The Radious Cité Hello, My name is Angela. I would like to tell you about the excursion I did with Virginie during my immersion in Provence. During my second one-month immersion with Virginie, I wanted to return to Marseille. We started the day with a city tour. Then we visited the Basilica of Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde. Finally, we went to the Cité radieuse. Sculpture representing Le Corbusier Presentation of the Cité Radieuse La Cité Radieuse is a building built by Le Corbusi

My family egg hunting Hello everyone, I thought you might be interested in discovering the Easter traditions in France, also called "Pâques"! It is an important holiday in France, both religious and traditional. It is a Christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is celebrated every year on the Sunday following the first full moon after March 21st. In France, we celebrate it with our families. We enjoy a long weekend of three days because Easter Mo

Virginie In Provence Those who know me know that I like to eat and that I can eat a lot! I also always like to discover new flavors. This is why I can advise you on the best restaurants that you can discover during your immersion stay with us. I also really like champagne, and I will therefore give you the names of the champagnes that we validated with Alex. Bistrot Grand Boise Bistrot Grand Boise Let's start with my favourite: Le Bistrot Grand Boise. I'm not saying that b

Provencal cake from Weibel by Pierre Mahieu When I was pregnant (which happened three times in my life!), I cooked a lot and especially pastries. For my first pregnancy, I wanted to create a food truck and go sell pancakes in Australia. At 8 months pregnant, I went to Brittany to take a course to learn how to make pancakes. During my second pregnancy, I wanted to pass my pastry diploma. I remember once when I made a “fraisier”. The pastry cream flowed into the dish… There wer

Provence How Do You Pronounce “Baux” in Baux de Provence How do we pronounce Baux? We pronounce Baux like the adjective « beau » which means beautiful. I must say that this village is aptly named. Where is Les Baux de Provence Located? The Baux de Provence village is located in the Alpilles massif. It is a village located high up. You can say that it is a perched village. Le Val de l’Enfer Le Val de l'Enfer Therefore, it offers a magnificent view of the valley called Val d

Eguilles - Provençal Village Let’s see the true face of Provence and learn useful Provence French vocabulary through my French English bilingual story and beautiful pictures. 1 – Provence Story: Clichés What are the clichés about Provence? You all know the clichés about Provence: pastis drink, [French] accent, blue skies, cicadas, pine trees, lavender, sunflowers, mistral wind, markets, petanque balls etc… But Provence is not only about that, isn’t it? Lavender fields in Pr

I am a French teacher for non-French speakers but also a certified yoga teacher for children. A year and a half ago, I started yoga training for adults. I therefore propose this article to you today to allow you to discover yoga postures to practice during the spring. You can also discover the vocabulary related to this practice. Happy spring everyone! Upside Down Dog - Virginie In Provence I. Why to do yoga during spring in Provence? Spring is considered a season of renewal

Macaroons My last student in immersion course wanted to learn how to cook macarons. This is what we did. We took the opportunity to work on questions, tenses, etc. Cooking is a very nice way to improve its French. We had a lot of pleasure to do the macarons and the "interview" We hope we will enjoy it. What is a macaroon? Its shape and texture have evolved over the centuries. Today, the macaroon is a small round cake, soft, fragrant, with a slightly cracked surface, made of m

Trees in bloom in spring in Provence Good morning ! My name is Oliver. I had the chance to spend an incredible spring in Provence. For a week, I was hosted by Virginie, who helped me improve my French while showing me the wonders of the region. Thanks to this immersion course, I learned new words every day and experienced unforgettable moments. Here are three spring activities that I loved around Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, and Rousset. Balade à vélo sur la Route des Crêtes e

Hello everybody. My name is David, and I’m English. I went on a French immersion homestay to Virginie and her family in July. Since I’m quite sporty, Virginie offered to go climbing the Montagne Sainte Victoire. David at the Sainte-Victoire I was very happy when Virginie asked me if I could write a few words about an excursion we did together. It’s a good way to practice my written French. So I am going to tell you about our excursion to the Montagne Sainte-Victoire using ea

