✨ Hello, friends!

My last post (“Rejection and Why You Shouldn’t Dwell on It”) must’ve struck a chord because I received messages from about a dozen lovely subscribers. To those who wrote, thanks for the kind notes and for sharing your own creative journeys. I’m cheering you on, always!

I also received a couple of requests for Provence travel tips, so I’ll get into that below.

But first, some details about my upcoming library event – yay!

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📚 November Library Event

I’ll be at the Los Angeles Public Library (Central Branch) on Saturday, November 22 at 1 p.m. for a fun chat about my publishing journey as a children’s book author. My (professional) writing journey began about a decade ago, when I got my very first literary agent — the journey has been a rollercoaster since then. Where has the time gone??!

I’ll share behind-the-scenes tidbits about writing and publishing — and even reveal some never-before-disclosed info about my film option (!!).

I hope to see some familiar faces & new friends there.

🗓 Details:

• Date: Saturday, Nov. 22

• Time: 1:00 – 1:45 p.m.

• Location: Los Angeles Public Library, Central Branch (630 W. 5th Street)

• Topic: My Publishing Journey – A Fireside Chat + Audience Q&A + Book Sale/Signing

• More info here: https://www.lapl.org/indie

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💛 Ah…Provence (specifically, Aix-en-Provence)

I first fell in love with Provence in my early twenties and have returned nearly a dozen times since. I must’ve been a resident of southern France in some alternate universe because the landscapes seem very familiar and sometimes I even get a distinct sense of déjà vu! Every visit feels like coming home.

I studied abroad in Paris for two years (a long time ago, yikes), and during my second year I had the option to transfer to a university in Aix. I stayed in Paris (no regrets), but maybe that’s why I’ve spent so much of adulthood “making up for it” with return trips to Aix.

This most recent visit was with The Geno and our main mission was to catch a Cézanne exhibition, which my friend Claude (who was born in Provence!) kindly told me about. But before I get into Aix details, let’s take a quick look around the region for anyone planning a first-time trip.

Note: some images are from my travel sketchbook — these are just fun sketches, so don’t look at them for accuracy or factual information!

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🌞 Le Sud: Two Distinct Vibes

When I think of le sud, I imagine two distinct vibes:

1. Le Luberon & Bouches-du-Rhône (Western Provence)

Chic-rustic villages like Aix, Roussillon, and St. Rémy-de-Provence. Think lavender fields, open-air markets, cypress trees, and a slower rhythm of life.

2. The French Riviera (Eastern Provence)

The sparkling, cinematic coastline dotted with St. Tropez, Èze, Cannes and Nice — all sunshine, sea air, with a dash of old-Hollywood glamour.

I’m partial to the western side — give me a farmer’s market and a small village square any day — but the Riviera absolutely has its charms. My Parisienne friend Léa has several college-age daughters, who prefer the Riviera for its nightclubs, bars, and trendy shopping. What’s funny is that even when I was in my early twenties, I gravitated towards western Provence with its bookstores, lavender fields, and cafés…I guess I was just born an old soul!

If you want to experience eastern Provence without the mega-bling, here are some of my favorite spots:

• Èze – a medieval village perched above the Mediterranean, offering jaw-dropping views. I wrote a blog post about a wonderful hotel there: read about it here.

• St. Paul de Vence – medieval village with the famous hotel-restaurant La Colombe d’Or, where artists like Picasso used to pay for meals with their paintings (on display all over the restaurant!) as well as the very cool contemporary museum Fondation Maeght.

• Menton – near the Italian border, famous for its lemon groves and colorful façades.

Skip Monaco unless you really enjoy casinos and Formula One — the other towns will give you the Riviera sparkle with much more soul.

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🚗 Getting Around Provence

I highly suggest renting a car. You’ll want the freedom to explore villages at your own pace.

Tips:

1. Go small. Parking spaces are tiny — avoid renting a Hummer or Cadillac Escalade! I joke. French car rental places don’t even keep such behemoths in their inventory, ha!

