INCLUDING such exotic places as Marseilles, Cassis and Nice in the French Riviera, spending Valentines Day in Provence is really ideal. On Valentines Night itself when the moon is three quarters full, you can bask skinny dipping in the Mediterranean beach. The moon will make your smooth face glow yellow white while your body will be illuminated by planktons underwater.

Of course, France is one of the most fashionable countries in the world and there are lots of both usable and novelty household crafts that are available here in any city in Provence. They range to items such as fragrances, eye balms, face creams, moisturizing creams, cleansing oil, cream masks, lip balm sticks, cleansing milk, face scrub mud, radiance masks, cold creams, foaming cleansers, toners, moisturizers, exfoliants, soaps, lotions, shower gels, shampoos and hair conditioners.

The items I have mentioned above are all used in the body. Let’s now take a look at some of the items you can be practically using and you will carry with you when you go back to Spain. Of course, there are lots of duty-free signature boutiques at Nice International Airport but you can find more humongous discounts when you have the knack to travel and go to other lesser known shops all around Provence. Take note that these items are crafted in Provence so it would be very wonderful to show these off to your nieces and neighbors back home in New Jersey that you have imported a few French items into your home. Some of these items include cruets, tablecloths, atomizers, jugs, mortars, wine coolers, wooden salad bowls, pens, card holders, plates, paper knives, bags, table mats, napkins and bread baskets.

With all that shopping, it’s now time to have that Valentines dinner. For a change, how about dinner right at the vacation suite that you are billeted. All you need to have is some wine to charge up your Valentines evening. There are different wines that you can purchase in any grocery or convenience store here in Provence from sparklers such as champagnes to white wine, Polish wines, rose, wines imported from Tuscany and Bordeaux as well as Spanish and Italian red wines. But the one that I really like is the Provencal cocktail. At 750 mL, it is available at only $125. The bottle is not only beautiful to look at; you will also be enchanted with the aroma of the citrus and the pear inside. Well of course nothing still beats rose because of its pale pinkish color.

But if both of you are really bent on having dinner outside, and then do away with the usual Mediterranean diet of seafood only. Let’s have something more elegant for a change. Anyway, Valentines is celebrated just once a year. Let’s have some braised wild boar shank, scallops dipped in cauliflower puree, duck leg decorated with lettuces, walnuts and apple bits, grilled Moroccan chorizo, black cod, lamb chop, steamed mussels and Hawaiian sea bass, among others.

LOCATED in the serene Mediterranean coastline, Provence offers a captivating sight for lovers here during Valentines’ Day. There are definitely more than one reason why Valentines Day ought to be celebrated in Provence. Being a predominantly Roman Catholic country, St. Valentines Day here in France, including Provence, is celebrated in the churches. But for the lovers, it is still nice to be in Provence. After all, one is lucky if he or she has a French lover because the French are said to be the most romantic people on earth. There is no coherent reason for this but my theory is that they are romantic because they are the most intellectual people on the planet and intellectuals always think on how to make their lovers happy.

Being located in the Mediterranean, Provence enjoys a temperate climate all year long. Right now when spring break is about to start, the weather here in Provence is not that cold unlike in other areas in France such as the Alps where temperatures can be freezing. Out here by the beaches of Provence, you can even strip naked. Speaking of stripping naked, there are also a few nudist resorts here but the best time of the day to skinny dip is definitely during a moonless evening. There will be glowing planktons illuminating your body underwater.

And while here in Provence, enjoy Valentines Day shopping. For it is here in Provence that the French Riviera is located. There are actually many places in Provence to travel and shop. There’s Cannes, Arles, Cassis, Saint-Tropez and Nice. If you’re traveling with a lover, then you may hand her blue roses during Valentines Day because blue roses are for lovers. But if you are still wooing the lady, then give her a box of white Cadbury’s because white chocolates are ideal to give for crushes during Valentines Day. Or you may travel as girlfriends just like Thelma and Louise. And when both of you happen to be in Provence during Valentines, why not reward yourselves with pink balloons for a continuing great friendship.

Actually, there are lots of great hotels to stay in Provence when you’ll be here this Thursday on Valentines Day. Remember that all hotels in Provence and the rest of the continent are checked every quarter by the European Union for the quality of service they provide. They are then being stamped the blue flag accreditation. So every hotel here in Provence is competing with each other. There’s Lys Duo D’Argent. If you are traveling from Spain, you can actually reserve it via Expedia, Travelocity or any other reputable online travel agency with global reach. There’s one interesting feature in hotels located in Provence which is relatively new. They have nurseries for young couples who already have kids. So their second honeymoon during Valentines Day will not be disturbed, you can actually put your kid at the nursery. It is equipped with staff who are child psychologists as well as safe playthings.

IF you visit Provence this year, you will surely have a very satisfying life. The number one satisfaction you can have is that you can have help save the world economy by doing nothing in Provence except spend and spend and spend. Remember, this certainly is not the time to save otherwise you will be branded as greedy and selfish. We must help each other in saving the economy of the world. These are trying times. The United States is on a brink of recession. The whole Asian markets plunged two days ago but managed to buoy up starting yesterday. And so are the European markets.

If you are an American, the first thing to do upon coming here in Provence is to plan your travel. Will the travel be just a vacation or an ultimate excuse to stay in the country forever? It’s much exciting if you can find a French spouse here in Provence. French – men and women – are all intellectuals and are said to be the most romantic people on earth. I don’t know whoever popularized that notion but simply put, the French are a very lovable bunch. Maybe it’s because of their being thinkers. They constantly know how to love their romantic partners.

And Provence brings a mix not just of romanticism but nutritious food because it is located in the Mediterranean. Everybody knows that the Mediterranean region on earth is where the healthiest people with the highest life span live. That and numerous other factors – there are nudist beaches here in Provence where you and your romantic partner can skinny dip all night long. Just don’t steer away from the shore because there are no lifeguards or French Coast Guards patrolling these areas. And if you have a romantic partner, make sure to stay with her or him only otherwise you’ll be in big marital trouble.

To travel here in France, the first rational thing to do is to log in Expedia and book for a flight. By booking the flight, you will pay for the air fare and part of the fare goes to Expedia. It means that you are already contributing to the American economy because Expedia, an online travel agency, is based in the United States. If you are boarding a United, you will also be contributing to the American economy but if you are boarding Air France, you will now be contributing to the economy of France.

Once you have touched down at Charles de Gaulle, you will board a domestic flight to Provence or you will board the Eurostar. Either way, you will still be contributing to the French economy. And when you arrive by Provence, you will be staying at a vacation villa or a Mediterranean vacation resort there. Of course, that entails spending money so you will be contributing to the Provence economy itself. Now isn’t it great that you have contributed something for the economy?