Let’s go for a kayaking experience in Provence and discover the crystal clear water of the Calanques with Jahné and Virginie. Hi, my name is Jhané and at the end of Spring, I went for an immersion homestay at a French teacher’s home and her family, to improve my French. I chose Virginie near Aix-en-Provence. And I had lots of fun! Creeks When I arrive at Virginie’s, she advises me on several excursions – accompanied outings are part of the homestay. As I want to kayak, she b

Virginie In Provence eating Calissons Hi. My name is Virginie and I’m a French immersion teacher near Aix-en-Provence. Today, I’ll try, for the first time, to bake a typical Provence sweet: le calisson. I searched around for recipes, so I’ll jump right in! The Legend of the Calisson d’Aix-en-Provence In a few words, what is a « Calisson » ? Legend tells that King René married Jeanne de Laval in the 15th century. At the end of a meal the candy maker gave a treat to the queen

“Les petits farcis” are a typical vegetable recipe from Provence. I’ll share with you my family’s favorite with a vegetarian stuffing. "Les petits farcis" “Les petits farcis” [lit: the little stuffed ones] is a typical dish from Provence that you will love. There are hundreds of different stuffings for this very dish. In fact, almost every provençal family has its own recipe… I’m going to share with you my family’s favorite one. It’s a very simple version, healthy, and veget

My name is Virginie Van Der Wees. I am a French teacher for non-French speakers. I live in Aix-en-Provence. Every morning, it's a pleasure to wake up and tell myself that I live at the foot of the Sainte-Victoire mountain, 25 minutes from Aix-en-Provence. Virginie In Provence at the Allées Provençales in Aix-en-Provence Aix-en Provence, a daily pleasure I love coming for a walk in Aix-en-Provence during mid-season (fall or spring) when the streets are quieter. There is often

Pissaladière with anchovies How did it start? My friend Cécile was born in Malaussène, a small village near Mont Ventoux. She knows Provence very well and is a very good cook. She always opens those doors to me when I feel like learning to cook a new dish. A little bit of history This recipe comes from the region of Genoa in Italy. It is inspired by the 14th century "piscialandrea" of Ligurian cuisine (more precisely of the province of Imperia). Liguria is a region in the nor

As in many countries around the world, we celebrate Mardi Gras in Provence. It's a good opportunity to go to the carnival and dress up. Where does "Mardi gras" come from? A Christian tradition originating in Antiquity, “Shrove Tuesday” is the last day before Lent. Lent is a period of 40 days, during which Christians are led to fast to remember the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert. In this sense, the term "fat"of "mardi gras" refers to all those rich foods that can no l

Hello, my name is Jeannie, my daughter’s name is Megan, and we live in North Carolina, in the United States. We had a wonderful French immersion week in Provence at Virginie’s. Since my daughter and I love art, we told Virginie, and then she offered we tour Arles. Amphitheatre - Arles Arles in Provence We will give you some information about the city, this way, you will better understand the beauty of the place and its wealth of culture. Arles …. is the place where the Rho

Sweet madeleines From classic madeleines to lavender madeleines I love to cook and most of all I love to bake pastries. At some point in time, I wanted to graduate to be a pastry chef. It must be said that since my first pregnancy, my love for baking has only increased. Besides, my kids love it and they love to cook too. So this is now a passion that we share. One afternoon, I wanted to make madeleines for a snack. I really like traditional madeleines. But I wanted something

Hi. My name is Virginie and I am an immersion teacher near Aix-en-Provence. I wanted to tell you about the village where we have lived for 2 years: I hope it will make you want to come for a French immersion homestay in Provence! (We have a large pool !!) My children in Eguilles 1 – Eguilles, A Village in Provence Eguilles… What a funny name, isn’t it? This village has the same pronunciation as a needle. You know the big metal rod that we use to knit. The “S” is not to be p

Virginie In Provence and his husband As in all countries, we celebrate Valentine's Day in France and therefore in Provence. And yet Aix-en-Provence only comes in eighth place in the ranking of the most romantic cities in France. This does not prevent the people of Aix from celebrating Lovers' Day. Valentine's Day has its history, its followers but also its detractors. An elderly couple But how was Valentine's day born ? Valentine's Day or Valentine's Day! There are many stor