If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Most importantly today,  I want to offer my best wishes to everyone celebrating Easter or Passover.

This week I completed the final proofing of my new novel, The Promise of Provence, and I have to admit I’ve been struggling … so many pages, so many words … I’ve got to start writing short stories.

Okay, I’m kidding.

The real reason I’m struggling is due to the memories that were stirred as I proofread. There is a brilliant home exchange situation in the story and that got me thinking about some of the wonderful exchanges my husband and I have experienced. We have had seven memorable exchanges in the last ten years and are about to do another this September/October in Nice.

Taking a break from writing posts for my upcoming book launch blog tour,  I went back  through some of our photos. I love to do that, don’t you?

On this particular exchange below, we spent two months in a lovely country home in the middle of a a private vineyard. It was located in the Var area which is just west of the Côte d’Azur, part of southern Provence.  Spend a day with me.

Terraced vineyards, stone walls, fruit-laden olive trees, trimmed lavender mounds … the urge to write was overwhelming, my camera shutter was steaming …

We drove a few minutes through a maze of narrow, winding roads to tiny La Cadière en Azur …

Strolling … dreaming …

While I snapped the inevitable shots of doors …

And windows …

Espresso, café crème, cappucino …

And then up into the hills above La Ciotat to drive La Route des Crêtes … spectacular …

Up steep switchbacks to the highest cliffs in France, Cap Canille, overlooking the rich wine-producing area around Cassis and on to the fjord-like Calanques that stretch to Marseilles …

Then a quick descent before getting bogged down in traffic in charming Cassis, overlooked by a 12thC chateau which dominates the ancient fishing port …

D’accord …  overlooking the busy little seaport … lunch is a fine portion of frites and tartar de boeuf accompanied by one of the exquisite wines produced in this area.

The drive home is quick on the autoroute … another idyllic day well spent in this enchanting part of southern Provence.

Have you ever done a home exchange? If you have, I would love to hear your experience. If you haven’t and would like more information, I would be happy to direct you to some very helpful links. It certainly makes travel much more affordable and you meet the nicest people. Try it, you will like it!

Fine! I have just been ‘virtually’ yelled at by several people for not having any info about my new novel here. (I still haven’t learned to be the best  marketer for myself.)

I’m very excited to announce that the ebook version of The Promise of Provence should be available within the next week. I promise I will let everyone know as soon as it is up on Amazon and then we can all bombard Amazon with downloads on the same day and send my stats skyrocketing! Deal?

Merci mille fois! Thanks!