2. Roundabouts everywhere. You’ll master them eventually, but they make The Geno nervous and we’ve taken the wrong exit countless times!

3. Keep cash handy. Not all toll machines take cards.

4. Travel off-season. April and October are magical months with fewer crowds. August is when everyone in Paris flocks to le sud, so you may want to avoid the entire month of August into early September.

Distances look short on a map, but winding roads and local traffic can double your drive times — so slow down, enjoy the view, and treat the journey as part of the adventure.

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🌸 Western Provence Favorites (Aix & The Luberon Region)

This is the area that makes my heart sing. And if you lean toward picturesque villages and charming strolls, here are my favorite towns/villages:

• Aix-en-Provence – “The City of a Thousand Fountains.” Lively and lovely. This is a university town, so you’ll see lots of students (if I could re-do my youth, I would definitely study abroad in Aix for a semester or full year!). Wonderful farmer’s markets, lovely shops & museums + lots of culinary delights.

• Cassis – A seaside gem where you can take a boat ride to view the calanques (limestone fjords).

• Roussillon – The “ochre village,” with warm red cliffs and small, beautiful squares that look exactly like hyper-idealized postcards of Provence.

• Gordes – A jaw-dropping hilltop town that glows at sunset. Phenomenal photo ops. Very close to a 12th century monastery, the lovely Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque.

• St. Rémy-de-Provence – Elegant and art-filled, with some of my favorite hotels and restaurants. This is a small and very chic town.

• Ménerbes – Peaceful, golden-stoned, and quintessentially Provençal. This is where author Peter Mayle lived when he penned his bestselling book, A Year in Provence.

• Lourmarin – Relaxed, family-friendly, and effortlessly chic. My close friend Anne spent a week here with her American family, and she said it was the perfect spot for her two-year-old kid.

• Les-Baux-de-Provence – gorgeous hilltop town, home of the Carrières des Lumières (a huge limestone cave that features light shows paired with fabulous art & music — we saw a Van Gogh show there many years ago, super cool)

• Arles – Van Gogh’s city, full of history and creativity. Used to be the capital of Ancient Rome.

• Avignon – Home to the Papal Palace and one of Provence’s great cultural centers.

Still on my wish list: Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, perched near the turquoise Gorges du Verdon — perfect for kayaking or rafting someday (soon, I hope).

Where to stay?? Good news: you can find really lovely places at different price points throughout Provence. I tend to gravitate toward well-reviewed hotels and charming bed-and-breakfasts — I’m at a stage in life where serene décor and fresh towels feel non-negotiable. In my 20s, I did plenty of traveling on a shoestring (once stayed at a $20-a-night hostel in Peru and woke up covered in bedbug bites — lesson learned!). Now, I do my homework before choosing a “home base,” and you can rest assured that every place I recommend has been personally tested and approved.

A quick side note: some friends have had great luck with Airbnbs in the Luberon region, so that can be a solid option. That said, I’ve never booked one myself — the unpredictability (eclectic décor, overly chatty hosts, the occasional horror story of hidden cameras) has kept me loyal to boutique hotels and B&Bs. They tend to uphold a more reliable standard of comfort and service.

In Provence, I usually base myself in either Aix-en-Provence or St. Rémy-de-Provence — both have an international vibe, excellent restaurants, and easy access to the surrounding countryside. Here are a few of my personal favorites:

• Château des Alpilles (St. Rémy): Phenomenal breakfast, gorgeous pool, and an atmosphere that’s nothing short of lovely.

• Domaine du Chalamon (St. Rémy): Set in beautiful gardens, with airy, sunlit rooms and an intimate, relaxed feel.

• Maison d’Aix (Aix-en-Provence): A restored, stylish mansion in the heart of town. The top floor is the quietest, but note there’s no elevator and no on-site staff overnight. On the plus side, guests have access to a gourmet kitchen stocked with snacks and drinks at all hours and at no extra charge.

