France with Véro

23/06/2025

Bonjour.

Déjeuner à la guinguette.

A sunny afternoon, the sound of birds and cicadas in the background, a majestic river nearby, a table with a view: What’s not to like?

Another special in the Loire Valley before I return to Paris to lead another tour at the end of the week.

Don’t mind me: I’ll be sitting by the Loire river until then.

Véro

21/06/2025

Bonjour.

It's been h.o.t. in France lately.

If you've been around this community a while, you know I love to help.

Join me on Substack and get some hot tips for hot days from your (very hot!) Best French Friend in France.

Ignore said tips at your own risk. This is shaping up to be a scorching summer in the "Hexagon."

Find the link where I do most of my writing (and in the comment section below.)

Véro

Photo: Le Panier, Marseille (February 2025) - France with Vero

Pernod Ricard
Ricard

#

18/06/2025

Bonjour.

Le 18 juin. June 18.

An important date in French history. An important date in French life.

Time to share again a story I wrote a few years ago.

Nations who forget or ignore their past are doomed to make (or repeat) mistakes.

Véro

06/06/2025

June 6, 1944 - June 6, 2025

Le débarquement. La Libération.

D-Day. The Invasion.

France will never forget.

Véro

05/06/2025

Bonjour

"Le pourboire" (the tip, in French.)

"pour-boire" ("boire" = to drink) a gesture, a small amount originally meant to reward a good job or good service, important enough to cover the cost of a drink.

I gave one yesterday to the friendly guy who cleaned my windows. "Je boirai une bière à votre santé," (I'll drink a beer to your good health") he replied, smiling.

Even if France doesn't tip many French people I know round off the check when ordering a drink or a meal. Most French waiters are grateful when it happens, probably because it is not expected. A 15% service charge is included in the total at the bottom of "l'addition."

In recent years things have changed. A counter-culture has emerged. Like so many trends I spot in French life these days, it hails from other continents where tipping culture rules supreme.

Many waiters in my homeland are starting to expect tips or worse, to request them, surprising visitors who don't know what to think anymore.

To tip or not to tip? -- an important question.

I don't take kindly to tip requests in France (interestingly, they don't often seem to be directed at French natives.)

I can be impressed however with a creative way of suggesting a tip might be appreciated.

Yesterday afternoon I enjoyed a special "goûter" at a pretty cool place in my lovely city.

After ordering some refreshing local lemonade I spotted two glasses on the countertop.

A message asked me to vote for my favorite sculpture in the courtyard of the historic building recently repurposed as a new space dedicated to arts and crafts.

The giraffe or the buffalo? Tipping was the only way to vote. The giraffe seemed to garner most of the votes. Pauvre petit buffle!

I dropped a coin in the relevant jar, like all the other visitors before me. (No bills, they must have been French!) 😉

The bartender thanked me cheerfully and asked me to justify my choice, "Why the giraffe?" Friendly banter ensued.

Well done, you.

Véro

Le Comptoir des Arts

03/06/2025

Bonjour,

When in Nice do as the Niçois do and enjoy the local street food.

Socca (a thin pancake made with chickpea flour and olive oil) is popular with locals and tourists alike.

Many flock to “le Vieux Nice” and bustling Cours Saleya to sample it.

Fifteen years ago, a fellow blogger based in town introduced me to “Chez Pippo” a busy eatery located off-the-beaten path near the Nice harbor. Once “Chez Pippo” made it to social media leagues, it became challenging to secure a table.

Before my latest group tour wrapped up in Nice last week I headed to another well-known local restaurant, tucked away along rue Bonaparte behind the harbor, “la Socca d’Or.”

The restaurant offers much more than socca (try pizza, “pissaladière,” “pan bagnat” to name just a few specialties.)

When I spotted their “Croq’ Socc” on the “ardoise” I knew I had to try it. Fusion cuisine at its best, n’est-ce-pas? A croque-monsieur made with socca instead of a bun.

Verdict: Pretty tasty!

A glass of chilled rosé helped push it down.

For dessert I couldn’t resist the sweet “tarte aux blettes” (chard tart.)

One catch: “La Socca d’Or” only accepts cash or checks (remember those?) If you don’t have either, an ATM is conveniently available at the end of the street.

Socca and pizza can be ordered “à emporter” and there’s typically a line outside the restaurant window where you can watch employees slice up generous portions for customers.

Bon appétit!

Véro

31/05/2025

Véro's Pictorial Travelogue. Episode 6: Nice is nice!

Welcome to “Loire to the south of France” a 13-day trip exploring la Belle France outside Paris.

Voilà the last episode of our adventures in La Belle France.

Blessed with perfect weather along the way we reached Nice mid-week to wrap up the tour in style.

The biggest challenge when sharing Nice? Coming up with photos that haven’t been captured by other visitors a gazillion times before.

I did my best.

Thank you for following along. More stories await on Substack (Veronique Savoye - “Lettres de France”) and YouTube.

A bientôt

Véro

29/05/2025

Véro's Pictorial Travelogue. Episode 5: Southern France!

Welcome to “Loire to the south of France” a 13-day trip exploring la Belle France outside Paris.

