Released November 12, 2024 (Available Now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books Inc, Book Passage, Bookshop.org, and Kepler’s Books . or wherever books are sold.)
Join Carole Bumpus, her husband Winston, and friends in Book Four of Savoring the Olde Ways, her culinary-travel series. Following in the footsteps of writer Peter Mayle, Bumpus is on a quest to find the real Provençe. On three separate excursions—from Nice to Nîmes, Moustiers to Marseilles, San Tropez to San Remy—and while sailing along the Côte d’Azur, she invites you to join her in uncovering the mysteries of Provençe. Are they hidden within their myths, festivals, or traditions? Or veiled in the sheer beauty of the land and sea? Could they be concealed in Roman arenas in Arles, Orange, or Glanum? Or, perhaps, within the ancient methods of traditional cooking or winemaking? Perhaps they are hidden in plain sight among the ‘locals’ who open their hearts, their bistros, and homes to strangers? Yes, you may find it from chefs while cooking in ancient kitchens, in the smile of the shy barmaid who speaks no English, the giggle of the Pizza Wagon baby, the agreeable village baker, the patient waiter and harbor master, but most especially through friends who fling open their doors to share their families’ recipes. With Bumpus, that is where you’ll discover the real Provençe.
Reviews for Adventures on Land & Sea . . .
“ . . . . armchair travelers who have never considered a European tour will find the author to be a thoughtful guide who provides informative descriptions of the sites she visits. . . . A companionable travelog making France accessible to those for whom international travel is a novelty.” Kirkus
Impressionistic and enthusiastic, Adventures on Land and Sea is an exuberant travelogue set in Southern France. The fourth volume of the Savoring the Olde Ways series, Carole Bumpus’s travelogue Adventures on Land and Sea chronicles culinary discoveries and trips through France’s celebrated southern region. Celebrating the joys of travel while relishing new and traditional tastes, Adventures on Land and Sea is a memoir about camaraderie, family, and true cultural appreciation. Clarion Foreword Review
This is a charming introduction to the South of France and an excellent reading companion to Peter Mayle’s now-classics, like A Year in Provence and Toujours Provence – Booklist
ADVENTURES on LAND & SEA reads as if we’re perched on Carole’s shoulder, learning about the Provençal villages, the history, and cooking. Sip a glass of wine and lazily read the recipes dotting the chapters, and if you close your eyes, maybe you’ll even smell croissants baking.” Leslie Johansen Nack, author, The Blue Butterfly
Carole Bumpus’ own unique writing style is bursting with delight, energy, and humorous observations. That style quickly made me feel like one of her travel companions, hungry for whatever adventure or enticing feast was ahead on the road. Elise Miller – author of The Berkeley Girl in Paris in 1968
*This kitchen philosophy is a metaphor for Carole’s book: Each travel experience is made garden-fresh in her skillful writing as she serves it to us in sumptuous detail to enjoy. Kate Farrell, storyteller and author of Story Power: Secrets to Creating, Crafting, and Telling Memorable Stories.
Don’t read this book on an empty stomach or drool will be left on every page. Appetites are whet by the many mouth-watering delicacies dished out on the book’s three culinary adventures in Southern France.
Throughout all three trips, there is always plenty of great-tasting wine. So, put on a bib and devour the author’s sixth book about food, wine, fun companions, and gorgeous scenery. Evelyn LaTorre, Author of Love in Any Language
“Bumpus offers a delightful tour of small French towns’ traditions, landscapes and culinary delights. It will make your mouth water and your soul pine for visiting Provence. And if you cannot make the trip, the recipes included will bring the richness of this French region to your home.” — Isidra Mencos, author of Promenade of Desire, a Barcelona Memoir.
In ADVENTURES ON LAND AND SEA, Carole Bumpus explores Provence from three different perspectives: as a couple, as a sister, and as a friend. With her eye for detail and color, Carole once again immerses the reader in the particulars of French culture and food. I would travel anywhere with her. Martha Conway, author of The Physician’s Daughter
Carole Bumpus has written yet another book that beautifully sings the praises of France. She so accurately captures the best of Provence through all the senses. Readers will be right there with her as she smells, sees, touches, hears, feels, and tastes the south of France. From the sound of cicadas to the smell of lavender, rosemary, garlic and the taste of rose wine and Provençal seafood, Bumpus delivers the full experience of her travels. Like all great travel literature, Searching for Culinary Pleasures in Provence and Along the Cote d’Azur will have readers planning their next vacation and rushing to book their flights to Marseille and Nice. Marianne C. Bohr, author of The Twenty: One Woman’s Trek Across Corsica on the GR20 Trail
*”This culinary travel memoir is a fabulous romp through the food-loving, light-filled, old world feel of Provence and the Cote d’Azur!
*I’m not surprised I enjoyed this memoir of food, fun and travel to the degree I did, because I read the author’s previous adventures to Italy and France; books that include wonderful descriptions and recipes.” Martha Engber – Author of Bliss Road and The Falcon, the Wolf and the Hummingbird
“Embodying the Francophile dream, Carole Bumpus merrily depicts herself and her gang of travellers as enthusiastic and bumbling gourmands let loose in southern France, and she kindly packs us into her luggage so we can escape to the Côte d’Azur with her! . . . Carole’s explorations of Provence are a pilgrimage of sorts, a return to the land and sea she worships, for the friends she meets along the way, the blunders and banter with her gang, and her manna from heaven – French cuisine. Reading Adventures on Land and Sea you can’t help but agree with her and yearn to be invited next time!” Janine Marsh – Good Life France Productions – and author of three books, My Good Life in France, My Four Seasons in France and Toujours La France
Carole Bumpus’s latest installment in her Savoring the Olde Ways series is simply wonderful! Bumpus delights with delicious stories of her travels through Provence and beyond—her descriptions of the landscape, the people, and especially the food have the power to transport even the most reluctant traveler. I savored each chapter as I journeyed along with Carole and crew. More than just a travelogue, this is a love letter to Provence—a true gem! — Michelle Cox, author of The Fallen Woman’s Daughter
“Enchanting, delicious and enlivening. Beautifully written, but also intimate and relaxed. Like the best kind of friend just home from Provence bursting to tell you all her discoveries and adventures. Memoir, travelogue or cookbook? All three! Full of relish, curiosity and joy. A tour of Provence like no other. I loved it!” Neroli Lacey, author of The Perfumer’s Secret
Mme. Bumpus is once again Savoring the Olde Ways, in ADVENTURES ON LAND AND SEA in an ongoing love-filled adventure with life in Europe, fueled by a passion for good food, drink and new friends. Far more than a narrative collection of recipes it is a roadmap for happy living. Terrance Gelenter <terrance@terrance-paris.com>
The delicious romp of Carole Bumpus’s The Savoring the Olde Ways series continues in Adventures on Land and Sea- Searching for Culinary Pleasures in Provence and Along the Cote d’Azur, with the Bumpuses and their friends coursing and cooking their way through villages, countryside and city. The gorgeous recipes, insightful dips into locals’ lives, and living color descriptions of mountains and menus, castles and coastlines are Bumpus at her best. Sailors delight! For a cruise on the Cote, we are treated to husband Winston’s journal featuring his voice, as an added attraction. Voila! Barbara Stark-Nemon-author of Even in Darkness & Hard Cider