A Year in Villefranche sur Mer - Moving to France

  Day 2336 (Tuesday) 31 st October 2023 Today’s lovely photo… This is Saint Paul de Vence, one of my favourite places in France. All is well Villefranche again because it’s warm and sunny – 34C on the balcony. Huw planted our new climbing plants, Suzanne gave them to us and I don’t know what they are but hopefully we will see soon. It was lovely sitting in the sunshine, I can’t believe it’s going to be November tomorrow – long may it last. How do the French celebrate Halloween?  Visitors from countries such as the UK and - in particular the USA - might be expecting to see the shops full of pumpkins, ghost costumes and mini candy, but in France things are a little more restrained around Halloween. While the French do acknowledge the event, it's much less of a big deal that it is in some other countries. That's not to say it isn't marked though - a 2021 survey by YouGov found that about one in three French people celebrate Halloween "at least occasionally". That be

  Day 2335 (Monday) 30 th October 2023 Today’s lovely photos… This is Villefranche sur Mer and this is Menton. It was miserable this morning and it stayed that way all day. It rained from time to time but not very much. Huw took me into Nice to work with Charlotte at International House and he went shopping for curry spices. He picked me up and brought me home and we just missed the rain. As usual on a Monday I looked at the Local France to find out What’s happening in France this week. A cafe decorated for Halloween in Paris (Photo by MARTIN BUREAU / AFP) From Halloween to the opening of a museum totally dedicated to the French language and a day off from work, here's what is happening in France this week. Monday School holidays  - it's the second week of the Toussaint school holidays, so expect holiday opening hours at public sites like leisure centres. Opening of the 'French language museum' -  Originally intended to open in mid-October, the brand new  ‘Cité Interna

  Day 2334 (Sunday) 29 th October 2023 Today’s lovely photos… This is Gorbio again and so is this.   We’ve been to Gorbio before but I can’t remember any details so here it is again. Gorbio travel guide Visit Gorbio (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France) Gorbio is a village perched on the side of a hill just a few kilometres inland from  Menton , on the Cote d'Azur and in the south-eastern corner of Provence. You are also very close to the border with Italy when in Gorbio. As with the other ' perched villages ' in this region of Provence it is the stunning location of Gorbio that is a large part of the attraction. The village is high up in the Gorbio Valley, with steep sloped valleys covered with trees and olives rising steeply all around the village. Exploring Gorbio The views from around the village are, not surprisingly, very attractive and as well as the valley itself you can see out across the Mediterranean. Start your visit in the main square in Gorbio. Here you ca