Archives mensuelles : septembre 2015

Port Grimaud videos

On this blog, we tout the joy of spending your vacation with your feet in the water in one of France’s most prized regions for a dream holiday.

Today, we wanted to make you discover Port Grimaud through the eyes and words of charmed tourists and residents.

So here is a small selection of holiday videos.


30 years of vacation in Port Grimaud! Introduction in French.


Evénements et animations à Grimaud en octobre 2015

DIMANCHE 4 OCTOBRE : DEJEUNER ANNUEL DE L’ASSOCIATION HUMANITAIRE MOGOYA SO AVEC AMBIANCE JAZZ

Dès 12h30 – Salle des Blaquières – 37€ le repas, sur réservation

soirée-mogoyaso

MARDI 06 OCTOBRE : CONFERENCE D’ANNIE CORSELLIS

« Le sens profond des Bravades de Saint-Tropez ».
18h30 – Salle de conférence Beausoleil

DIMANCHE 11 OCTOBRE : FESTIVAL DE THEATRE « LES DIMANCHES DE LA SCENE »

« Le Prénom » de Mathieu Delaporte et Alexandre de la Pattelière par le Théâtre de Poche de Fréjus.
17h30 – Salle Beausoleil. Entrée gratuite

Théâtre-Grimaud

MERCREDI 14 OCTOBRE : VISITE DE LA CHAPELLE NOTRE-DAME DE LA QUESTE

10h30 – Rendez-vous sur place. Gratuit

Grimaud : Notre Dame de la Queste

DIMANCHE 18 OCTOBRE : SOIRÉES MUSICALES DE GRIMAUD 2015

« Mozart et son Requiem » avec le Quatuor Debussy.
18h00 – Eglise Saint Michel. De 17 à 22€

soirees-musicales-de-grimaud-2015_requiem

SAMEDI 24 OCTOBRE : LES RENDEZ-VOUS DU PATRIMOINE

« Les dangers et ressources du Golfe de Saint-Tropez ».
10h30 – Plage de Port Grimaud. Gratuit

SAMEDI 24 OCTOBRE : SOIRÉE CABARET « BLUES & SOUL » THOMAS KAHN

Dès 19h30 – Salle Beausoleil. 6€ l’entrée. Gratuit pour les enfants jusqu’à 10 ans inclus, sur présentation d’un justificatif.

thomas kahn

SAMEDI 31 OCTOBRE : HALLOWEEN

Jeux de Piste et Bal de la Citrouille.
Dès 18h00 – Rendez-vous Place Neuve. Accès libre.

EXPOSITIONS A GRIMAUD

– Jusqu’au 11 octobre : LES ETOILES VEILLENT. Sculptures monumentales dans le village.
– Du vendredi 16 au samedi 31 octobre : EXPOSITION DES OEUVRES « ART ET HANDICAP ». Musée du Patrimoine. Entrée libre du lundi au samedi de 14h00 à 17h30.

COURSE D’ORIENTATION PERMANENTE DE GRIMAUD

Rendez-vous à l’office du Tourisme

MARCHÉS ET BROCANTES

– Marchés Provençaux : les jeudis à Grimaud Village et les jeudis et dimanches à Port Grimaud I
– Brocante les dimanches au Jas des Roberts

 

 

7 Tricks to Decorate Your Patio in Port Grimaud

If you are one of the lucky people whose apartment or house has a patio, you most likely enjoy spending hours on it lounging in the sun and finding the solutions to life’s problems with your friends and family.

It is therefore important to take your patio’s decoration as seriously as you do your home’s.

Here are our 7 tricks to decorate your patio in Port Grimaud without breaking the bank.sh

1. Instal a parasol or a sunshield

Sunshield Patio Port Grimaud

Found on langiusdesign.nl

These two items are essential to provide some shade to your sunny patio. Furthermore, they usually offer beautiful lively colours which will brighten up the atmosphere.