• La Bastide de Marie (Ménerbes): Absolutely stunning grounds surrounded by vineyards; the whole place radiates rustic chic.

We’ve also stayed at the Renaissance in Aix (a Marriott property). It doesn’t have the Provençal charm of the others, but it’s very convenient — easy parking, large bathrooms, on-site restaurant open late, and the prompt service you’d expect from a major hotel chain. If you prefer a more “Americanized” setup, it’s a solid choice. But if you want that authentic Provence experience, I’d suggest one of the smaller, locally owned properties above.

Another option worth mentioning is Le Château de Fonscolombe, just outside Aix. It’s a beautifully restored castle with lovely grounds and complimentary bikes for guests — we had so much fun exploring on two wheels. It didn’t quite make my top tier only because the rooms feel a bit dated, as if the drapery and bedspreads haven’t changed since 1720 (I’m exaggerating — but you get the idea). Still, the property itself is spectacular.

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🥐 Back to Aix: My Forever Favorite

You could easily spend three or four days (or more!) just in Aix and never run out of things to do. The town is a perfect blend of culture, food, and leisurely wandering. It’s also a great place to base yourself to explore more of Provence (I’ll mention a couple of good day trips from Aix, below).

My favorite stops in Aix:

• 🖼 @museegranet – Home of the recent comprehensive Cézanne exhibition, with works borrowed from collections worldwide. Check their exhibition list to see what’s showing at the time of your visit. You can also visit Cézanne’s home/atelier on the outskirts of town. (Btw, smaller museums & art spaces are my jam! I think I have a two-hour max for museums, and after that, it becomes sensory overload.)

• 🥗 @tita_aixenprovence – Excellent Israeli/Middle Eastern lunches with plenty of vegetarian choices.

• 🧣 @souleiado_officiel – Beautiful Provençal textiles. I bought my mom a scarf from this shop for Christmas (shhh, don’t tell her!).

• 🍵 @yasumimatcha – Legit matcha lattes (I source my matcha from Kyoto / Uji, so I’m picky!).

• 🐾 @mon_chat_pitre – Bookstore with cats snoozing on the shelves. Adorbs!

• 🍇 Farmers’ Markets – Visit Place Richelme (fresh fruit heaven — everyday from morning to around 1 p.m.) or Cours Mirabeau (every Wed/Sat — everything from clothes to soaps to dish towels).

• ☕ @maison_weibel – Great café for pastries, coffee, and people-watching right after visiting the farmer’s market (it’s located on a corner of La Place Richelme).

• 🌿 @hotelcaumont – My favorite spot for afternoon tea and a stroll through their lovely garden.

GOOD SIDE EXCURSIONS CLOSE TO AIX:

• 🌊 Boat trip starting from Cassis – A breezy, beautiful boat outing that launches from a lovely seaside town. We did a two-hour boat ride, but you can opt for a four-hour version if you want to swim.
• 🥗 A food tour of Marseille. We did a walking food tour a few years ago with this company, and had a fabulous time. The food tour incorporated both southern French food and also Tunisian/Moroccan-influenced specialities, and it also doubles as a kind of city/historic tour–so you’ll get a good overview of the area plus a nice stroll around the interesting parts of town. Note: Marseille has some gritty neighborhoods, but its boardwalk is great. I suggest a morning/early afternoon there, before heading back to Aix before sunset. (We met a Canadian family who based their Provence trip in Marseille, and when I described what Aix was like, they looked regretful that they hadn’t opted to base themselves in Aix.)

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🌍 Until Next Time

I’ll stop here before this turns into a novella!

If you’re in L.A., come say hi at the Central Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library on Nov 22 at 1 pm. And stay tuned — in my first post for 2026, I plan to write about going to Seoul for the film project I described in my prior post (yippee!). If you haven’t yet subscribed, please do so if you want to be alerted to new posts. I write infrequently here, but I try to make my posts entertaining!

Wishing you a wonderful end to 2025! (I can’t believe the year is almost over!!) 💛

— Your friend, Helena