The Beautiful Villages of Provence: Join our Adventures To Provence WhatsApp Group!

Sunday, April 27, 2025

Join our Adventures To Provence WhatsApp Group!

So another simple travel hack that we'll suggest to you, is to download "WhatsApp" onto your cell phone for use while you're in France.

WhatsApp ~ it's easy & it's free!

In Europe, everybody uses "WhatsApp"! It basically gives you free Texting and free Voice calls to anyone else who is on the WhatsApp platform... So while you're traveling with friends, and need to contact them, or you want to call or text from France back to the US, if you're calling someone else on the WhatsApp platform, it's free... It works great for having a Tour Group Text String while traveling abroad and we'll definitely create one for your group so that we can all easily connect with each other, and we can easily stay in contact with you!

We will use WhatsApp as our "primary" group communication tool while we are in France. In the next week, you will receive a text from Terese, (our VP of La Dolce Vita) with an invitation to join our exclusive Adventures To Provence WhatsApp Group. (if you've already downloaded WhatsApp, you'll receive the invitation from What'sApp)

The important thing to understand about WhatsApp and similar platforms is that you still need an internet connection for it to be totally free... So if you're at The Villa, you'll have free unlimited wifi... But say you're in your car, and you use WhatsApp, you'll connect to the internet thru your cellular data plan...

If ya know, ya know... If you don't, were gonna send you to a site where you can learn all about it in just 3 minutes... Don't worry about all the advanced stuff this site will mention.

All you need to do is:

take 3 minutes to read the article
go to the App Store & download the App (it's free)
Get your friends & family to download the App

It's free & it takes just 2 minutes to download, and can save you a ton of $$$!

Click here for a 3 minute tutorial: https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-whatsapp-why-is-it-so-popular/

here's an odd fact for you: when this song came out 40 years ago, this was my phone

number when I lived in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania! The phone rang constantly 24 hours

a day & we got thousands of calls from all over the world

A little "Bonjour" goes a long way...

Bonjour (bahn-zhor) - Hello/Good Morning
S'il vous plaît (see voo play) ~ Please
Merci (mehr-see) ~ Thank You
Merci Beaucoup (mehr-see boo-coo) ~ Thank you very much
De rien (dur ree-ahn) ~ you're welcome
Toilettes (toy-lets) ~ Bathroom
Où (ew) ~ where
at this point, you should be able to say: "good morning! I'll have the ham & eggs please, where is the bathroom? Thank you" ~ Bonjour, je prendrai du jambon et des œufs s'il vous plaît,... où sont les toilettes? Merci
Vin (vahn) ~ Wine
vin rouge ~ red wine
vin blanc ~ white wine
Oui (we) ~ yes
Non (nuon) ~ no
Pardon (par-dune) ~ Excuse me
Je suis désolé (zjay swee dee-soul-lay) ~ I'm sorry
Je suis désolé, je ne parle pas Français ~ I'm sorry, I don't speak French (they've already figured this out, but they'll respect you for having learned this phrase)
Parles-vous Anglais? (par-lay-vu awn-glay) ~ Do you speak English? (they probably speak a little, but may not be confident in their English)
Je ne comprends pas (zha-na com-prah paw) ~ I don't undertand
Combien ça coûte? (com-bee-en saw coot) ~ how much does this cost?
Bonsoir (bone-swa) ~ Goodnight
quel est ton nom? ( kel ā toe nome) ~ what is your name?
Mon nom est (Moe no ā) ~ my name is...
Chaud (shoud) ~ hot
Froid (fraw) ~ cold
Gauche (goush) ~ left (for those heading to Paris, you will hear the term Rive Gauche, meaning the left bank of the river Seine)
Droit (der-wa) ~ right
Magnifique (mag-nif-fik) ~ Magnificent
E'tonnante (eh-toe-not) ~ Amazing
distributeur automatique de billets (DABs) ~ ATM
Aidez moi š'il vous plaît (ā-dee mahw see vu play) ~ help me please
Joyeux Noël ~ Merry Christmas
Dieu te bénisse (du ta ben-neese) ~ God Bless you
Taxi ~ Taxi
Bon Jour... Un Cafe S'il Vous Plaît ~ good morning, a coffee please
Soirée (swar-ray) ~ party (we wanted you to know this word as we'll be having quite a few soirées at the Villa! )
Je ne sais pas ~ I don't know
Je ne sais quoi ~ literally; i don't know what... but often used to express something (such as an appealing quality) that cannot be adequately described or expressed
Ave-vous (ah-vey voo) ~ do you have...
Je le prendrai (zhe le prawn-dray) ~ I’ll take it!
Comment allez-vous (koh-moh allay-voo) ~ How are you?
Enchantée ~ Nice to meet you
Pouvez-vous m’appeler un taxi, s’il vous plaît ? ~ Can you call me a taxi, please ?