This picture demonstrates 2 affordable decoration tricks:

2. Use a sheet in lieu of a sunshield

You can also use a sheet to protect yourself from the sun and give your patio a bohemian look. The best idea is to use a sheet that has already been used or dye it… Depending on the style you want to create, you may also buy a new sheet, or an old one in a garage sale.

and…

3. Position old oriental carpets to create a gypsy patchwork on the ground

If your patio is well protected, recycle your used carpets in order to create an inviting patchwork which will bring a touch of sophistication to your patio without spending anything!

In France, we have a website called leboncoin.fr (the equivalent of Craiglist in the US) which will allow you to buy these carpets for close to nothing in an around Port Grimaud.

4. Hang decorative garlands, bunting, pompoms and Chinese lanterns

Chinese lanterns

Found on www.souslelampionblog.com/fr. Photography by Julie Abreu

These affordable decorative accessories, often made of paper, are little charming elements which will bring a festive note to your patio. Do not hesitate to install light strings which will create a calm environment once the sun goes down. To do this, you can use the lights you put on your Christmas tree! Even better, if you do not want to or cannot plug in the light strings, find some powered by solar energy.

5. Collect sand, stones, and seashells at the beach

Seashells in decoration

No matter which neighbourhood of Port Grimaud you live in, the beach is never far. To give your patio a beach atmosphere or a zen garden look, do not come back from your trip to the beach empty-handed: white sand, stones, and seashells work just fine!

6. Arrange flower pots, boxes, and vases

bright flower potsDecorate your patio thanks to plants and flowers, and draw attention to their containers. Whether it be a flower box, pot, or vase, choose them coloured, glossy, matte, made of zinc, etc. Your patio’s style is up to you!

You will certainly find what you are looking for at Rocchietta de Grimaud garden centre.

7. Instal beach chairs, tanning chairs, lounging chairs, or hammocks

hammock on patio in Port Grimaud

Found on abeautifulmess.com

Decoration stores specialized in outdoor furniture now stock very comfortable yet affordable seating. As for hammocks, you can find some for all tastes and adaptable to all patios: suspended, on a support, or to hang between 2 trees.

For custom-made patios with the best material, we suggest you contact the Rafflin carpentry store in the neighbouring village of Cogolin.

The Santons of Provence

After Christmas in Provence, we would like to speak to you today about the santons of Provence.

Santons of Provence

Santons are little clay figurines that are placed in crèches for the Christmas celebrations. They are sculpted representations of the Nativity scene. A small crèche is composed of Mary, Joseph, baby Jésus (who is placed between his parents on December 24, at midnight), the donkey, and the bull who are warming Jesus with the breath, then, at the epiphany, the 3 wise men.

But many characters can be added, to the joy of collectionneurs. These characters represent provençal villagers and embody the customs and traditional crafts of our region.

The origins of the santons of Provence can be traced back to the French Revolution, on July 14 1789. With the Revolution, churches became “property of the French state” and, in 1793, the national assembly decided to close them all.

But the people, who were profoundly religious, were used to going to church to see the Christmas crèche. No longer able to do this because the churches were closed, they started making the crèche at home, in hiding because it was forbidden. This first happened in Provence. People made very small figurines that they could easily hide.

A small business started making all the crèche characters.

In 1798, Louis Lagnel (who lived in Marseille from 1764 to 1822), designed the first plaster moulds to make his santons. This new technology made mass production and wide distribution possible. These “penny santons” finally allowed everyone to own their own crèche.

The tradition of santons truly took off in the XIX century, with the appearance of Provence’s master santonniers. The clay figures they created were borrowed from everyday life and work.

There exists today more than a hundred character because each santonnier is free to make the characters he wants. Here are a few made by one of the most loved santonniers, Marcel Carbonel.

  • The olive picker
  • The gypsy
  • The notary
  • The baker

Santons are an original gift idea with you want to bring souvenirs from your time among us back home.

If you visit Port Grimaud and the French Riviera during the winter, we suggest that you visit the santons fairs organized between November and January in Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, or Aubagne. You will find smaller but no less charming fairs everywhere in Provence.

A museum dedicated to santons and traditions of Provence will also welcome you in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.

Christmas in Provence

Here at Boutemy, we are very attached to our provençal roots and like to share our traditions with our clients.

