Adventures on Land and Sea: Searching for Culinary Pleasures in Provence and along the Cote d'Azur

by Carole Bumpus

Fans of Peter Mayle and Janine Marsh will enjoy this exploration of medieval villages, cultures, and recipes of France’s Provence. This travelogue is Book 4 in the author’s best-selling series, which has won the IPPY gold medal for Best Culinary Travel Series three years running.

Join Carole Bumpus, her husband, Winston, and their friends in Book Four of Savoring the Olde Ways, her culinary-travel series. Following in the footsteps of writer Peter Mayle, Bumpus is on a quest to find the real Provençe. On three separate excursions—from Nice to Nîmes, Moustiers to Marseilles, and San Tropez to San Remy—and while sailing along the Côte d’Azur, she invites you to join her in uncovering the mysteries of Provençe. Are they hidden within their myths, festivals, or traditions? Is it possible they’re veiled in the sheer beauty of the land and sea? Could they be concealed in Roman arenas in Arles, Orange, or Glanum? Or, perhaps, within the ancient methods of traditional cooking or winemaking? Maybe they are hidden in plain sight among the locals who open their hearts, their bistros, and homes to strangers.

Yes, you may find it in chefs while cooking in ancient kitchens, in the smile of the shy barmaid who speaks no English, in the giggle of the Pizza Wagon baby, in the agreeable village baker, or in the patient waiter and harbor master—but you will most especially experience it through friends who fling open their doors to share their families’ recipes. Traveling alongside Bumpus, that is where you’ll discover the real Provençe.

Genres: Travel

376 pages, Paperback

Published November 12, 2024

About the author

Once I set my mind on a project, it becomes a passion and heaven help the poor soul who tries to tell me otherwise. I love collecting family stories about food and family, no matter the culture. And I enjoy knowing how families celebrate life in the kitchen. So, when I first interviewed a gentle elderly Frenchwoman about her favorite foods and began hearing her real story, I knew this was a story I couldn't walk away from. Twelve years later my debut novel, A Cup of Redemption, was published, and is based on this woman's life. Part historical novel, part mystery, all bound up in the framework of women, food, family and war. Published: October 27, 2014 (She Writes Press) In August, 2015, I will publish Recipes for Redemption: A Companion Cookbook to A Cup of Redemption (She Writes Press) — the recipes from the novel are given in the voices of the characters readers loved, and also tell the stories from the families that taught the women to cook the wonderful dishes.

Reviews

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid 3.5*** effort. Never read any of the authors books prior to this, but I enjoyed this book which covered her 3 trips to Provence over a 10-year period of time. These are difficult books to write in my opinion because you really need to connect with a readership that may have never been where you have gone, and do not appreciate what the author has seen. I thought Carole did a very good job describing the joys, as well as the trials and tribulations of touring another country, especially her first trip before the WiFi and GPS. Three completely different trips, first a stay at a townhome, then a culinary tour and finally a sailing journey. Very well done to say the least!

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This culinary travel memoir is a fabulous romp through the food-loving, light-filled, old world feel of Provence and the Cote d’Azure!

The book — the fourth in the Savoring the Olde Ways series by foodie travel writer Carole Bumpus — covers an early 1990s adventure to France. Inspired by Peter Mayle’s classic memoir “A Year in Provence,” the author rented an old house in the south of France and took off with her husband, sister, brother-in-law and two friends with a clear goal in mind: to enjoy the magic of that region with the same fervor and humor as Peter Mayle.

This memoir succeeds to a marvelous degree. While reading, my mind drifted to the scenes the author beautifully depicts through vivid detail: eating fresh croissants in the morning; tromping over the hills and through small villages; meeting the locals; and learning what it means to spend two hours laughing with friends and family while eating lunch beneath the tress.

I’m not surprised I enjoyed this memoir of food, fun and travel to the degree I did, because I read the author’s previous adventures to Italy and France; books that include wonderful descriptions and recipes.

[Mark Moxley-Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mom received this from a contest I think, and loved traveling to Paris and Provence. I read it thinking "it's not really my thing, I'll read a bit then move on." And I kept reading. It's relaxing, interesting, amusing, and educational. If you love food or history, this will be a fun read. Well-written, well-edited, good prep for a trip or just for pleasant reading.

[Randal White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this volume of Carole's adventures, even more than I have her prior books. She has a knack for making you yearn for adventure, and to see new places. It's our dream to be able to spend a month or two in Italy and France, and her writings really amplify that wish, plus satisfy our urges for the time being. Very good book!