Our group’s been blessed with exceptional weather since we hit the road. Not too hot, not too cold, and sun most days. Lucky travelers. Lucky tour guide.

We headed full south after leaving Sarlat and the “Black Perigord.”

Mighty Carcassonne was a crowd pleaser and introduced our group to the scenery and colors of southern France. A wine tasting session (and lunch al fresco) in AOC Languedoc Saint Christol territory offered a welcome stop on the way to Provence.

After stepping into the footsteps of Vincent Van Gogh in Arles, we caught up with Claude Monet in les Baux de Provence.

Last stop on this discovery-filled itinerary showcasing the depth and diversity of French history and culture?

Nice, the undisputed Queen of the French Riviera. As we all know, Nice is very, very nice.

There may be time for Episode 6 before the tour wraps up on Friday morning. On verra. Wait and see.

Véro

Rick Steves' Europe
Domaine Guinand
Hôtel Spa*** - Le Calendal

24/05/2025

Véro's Pictorial Travelogues. Episode 4: The Perigord

Welcome to “Loire to the south of France” a 13-day trip exploring la Belle France outside Paris.

After the elegant Loire Valley we headed to southwestern France just in time for the weekend. Our home base? Historic and charming Sarlat-la-Caneda and its renowned Saturday market.

Beyond Sarlat in the heart of the Vézère Valley, troglodytic housing and prehistoric caves await. The “world’s Capital of Prehistory” (Les Eyzies de Tayac) is an ideal lunch stop before heading into the heart of the Dordogne Valley.

What better way to enjoy the slow pace of this popular region than a leisurely ride on a traditional gabarre (flat-bottomed boat) along the Dordogne river on a sunny afternoon?

We are heading south tomorrow. I have a feeling many happy memories were made in Sarlat and “the Black Perigord” over the weekend.

A plus t**d,

Véro

Rick Steves' Europe

21/05/2025

Véro's Pictorial Travelogues. Episode 3: The Valley of a Thousand Châteaux.

Welcome to “Loire to the south of France” a 13-day trip exploring la Belle France outside Paris.

Join us over the next two weeks and travel virtually through some of France’s most scenic regions. I'll share a photo, or two, or three and some captions to make things more interesting. -- Whenever I can (life is busy on the road.)

It’s been my great pleasure to show our new friends around my adopted home, the Loire Valley, over the last couple of days.

From Amboise to Chenonceau, from Villandry to Azay-le-Rideau (and with a convenient home base in Chinon) we’ve had a great time telling stories about kings, queens, royal mistresses and disgraced financiers while enjoying slices of everyday life in this special part of France where “guinguettes,” AOC wines and delicious food specialties (“poire tapée” anyone?) await.

All good things have an end, and in a few hours we will be heading to our next destination, a region known for its love of… duck (hint! Hint!)

See you out there on the road!

Véro

19/05/2025

Episode 2: Chartres (part 2)

Welcome to “Loire to the south of France” a 13-day trip exploring la Belle France outside Paris.

Join us over the next two weeks and travel virtually through some of France’s most scenic regions. I'll share a photo, or two, or three and some captions to make things more interesting. -- Whenever I can (life is busy on the road.)

If you are enjoying our adventures, why not share with friends? They might love some virtual travel too!

Véro

21/02/2025

Bonjour.

Tick-tock. In just a few weeks I will be returning to French roads to share more of la Belle France with North American travelers.

This will be my 5th season collaborating with Rick Steves' Europe. I couldn't have hoped for a better team to work with when I started touring in 2019, just a few months after relocating to France permanently.

The quality of a company can often be assessed in the time and resources they invest to train their teams (I would know, as a certified corporate trainer.) Rick Steves Europe is one of those companies.

Today is International Tour Guide Day and I reached out to some of my favorite France-based guides on Instagram. Many have become friends.

Thank you for the shout-out Rick Steves' Europe! I'll continue introducing travelers to the magnificent Loire Valley I call home.

What fun to see this great group photo captured during the Guide Workshop in Edmonds, WA last August!

See you out there on the road!

Véro

Great guides revolutionize travel experiences. In Istanbul, Lale spirits you away to lively back alleys and markets you’d never stumble upon alone. The charming châteaux of the Loire Valley become compelling characters in French history when visited with Veronique. In Veliko Tarnovo, Stefan introduces you to Bulgarian artisans keeping traditional culture alive with hand-crafted goods rather than knockoffs and knick-knacks. Without a great storyteller like Francesca at your side, the Roman Forum is just a pile of rocks.

At Rick Steves’ Europe, we proudly employ over 200 expert guides who have spent decades mastering the alchemy of transforming beautiful places and sensory experiences into cultural epiphanies and human connections. With a good guide, you never skip along the surface of a new city to come away with only pretty pictures; instead, you time travel and delve into new dimensions to emerge with fresh understandings and lifelong memories.

Today is International Tourist Guide Day, and we want to celebrate our guides and the vital work they do to connect cultures. So, if you’ve explored alongside a Rick Steves’ Europe guide—whether you adventured with them on a Rick Steves’ Europe tour or found them listed in the pages of our guidebooks—please share a magical moment they created for you in the comments below. We’ll then share these memories with our guides to encourage them to continue teaching about their cultures with energy and passion.