One tradition particularly close to our heart is Christmas Eve’s 13 desserts. The subject isn’t timely, I hear you tell me, but since there are fewer of you visiting us during the winter, we wanted to talk about it on the blog.

Everything starts with the chacho-fio (literally “setting fire”) when the oldest and the youngest child of the family put a fruit tree log in the fire.

After having gone around table three times, they place the log, previously soaked in mulled wine, on the embers and speak sacramental words when the the fire starts.The log will burn until midnight and then will be ignited in the same manner every night until the new year.

After this ritual, it is time to move on to the big supper, a lean (without meat) but very hearty meal. There are 7 dishes representing the 7 wounds of Christ, made exclusively of local products, different depending on whether you are on the coast or in the backcountry.
This begins by the aigo boulido (“water boiled with garlic” in provençal), the meal continues with fish dishes like cod in raito (provençal tomato sauce) and spinach escargots.
The surrounding mise-en-scène is most important: a table dressed on 3 tablecloths where 3 candles are placed. Thirteen breads accompany the dishes and commemorate the Last Supper. Finally, a place is set and left empty for the travelling man who may come knock at the door, it is the poor man’s place.

At the end of the meal, we eat the 13 desserts. It is certainly the most respected tradition today and even though we do not all observe the chacho-fio and the big supper, we do observe this custom.

13 desserts

Though the number is always the same, the desserts may vary. There are, however, some staples:

  • The gibacié: a flour cake with olive oil and orange flower. Other names include: fougasse or pompe à huile (literally “oil pump”)
  • White and black nougats: made with honey, almonds and sugar. To make a white and creamy nougat, egg whites are added to the mix; as for black nougat, it remains crunchy and brown in colour.
  • The four beggars: symbolize the 4 great Christian Mendicant Orders (the members of which spread the gospel and help the poor). The desserts are: almonds for the Dominicans, raisins for the Augustinians, figs for the Franciscans, and hazelnuts for the Carmelites.
  • Fruit and candy: depending on taste, apples, pears, grapes, oranges, honeydew melons, mandarin oranges, plums, dates, jam or quince jelly, calissons (speciality of Aix en Provence), candied fruit, and prunes are served. To these are added each village’s specialities: panade (apple pie), oreillettes (my all time favourites), pine nut cookies

I hope you found this article about our local Christmas traditions helpful. In our next article, we’ll introduce to « Les Santons de Provence » (hint: they are a great present idea).

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez regatta: 2015 edition

Sail in Saint Tropez

At the end of the month will be held an event that we are especially fond of : Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, a competition between the most modern and traditional yachts in the world.

While the summer season is coming to an end, the 17th edition of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez will allow some of the best navigators in the world (Marc Pajot, Sébastien Josse, Philippe Monnet, Marie Tabarly, Bruno Peyron, and Lionel Péan to name a few) to come together with sailing enthusiasts and families come to see this surprising aquatic ballet.

From Saturday, September 26 to Sunday, October 4, everyone is invited to enjoy this fabulous show.
The races will take place from September 28 to October 3 for modern sailboats, the Wally Class, and the “J Class” (starting at 11 am), and from September 29 to October 3 for traditional sailboats (starting at noon).
Thursday, October 1 will be the challenge day, including the Club 55 Cup. The competitors can compete against whoever they like as long as they inform their opponents.

You can enjoy the show from the shore or in the water. Private companies offer to take you on one of the regattas participating in the modern sailboats’ race.

The Bateaux Verts who usually do the liner route between Port Grimaud and Saint-Tropez will also allow you to follow the regattas (by 2 hour, half-day, or full day time slots). For this, you can book your tickets online.

If you prefer staying on the mainland,  the organizers of the Voiles de Saint-Tropez  offer to watch the show
“* in the Voiles’ village, next to the harbor master’s office, open to participants and the public every day from 9 am to 9 pm,
* in Saint-Tropez’ port in the morning and the evening, with some of the competitors docking in the old and new ports, or along the Jean Réveille dock.

