What?
Yes, Bormes-les-Mimosas! What is that?!
Well, Bormes-les-Mimosas is a beautiful city in the South of France (Provence region) on the French Riviera.
Funny name isn’t it? Let’s dive into this name. What I like about this name is that the beginning comes from history and the end of the name is much more poetic. So Bormes comes from an Ancient tribe from Italy (what to become Italy much later) and this tribe was named “Bormani”. So, with time, “Bormani” became “Bormes”. And the city name remained like this for centuries and centuries, until in 1968 it was decided to name it Bormes-les-Mimosas because of all the Mimosas there are in and around this city.
Great… But, what is “Mimosas”.
Well, “un mimosa” is a wonderful flower, yellow, puffy, light, cute you will only find in this region. And around “Bormes”, there is a lot of “mimosas”. This is how “Bormes” became “Bormes-les-Mimosas”.
Cute isn’t it?!
Now, let’s get rid of a second mystery. Why is this city built on the top of a mountain when it is so close to the sea ? It used to be on the riviera but because of invasions and pirates, the people of Bormes went up in the mountains, where they were safer and could defend themselves. They moved to the mountain in the 9th Century and built the castle in the 12 Century.
You can check their website: https://www.ville-bormes.fr/fr
It is only in French (I find it so cute… there are so many tourists and only a French website, I love it, so French!!!). BUT, even if you do not speak (or read) French, you can watch the photos. They added many photos of this beautiful city and they are very nice. You instantly travel to France, to one of these traditional villages. It’s worth a virtual visit.
On this page, you will find some beautiful pictures of the city center and the sea:
https://www.ville-bormes.fr/fr/decouvrir-bormes/les-quartiers
And here also: https://www.bormeslesmimosas.com/fr/blog/les-10-lieux-les-plus-instagrammables-de-bormes-les-mimosas
So, I wanted to talk about something specific about Bormes-les-Mimosas, but this is already a long article and I do not want to bother you too much. I’ll keep it for my next article and I promise, it will come very soon 
And if you want to learn a few words in French, check this out! I’ve made it just for you. Enjoy! bormes mimosas audio blog
Have a good week everybody, talk to you soon,
Sandrine
Tags: French culture, Learn French, Visit France
