​If, on your next holiday in France, you are looking for sunny warm weather, blue skies, with a colourful landscape of vineyards, lavender and olive trees interspersed with an interesting variety of towns and villages and rich culture, a visit to Provence should be added to your itinerary.

An ideal focal point is Aix-en-Provence, a larger town (and the old capital of Provence – the modern-day capital is now Marseille) with a lovely central main tree shaded avenue (Cours Mirabeau) lined with cafes, bars and restaurants and a surrounding network of narrow pretty streets and squares. Markets are abundant for both food produce and art and crafts, and gorgeous fountains are plentiful as you meander around the town.

Famous past inhabitants of Aix include Paul Cézanne, with many of his paintings inspired by the local countryside as well as the famous French author, Émile Zola.

Aix is only a 40 minute drive from Marseille and 50 minutes from the picturesque town of Cassis with its harbour and colourful boats, and the nearby stretch of coastline with its dramatic coastal inlets, known as the Calanques.

​However, if visiting in the winter or spring, beware of the cold and very strong mistral wind which can arrive quite suddenly and blow for several days at a time and be bone chillingly cold. - I speak from experience, whilst living in Aix !


Cassis (below)

For those of you planning a holiday in France this summer, La Route des Alpes provides a stunning scenic itinerary stretching from the French Alps to the French Riviera winding through many high mountain passes and passing by lots of interesting and picturesque towns and villages.

The route starts at Thonon-les-bains on the shores of Lac Leman close to Genève, and makes its way south across the Alps and over many alpine peaks, some of which are in excess of 9000 feet in altitude! The end of the route was originally at Nice, but is now at Menton, approximately 30km east of Nice on the south coast.

In France, the 1st May, known as "La Fête du Travail" is a public holiday to celebrate labour day. Traditionally, families  offer a sprig of Lily of the Valley flowers (Muguet) to their loved ones to bring them luck and as a sign of friendship. As you drive around on this day you often see people at the roadside selling sprigs of Muguet and when there is an opportunity some will venture into the countryside or forest to pick their own flowers to give.

Whilst we are all enduring the Covid 19 epidemic all our tutors at Knightwood Tuition have converted from face to face lessons and classes to Online teaching via Zoom, Skype and WhatsApp. 

People are generally pleasantly surprised after one or two sessions as to how effectively tuition can be delivered via online platforms and we have received very positive feedback. The teaching quality is equally as high and using the same multi-media teaching methods as would be used in face to face lessons. It can also be very social with multiple participants in the lessons - ideal for those having to stay at home in these trying times.

Stay safe and healthy !

Best Wishes, Armelle Rudman.

​The city of Grenoble is located in the Dauphiné region, situated in a large valley surrounded by mountains, - the Chartreuse to the north, the Vercors to the south-west and the Belledonne alpine peaks stretching east to Italy. Host to the 1968 Winter Olympics, Grenoble is a thriving city, home to the science oriented Grenoble University and a centre for scientific nuclear research and micro-electronics industries.

It is attractively situated at the confluence of the Drac and Isère rivers with wonderful views of the mountains and has a vibrant and busy historic centre with a modern tram system.
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In Summer, there is plenty of fantastic hiking and mountain biking opportunities and in Winter there are several excellent local ski resorts with the larger well known resorts within a 2 hour drive.
A cable car starting at quai Stéphane-Jay takes you up to the 16th century Fort de la Bastille where you are rewarded by breath taking views of the surrounding mountains and city.