Of course, if you own a boat, you will be able to enjoy the event from the different shores of the Saint-Tropez gulf.

During the Voiles de Saint-Tropez, you will be able to stay and dock your boat in Port Grimaud. We will help you find the rental that will perfectly suit your wants and needs.

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2015

Les Voiles de Saint-Tropez 2015

A la fin du mois se tiendra un événement que nous affectionnons tout particulièrement : les Voiles de Saint-Tropez, une compétition entre les plus beaux yachts modernes et traditionnels au monde.

Alors que la saison estivale touche à sa fin, la 17ème édition des Voiles de Saint-Tropez permettra de réunir certains des meilleurs navigateurs du monde (Marc Pajot, Sébastien Josse, Philippe Monnet, Marie Tabarly Bruno Peyron et Lionel Péan pour ne citer qu’eux), amateurs de voile et familles venues admirer cet étonnant ballet aquatique.

Du samedi 26 septembre au dimanche 4 octobre, tout le monde est invité à profiter de ce fabuleux spectacle.

Les courses auront lieu du 28 septembre au 3 octobre pour les voiliers modernes et la Classe Wally et les « Class J » (départ à 11h00) et du 29 septembre au 3 octobre pour les voiliers de tradition (départ à midi).

Le jeudi 1er octobre sera la journée des défis avec notamment la Club 55 Cup. Les concurrents peuvent affronter qui bon leur semble à la seule condition d’en informer leurs opposants.

Vous pourrez profiter du spectacle en mer ou sur terre. Des sociétés privées vous proposent en effet d’embarquer à bord de l’une des régates participant à la course des voiliers modernes.

Les bateaux verts qui assurent habituellement la liaison maritime entre Port Grimaud et Saint-Tropez, vous permettent également de suivre les régates (par créneau de 2 heures, demi-journée ou journée entière). Pour cela, vous pouvez réserver votre billet en ligne.

Si vous préférez la terre ferme, les organisateurs des Voiles de Saint-Tropez proposent d’admirer le spectacle

“* au village des Voiles à côté de la capitainerie, ouvert aux participants et au public tous les jours de 9h à 21h,
* dans le port de Saint-Tropez le matin et le soir, avec une partie des concurrents à quai dans le vieux port comme dans le nouveau ou le long du quai Jean Réveille.

Bien sûr, si vous possédez un bateau, vous pourrez profiter de l’événement à partir des différentes rives du golfe de Saint-Tropez.

Pendant toute la durée des Voiles de Saint-Tropez, vous pourrez séjourner et amarrer votre bateau à Port Grimaud. Nous vous aiderons à trouver la location qui conviendra parfaitement à vos envies.

12 Tricks to Decorate Small Spaces

Most residences in Port Grimaud are not very big. As we have previously mentioned on the blog, the average surface of the properties sold last year is less than 50 square meters.

That is sufficient for a secondary residence I hear you say, and I would agree, but if you want to invite people, you may as well optimise every square centimeter to fully enjoy your idyllic vacation.

So here are our 10 tips to optimise your studio or apartment’s space in the lakeside city.

1. Favor light colours

Light colours have the virtue of expanding the space and making the walls almost disappear.

White pieces of furniture make the space come alive without crowding it, and light fabrics allow more light to come in and insure that there is a continuity with the white walls, which makes the room appear larger than it actually is.

2. Define the space’s limits with carpets

rugs small places

You have a studio? We suggest you decorate the different living spaces (bedroom side and living room side) with different coloured carpets to define them clearly, and thus give an illusion of size.

3. Choose a “strong” decorative element

Tiles studio decoration

Beautiful tiles. Found on marianneevenou.blogspot.fr

To avoid crowding a small apartment, one must avoid encumbered decoration and focus on one “strong” element that will attract all eyes.

This can be as simple as brightly coloured bed linen if you live in a studio for example, an original light fixture, or even a piece of art.

 

4. Use and abuse mirrors

Mirrors

Found on theberry.com

Mirrors are a small space’s best friend! Disperse them throughout the space (in the bedroom, the living room…) and even go for an XXL model to enlarge the room and give it an original touch. Just because the apartment is small does not mean one should settle for small pieces of furniture, quite the contrary!