Menu item of the day ~ reading The French menu

petit-déjeuner ~ breakfast
déjeuner ~ lunch
Dîner ~ Dinner
œufs ~ eggs
jambon ~ ham
du jus d'orange ~ orange juice
fromage ~ cheese
salade verte ~ green salad
Oui (we) ~ yes
Non (nuon) ~ no
Vin (vahn) ~ Wine
vin rouge ~ red wine
vin blanc ~ white wine
Rosé (roe-say) ~ Rosé
Vin doux (vahn do) ~ sweet wine
Vin sec (vahn sech) ~ dry wine
Un verre de vin ~ a glass of wine
Une carafe de vin ~ a carafe of wine
Vin del la Maison (van del lay may-son) ~ House Wine
Jambon-Beurre ~ this a very simple & popular French sandwich of ham & butter on a baguette... it's delicious! of course French butter is way more creamy & tasty than what we're used to here in the US
Moules Frites ~ mussels and French fries (very popular meal in Cafes )
Steak Frites ~ steak and fries (you'll find this on most all French menus)
C`EST SI BON ~ it's so good... (your waiter will appreciate this sentiment)
Bouillabaisse ~ traditional French fish soup infused with saffron, orange, thyme and chili
Boeuf Bourguignon ~ a hearty Provençal beef stew made with Pinot Noir
Coq-au-Vin ~ (literally rooster with wine) is a French dish of rooster/chicken braised with wine, lardons, mushrooms, and garlic
Croque monsieur ~A classic French sandwich: buttery bread filled with ham and cheese, topped with béchamel sauce and melted cheese, then baked or fried until golden and crispy. you'll find on most all French menus... as iconic in France as the hamburger is to American menus
Croque Madame ~ the same as a Croque Monsieur, but with a fried egg added on top
Beignets de Fleurs de Courgettes ~ zucchini flower fritters, are a must-try savory dish from Provence. These fritters are made by dipping zucchini flowers in a batter made from flour, eggs, milk, and herbs before frying them until they are crispy on the outside. Zucchini flower fritters can be served as an appetizer or as a side to a main course. They are often stuffed with cheese or served with a side of aioli sauce for added flavor
Pastis ~ an anise-flavored liqueur that originated in Marseille over 100 years ago. Its popularity spread throughout France, while retaining a special place of honor among the people of Provence. Typically mixed with water and served over ice before dinner to stimulate the appetite and encourage conversation, Pastis is not just a drink but an iconic symbol of Provençal culture and way of life.
PISSALADIÈRE ~ a savory tart... No, not a cute French girl... a flat bread! The crust is typically made from bread dough, and there’s no sauce, the toppings are; caramelized onions, anchovies, and black olives.
RATATOUILLE ~ Ratatouille is a typical Provençal food that originated in The South of France. This vegetable medley features eggplant (aubergine), zucchini (courgette), bell peppers (poivrons), onions (oignons), and tomatoes (tomates) cooked together in a savory sauce made with olive oil and herbs such as thyme and rosemary.
Frites (freetz) ~ (French) fries
Blanquette de Veau ~ A creamy veal stew made with lots of butter, cream, and carrots. Traditionally the stew is thickened with a roux. And typically it is served with rice. A favorite of the French
Tartiflette ~ This iconic French menu item is a luxurious potato dish made with melted Reblochon cheese, lardons and onion.. often shared as an appetizer
Coquilles Saint-Jacques ~ Gratinéed scallops: This luxurious scallop dish is made by poaching them in white wine, topped with mushroom purée, covered with a sauce made of the scallop poaching liquid. Quite often they’ll be topped with breadcrumbs and Gruyere before being flashed under a hot grill
Foie Gras ~ a pate Made from the liver of a deliberately fattened duck or goose; very popular dish in France
Qu’est-ce que vous nous recommandiez? ~ What would you recommend?
Une table pour quatre, s’il vous plaît. ~ A table for 4, please.
Le menu, s’il vous plaît ~ The menu, please
Puis-je avoir de la moutarde s'il vous plaît ? ~ Could I have some mustard please?
Je voudrais une bière ~ I would like a beer
Nous avons une réservation à 20 heures ~ We have a reservation at 8 p.m.

Our Goal & Our Mission

At Adventures to Tuscany, our goal is to totally exceed your expectations in every possible way. It starts with our experience... We've personally been touring Europe for over 40 years and we're going into our 25th year of organizing our Tour Groups. We're a teeny-tiny company, and we only take a maximum of 5 Tour Groups each year... But we're honored & proud that so many of our guests who have traveled with us, choose to do it again, and again... and sometimes again & again!... You guys know who you are, and many of us have become like family! We know our success depends on providing you with the very best value and the very best travel experience you've ever had. We work hard to do that and we hope you are already recognizing that! For those of you who are new to us, welcome to our Adventures To Tuscany family! Our hope is that you are impressed enough with our Tours to tell your family & friends... and we hope you'll consider traveling with us again... If we can improve your experience in any way at all, please let us know. ~ Tommy & Terese