join you for lunch in Uzès!

The tour always sells out, so don’t wait. We would love to have you and perhaps some of your friends or family come along … or your book club, fitness group, whatever. You will find all of the details here.

Nancy McGee, owner of Absolutely Southern France Travel, has been busy securing the two luxury hotels (just two, as you only move once, from Nice to Arles) and fabulous restaurants. She takes care of all the logistics and makes certain everything is in place for everyone to have amazing experiences every single day.

If you have any questions, contact Nancy McGee through the website.

Join the free JourneyWoman Webinar to learn more!

On March 26 at 2 p.m. ET, Patricia Sands, along with her author friends Steena Holmes, Jules Larimore, Cheryl Jamison, and owner of Absolutely Southern France Travel, Nancy McGee, share their passion for travel with you! This exciting event will be hosted by Carolyn Ray, CEO and Editor of JourneyWoman, the world’s largest and most trusted travel resource for women over 50.

Here’s the link for a free sign-up to join the webinar!

Are you coming to the south of France with me? Join us at a free Journeywoman webinar!

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On March 26 at 2 p.m. ET, I hope you will join me along with my author friends Steena Holmes, Jules Larimore, Cheryl Jamison, and owner of Absolutely Southern France Travel, Nancy McGee, as we share our passion for travel with you! This exciting event will be hosted by Carolyn Ray, CEO and Editor of JourneyWoman, the world’s largest and most trusted travel resource for women over 50.

Here’s the link for a free sign-up to join the webinar!

The countdown has begun for our 2024 South of France Memories Tour, September 2nd to 14th. The photo below is from our 2022 Tour. It truly shows the joy that everyone feels, not just in stunning Eze, but everywhere we go. Trust me! Every day is filled with beauty and laughter.

You will notice me mentioning the Tour frequently these days, since we like to have all the spots filled by spring. I love posting reels on Instagram and I wish I knew how to share them here. You can also see previous Tour photos on my website.

Here’s a taste of some of the highlights of our tour:

  • Strolling the seaside Promenade des Anglais in Nice and touring the colorful city
    *Meandering through the cobblestone streets of Saint Paul de Vence, filled with history, galleries and charming shops
    *Discovering the spectacular hilltop town of Eze and enjoying the spectacular gardens of Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild
    *Exploring the ancient harbor town of Antibes, Patricia’s home away from home
    *Walking in Cézanne’s footsteps in Aix en Provence
    *Admiring the roman treasures, world-renowned ancient and modern architecture and the spirit of Van Gogh in Arles.
    *Touring the ancient Roman Arena in Nimes before savouring local products at the daily market and at an exceptional olive oil mill.
    *Enjoying a safari to observe the Camargue’s unique flora, fauna and rose-colored salt marshes
    *Experiencing market day in St Remy de Provence & the spectacular Carrières de Lumières in les Baux de Provence
    *Discovering a genuine Duché (duchy) in Uzès and admiring the Pont du Gard, UNESCO heritage site and architectural wonder
    *Joining harvest time and tasting the wine

We always sell out and would love to have you and perhaps some of your friends or family come along … or your book club, fitness group, whatever. You will find all of the details here. Nancy McGee, owner of Absolutely Southern France Travel, has been busy securing our two luxury hotels (just two, as we only move once, from Nice to Arles) and fabulous restaurants. She takes care of all the logistics and makes certain everything is in place for us to have amazing experiences every single day.

If you have any questions, contact Nancy McGee through the website or DM me on Facebook or email me at patriciasandsauthor@gmail.com. We would be so happy to have you join us!

In the meantime, I hope you will join the Webinar on March 26 and bring any questions with you. You can always email me or Nancy with further information you may require. We can’t wait to welcome you along with us. On y va!

April First and chocolate fish in France ~ no joke!

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April 1, 2023 

If it’s Friday, it must be France …

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Happy April 1st! I hope you enjoy this repost of mine. Some things never change!

Imagine my surprise the first time I was in France on April 1st and found children sticking paper fish on my back, whispering and giggling and then hollering “poisson d’avril”!

Excusez-moi? Fish?

As Wikipedia explains: “In Italy, France and Belgium, children and adults traditionally tack paper fishes on each other’s back as a trick and shout “April fish!” in their local languages (pesce d’aprile!, poisson d’avril! and aprilvis! in Italian, French and Flemish, respectively). Such fish feature prominently on many late 19th- to early 20th-century French April Fools’ Day postcards.

April-Fools-vintage-Image-TheGraphicsFairy.com

April-Fools-vintage-Image-TheGraphicsFairy.com

I had no idea where the tradition began and, after a bit of searching, found this explanation on France Travel Guide.

“Although the origin of April Fools is obscure and debated, the most widely accepted explanation actually credits the “holiday” as starting in France. The most popular theory about the origin of April Fool’s Day involves the French calendar reform of the sixteenth century.

The theory goes like this: In 1564 King Charles IX of France reformed the calendar, moving the start of the year from the end of March to January 1. However, in a time without trains, a reliable post system or the internet, news often traveled slow and the uneducated, lower class people in rural France were the last to hear of and accept the new calendar. Those who failed to keep up with the change or who stubbornly clung to the old calendar system and continued to celebrate the New Year during the week that fell between March 25th and April 1st, had jokes played on them. Pranksters would surreptitiously stick paper fish to their backs. The victims of this prank were thus called Poisson d’avril, or April Fish—which, to this day, remains the French term for April Fools—and so the tradition was born.”

poisson d'avril

poisson d’avril

Boulangeries and patisseries deliciously get into the spirit with fish-shaped goodies. Oh … and did I mention the chocolatiers? Schools of fish of all sizes fill shop windows, the larger ones often filled with smaller treats. To a chocoholic, fish never tasted so good!

