Bonjour! For our first blog post we wanted to tell you about our country and where we come from in France.

When you say Provence, you think lavender fields, old villages, bountiful farmer's market, good food ... this is where I come from. A small town in Haute Provence called Sisteron.

Sisteron is a very nice town, with interesting streets, houses and other sites. There's a lot to do here, with a multitude of restaurants and shops of all kinds. A main route nationale passes through town, though, along with the autoroute to Aix-en-Provence and Marseilles, and Sisteron is very crowded in the summer. If you're going to be visiting the nearby region, such as the Montagne de Lure to the west or the mountainous country to the east, this is a good central location.

The 11th-century origins of the chateau called "the Citadel" are long gone, but the donjon is from the 12th century, and the current battlements, built in the 16th century during the Wars of Religion, are ancient enough, and very impressive.

Sisteron was a walled city and some of the towers remain as well as typical narrow streets called "andrones". It is sometimes called the "Gateway to Provence" because it is in a narrow gap between two long mountain ridges. 

But let's talk about food, Sisteron of course has a colorful  farmer's market every Wednesdays and Saturdays and lot of shops with products from Provence.

It is well know in all Europe for its lamb, "l'agneau de Sisteron". The queen of England when she visits France asks to be served lamb from Sisteron. 

Other specialties include " Pieds et Paquets" a recipe with lamb tripe stuffed with parsley, garlic and pancetta, simmered for hours in a tomato based sauce. As well as some delicious pastries, nougats and calissons. 

A trip to Provence is a wonderful experience, I'm so excited to go there this summer and I hope some of you will plan a trip there soon, to discover and enjoy this beautiful region.  

You can click on the link to check the website of Sisteron for more information.