Janet Joanou Weiner

One of the most iconic structures in St. Hippolyte is an ancient limestone tower, just across the bridge and around the corner from my...

Surprise! Our tiny little town has a museum. It’s small but nicely done and follows the history of the significant silk industry in our...

In my little town, St. Hippolyte du Fort, we are blessed with lovely walking paths. I'm grateful to so easily engage with the surrounding...

On one of my daily walks, not long after we moved here ten years ago, I came to the end of a path and…voilà! Seemingly out of nowhere, a...

My husband had a significant birthday a few years back (well, ok, more like a decade). I sent out requests for a word of encouragement, a...

Part One Madame fought back tears, but the deep well of emotion that was their cause would not be contained. "Our grandfathers… the...

When I reflect on the beauty of the seasons, I usually picture the soft bright colors of spring or the brilliant tones of autumn. Yet...

I have written about the mountains of St. Hippolyte du Fort in a previous blog, but majestic Le Cengle calls us to take another look....

The Route de Lasalle starts right outside my front door and winds its way up through beautiful Cevenol countryside. I love watching the...

Vive les vendanges! Yay for the grape harvest! I love this time of year, and one of the very best things about it is the vendanges. Early...

For over 100 years, on the first Sunday of September, a massive gathering of descendants of the Huguenots (French Protestants) takes...

For the first time in two years, I recently traveled back to the USA. As everyone knows, a world of change has occurred during that time....

One of the best things about living in the south of France is lavender season. It is truly incroyable…incredible! The colors, the scent,...

This year, for the first time, I have a vegetable garden–a potager as it's called in French. Interestingly, the word for...

This week we're going on a tour of the beautiful mountains surrounding my little town. So grab your walking stick and hiking boots…just...

Bienvenue au Château de Planque! Welcome! Come on in for a tour of the centuries-old château where we work and live. We are situated at...

These past weeks, here in the Cévennes, we have had quite a stretch of gray skies and rainy days. Our summers can be scorching hot, so...

Of the many beautiful walks in and around St. Hippolyte du Fort, my very favorite is on the Route de Cros. Out my door, across the...

"Spring is sprung, the grass has riz I wonder where the birdies iz…" (Anonymous) Every year around this time, my dad would chant this...

A couple of weeks ago, I happened upon a shepherd leading his flock through the fields behind the houses on my path. The massive copper...