5. Avoid the abundance of colours

studio: 2 colors and wood

Found on blog.westelm.com

If you cannot imagine your small spaces without strong colours, keep this principle in mind: do not mix too many colours so as to avoid giving your apartment an unfinished and crowded look. Focus on two colours, one ideally being white as we see here, to give the room a lightness, and the other colour that inspires you.

6. Remove partitions

stained-glass partition

Found on bloglovin.com

One must open the space as much as possible by avoiding obstacles and separations in small apartments, and by replacing a solid door by a French door or a stained-glass partition.

7. Dare to be transparent

transparent furniture

Found on tecnisa.com.br

Nothing is lighter than transparent furniture! Chairs, coffee table, or dinner table, completely transparent furniture or associated to metal: thanks to transparency, your decor will be as light as a feather!

8. Go for clever furniture

staircase shelf desk

Found on cdn.stylisheve.com

No space, no problem thanks to clever furniture! Liftable coffee table, sofa bed, nesting tables, office shelving, extension table… Your furniture must have many functions so it doesn’t clutter your small apartment for nothing.

9. Free the space

free space

Found on avenuelifestyle.com

We know, every single cm² has its importance in a small room, thus, ensure to free the space as much as possible by hanging shelves and by placing your furniture close to the wall: you will have more space in the centre of the room and will obtain a more fluid circulation.

10. Focus on mixed storage

Studio Port Grimaud

To open your space and avoid a suffocating aspect, alternate between open and closed storage. And if it can be white, that is even better!

Les Journées du Patrimoine à Grimaud : 19 et 20 septembre 2015

Bonjour à tous,

nous espérons que la rentrée s’est bien passée pour tous ceux d’entre vous qui ont des enfants à l’école.

Aujourd’hui, nous aimerions vous faire part du programme des 32èmes journées européennes du patrimoine qui sont organisées dans notre village provençal de Grimaud les 19 et 20 septembre 2015.

Journées du Patrimoine 2015  à Grimaud

Selon notre Ministre de la Culture et de la Communication, Fleur Pellerin, « Chaque année, ces journées sont l’occasion de découvrir des œuvres, les monuments et les jardins que les générations précédentes nous ont légués, que nous avons su préserver et mettre en valeur au fil du temps. Et chaque année, ces journées sont un succès, car dans le patrimoine, chacun voit à raison une part de sa propre histoire. »

PROGRAMME DU SAMEDI 19 SEPTEMBRE

De 10h30 à 12h30 : Ouverture et visite de la Chapelle Saint-Roch

Grimaud : chapelle saint-roch
De 10h30 à 12h30 et de 14h à 18h : Ouverture du Musée du Patrimoine et visite de l’exposition sur la Cuisine d’hier et d’aujourd’hui en Provence
De 14h30 à 16 : Ouverture et visite de la Maison du XVème siècle – rue des Templiers
14h30 : Visite du village, rendez-vous sur le parvis de l’Eglise Saint Michel
16h30 : Causerie sur la cuisine provençale et ses influences méditerranéennes – Musée du Patrimoine

PROGRAMME DU DIMANCHE 20 SEPTEMBRE

10h30 : Visite dans le village sur l’histoire de la cuisine en Provence – Rendez-vous au moulin Saint Roch
De 10h30 à 12h30 et de 14h à 18h : Ouverture du Musée du Patrimoine et visite de l’exposition sur la Cuisine d’hier et d’aujourd’hui en Provence
De 10h30 à 12h : Ouverture et visite de la chapelle Notre-Dame de la Queste

Grimaud : Notre Dame de la Queste
14h30 : « Des Gaulois aux Port-Grimaudois », quelques siècles d’histoire de Port Grimaud.

Visite guidée : rendez-vous à l’entrée de la plage, au bout de l’avenue de la Mer.

Nous espérons vous retrouver nombreux à l’occasion de ce week-end qui vous permettra de découvrir un patrimoine auquel nous sommes tendrement attachés.