Since Easter usually falls around the same time, fish feature predominantly in shop windows through that holiday as well.

Maybe we should adopt a symbol for April Fool’s Day in North America, so there would be a good excuse to buy special chocolates on that day over here. Not that we ever really need an excuse for chocolate …

Wherever you are, have fun on April 1st and enjoy some chocolate.

My friend, author Margo Lestz, has this tidbit to share on her blog about April 1:

“The annual “April Fish” in Nice, France ~
The city of Nice has its own special April Fool’s joke. Normally there is a cannon shot every day at noon from a hill overlooking the town. (It’s really a firecracker, but it used to be a cannon so they still call it one. You can read more about it here.) This noonday boom alerts the people of Nice that it’s lunchtime and it goes off every day at exactly noon. That is, every day except on April 1st when the “cannon” goes off one hour early and everyone is thrown off schedule. If you are in Nice on April 1st listen carefully after the boom and you might be able to hear a shout from the hilltop – “April Fish!”

Take some time and visit her website, The Curious Rambler, for entertaining posts about traditions and history based on her extensive travels in France, Italy and England.

Are you a prankster on April 1st or do you just grit your teeth and hope the day will pass quickly? Is there one April Fool’s Day joke in particular that you will never forget?

Here’s something that’s no joke! All of the Sail Away series is now available in ebook and paperback. It was great fun to collaborate with seven author friends and write these stories to whisk you across several seas! No surprise, my story LOST AT SEA is set on a Mediterranean cruise. Readers of my books will have a smile when they suddenly see a brief appearance of some beloved characters! Of course there are a few ports of call in France ~ pourquoi pas??? ~ as the cruise goes from Barcelona to Sicily.

Each story has a different vibe as they are all standalone ~ quick, engaging and satisfying reads at around 200 pages each. Put your feet up and enjoy all the cruises!

Working clockwise from the top left ~ Jessie Newton, Tammy L. Grace, Ev Bishop, Violet Howe, Elizabeth Bromke, Patricia Sands, Judith Keim, Kay Bratt

See you next time! Happy reading!

A new book for you ~ Lost At Sea!

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Come sail away with me and my friends! As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with seven author friends to bring you the Sail Away series ~ eight standalone short novels with each story taking characters to an inviting location in the world plus the first free book which is a collection of all the prologues.

The characters, their situations, and the plots in each story are different and the stories are unrelated apart from the fact they each involve a cruise. How much fun is that? Especially in the midst of a rather harsh winter! Hop aboard and sail away!

Beginning February 1st, a new book has published each week and today it’s my turn to offer you Lost At Sea. Click on the link for your copy.

I had such a great time writing this story as my characters cruised the Mediterranean … no surprise on location, right?

Here’s the blurb:

For every family that is Italian going back several generations, this will sound familiar: It’s a known fact that Italian women are passionate about everything, especially family, and they know that food is the essence of life.

Stephanie (Stevie) Valentini’s story begins with her Bisnonna (great-grandmother) Paola in a village in Italy after WW2. In 2021, she is searching for something. She’s just not sure what that something is.

The chef in her family’s trattoria, Stephanie’s life has imploded. Suddenly single, suffering from Covid burnout, and about to turn thirty, she impulsively agrees to help best friend Kim with her pop-up jewellery shop on a Mediterranean cruise. Feeling lost, she’s not convinced she even needs to be found. What she discovers on this voyage is magic that might change her forever.

This gourmet food cruise is on a small ship with ten stops of three days in exciting ports from Barcelona to Venice. Time with Kim can only help heal Stephanie’s wounded heart as they have laughed and cried their way through life together as only besties can. They will be crew on this cruise and not paying passengers. Kim understands Stephanie does not want anyone to know she is the TikTok star of Stevie Valentini’s Pasta Party. Nor does she want any romance.

With each passing port, adventures continue, surprises occur and the final outcome once Venice is reached could not have been anticipated, particularly by Stephanie.

Join bestselling author Patricia Sands as she whisks you away in the latest adventure in the Sail Away series. Lose yourself on the sparkling Mediterranean in a story of family, friendship and food.

I hope you will order all eight books and enjoy a different staycation with each one.

★ Don’t miss a Sail Away book! ★ Click this link to see them all.
Book 1: Welcome Aboard – prologue book
Book 2: The Sound of the Sea by Jessie Newton
Book 3: Uncharted Waters by Tammy L. Grace
Book 4: A Not So Distant Shore by Ev Bishop
Book 5: Caroline, Adrift by Kay Bratt
Book 6: Moonlight On the Lido Deck by Violet Howe
Book 7: The Winning Tickets by Judith Keim
Book 8: Lost At Sea by Patricia Sands
Book 9: The Last Port of Call by Elizabeth Bromke

Part of my book release celebration is a live chat on my facebook page. Ev Bishop and I are the two Canadian authors in the group and we look forward to having you join us at 7 ET on Wednesday, 15th. Here’s the link for that https://www.facebook.com/patricia.sands.9

Woohoo … and the celebrating continues … There will also be a giveaway beginning on the 15th featuring a paperback copy of the book plus an apron from Italy, a tote, soap and sachet from the Côte d’Azur all worth $40.00. Good luck!!!

Here’s the link for that.

Now it’s time to get back to writing the next book! Stay safe and warm, dear friends, and may spring be on your doorstep soon!