Why I love where I live... in Provence

Keith Van Sickle, 66, from the San Francisco Bay area, spends part of the year in Provence with his wife Val and dog Mica. 

The couple developed a taste for living abroad in the 1980s, when Keith’s company sent him to Switzerland for five years. 

Unable to find another expat assignment after that, they decided to make their own by working as consultants, which gave them the flexibility to spend part of the year in France from 2008. 

'Both ancient and modern'

“We had always been attracted to Provence,” says Keith.

“We had been there three or four times and found ourselves going back every year.”

They base themselves in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône) for four to six months per year. 

It is the “perfect size” and always has something interesting going on. 

“It maintains its traditions very nicely; it is still very alive, not sanitised,” he says. 

“It’s a really nice combination of the ancient and the modern. It’s right next to the Alpilles natural park, which has beautiful rugged little mountains for hiking and biking." 

Provence is also a centre of Roman, Catholic and Jewish history in France, so is fascinating for history lovers. 

Keith started a blog for friends and family back in the US, regaling them with stories of his experiences abroad. 

“When you move to a country and you don’t know the language or the customs you do a lot of stupid things. You can either feel bad or turn it into a funny story.”

An 'accidental author'

He ended up compiling his blog posts in a book and “accidentally turned into an author”. During the Covid-19 pandemic, he also penned a guidebook to Provence. 

Some of his early experiences made for entertaining material.

“The one I always remember is the time I got into someone else’s car by mistake,” he says. 

Without realising it, he clicked the button to open his rental car at the same time as a French woman. 

He got into her car thinking it was his own. When she knocked on the window, he thought she wanted the space and nodded along, only belatedly understanding the phrase she was repeating: Monsieur, vous êtes dans ma voiture!

“I looked around and saw a packet of cigarettes and some children’s things and thought: ‘Oh my god, I’ve got in the wrong car!’”

In 2016, Keith was diagnosed with Coeliac disease and his severe gluten intolerance immediately ruled out visits to the local boulangerie. 

He tends to either bake his own bread or buy it gluten-free from the supermarket. 

“I can’t have cheese either. France has the best cheese in the world and the best bread in the world and I can’t eat it… but I can drink the wine!” he says. 

A big difference between Provence and California is the pace of life. 

“We live in Silicon Valley, where everything’s fast and that’s exciting and fun and stimulating. Provence, especially in a historically agricultural town, is more about the seasons. 

"Things go slowly and we appreciate that contrast.” 

This relaxed pace extends to local shops. It is perfectly normal to spend 45 minutes at the butcher’s with only two customers ahead of him, because the butcher gives each customer as much time as they need. 

Living part-time in France has given Keith a greater appreciation of food and drink in California, and he and Val make sure to keep up with their French.

“We watch the French news, we have French language partners and friends; you don’t want the French part of your life to disappear while you’re here, so we have a meaningful French life in California as well.”