Adventures on Land and Sea - (Savoring the Olde Ways Series, Book 4) by Carole Bumpus (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Fans of Peter Mayle and Janine Marsh will enjoy this exploration of medieval villages, cultures, and recipes of France's Provence. This travelogue is Book 4 in the author's best-selling series, which has won the IPPY gold medal for Best Culinary Travel Series.

Join Carole Bumpus, her husband, Winston, and their 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, and 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? Is it possible they're 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? Maybe they are hidden in plain sight among the locals who open their hearts, their bistros, and homes to strangers.

Yes, you may find it in chefs while cooking in ancient kitchens, in the smile of the shy barmaid who speaks no English, in the giggle of the Pizza Wagon baby, in the agreeable village baker, or in the patient waiter and harbor master--but you will most especially experience it through friends who fling open their doors to share their families' recipes. Traveling alongside Bumpus, that is where you'll discover the real Provençe.

Review Quotes

"Bumpus exudes the French countryside in this latest book. If you're planning a trip to this region of France, the details are enticing, and one wants to replicate Carole's journey. Adventures on Land and 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 of The Blue Butterfly

"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, this 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

"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

"Carole Bumpus's 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

"Embodying the Francophile dream, 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

"Mme. Bumpus is once again Savoring the Olde Ways 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 - The Paris Insider

"The delicious romp of Carole Bumpus's The Savoring the Olde Ways series continues in Adventures on Land and Sea. 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."--Barbara Stark-Nemon-author of Even in Darkness and Hard Cider

"Both a regional history and a cooking memoir, this is even more than the sum of its parts, and a celebration of living life every moment. Francophiles, history fans, and foodies will love this book."--Booklist


"During a delightful September to Remember, Carole Bumpus and her husband, Winston, journeyed through five regions of Italy, where they explored the history, culture, and traditional foods each unique area had to offer. Peppering her book with humor, Bumpus shares charming anecdotes about the people they met, places they visited, and typical tourist travel mishaps they endured. Her descriptions of mouth-watering regional foods and wines will leave readers yearning for Italy. Insightful and well-written, this book is a true gem."--Lucy Murray, Correspondent for Italian-American Magazine, Fra Noi


"The book is peppered with descriptions of regional and family dishes . . . and is a wonderful ride through four regions of France, generating great excitement for its follow-up."--Foreword Reviews

About the Author

Carole Bumpus, a retired family therapist, is the author of the historical novel A Cup of Redemption, published October 2014 through She Writes Press. She is a state board and branch member of the California Writers Club's San Francisco/Peninsula Branch and has been published in three CWC short-story anthologies: Fault Zone: Words from the Edge, Fault Zone: Stepping up to the Edge, and Fault Zone: Over the Edge. She continues to write a travel blog taken from excerpts of her interviews with French and Italian families, Savoring the Olde Ways, and her articles on both food and US WWII veterans in France have been published in both the US and in France.