Quotes from Carol Drinkwater

My husband is French and, before we bought our olive farm, we spent our early courting days in Paris. So I got to know well the intricacies of the city.

Paris by day, Paris by night, the most visited city in the world, will never disappoint you, but be sure to get off the beaten tracks.

Queen Victoria loved the French Riviera. She visited on nine occasions and did a great deal to give this area its chic international reputation.

Algeria does not court tourism. It doesn't need to. It has vast crude-oil resources, equal to Libya's. Its infrastructure does not accommodate tourists, and there is precious little visitor information - hardly any in English.

Provence, just one relatively small part of France, is almost twice the size of Wales, with double the population. It's a region of the south that stretches from the borders of Monaco and Italy in the east to Hyeres in the west, the Alps in the north to the sparkling Mediterranean in the south.

After the first Olive Farm book was published, in 2001 I got a three-book deal with Orion for a large sum of money. Obviously it did not come all at once, but it made the difference to living here on a shoestring to being able to turn the whole place around.

I loved Forcalquier, with its narrow medieval streets. Its elegant 12th Century cathedral boasts a carillon that chimes every Sunday morning. I also found a junk shop from which I could have furnished our entire farm.

Salamanca is known as La Ciudad Dorada, the Golden City, because it is built from Villamayor sandstone and when the sun reflects on it the city has a warm amber tint. The university, founded in 1218, is the fifth-oldest in Europe and one of the most renowned, judged on a par with Oxford.

Reunion has been nicknamed the Rainbow Isle because it is considered one of the most integrated societies on the planet, and you feel that vibe wherever you go. There is joyousness, warmth and a sense of equality.

The almond grows very contentedly alongside olives. I discovered that while in Israel - both trees require only sparse watering once established.

Biarritz is world-famous for its surfing. The waves roll high and wild and surfers cross the planet to pit their skills against the swells and curls of these waters.

I have lived in the South of France - think cobalt skies, lapping waves, rocky bays - for almost 35 years.

I wrote my first play when I was nine, it was about Robin Hood, from Maid Marian's point of view. I was a feminist from day one.

I am a passionate swimmer and scuba-diver.

Chicago's history is a classic American tale of reinvention, while its present is buzzy, chic and architecturally stunning.

Jerusalem is not the oldest city in the Western world, but its long and confused past takes us back to pre-Old Testament times.

Until the middle of the nineteenth century, Biarritz was a community of whalers. During the Middle Ages, it had grown from a small fishing village into a profitable whaling industry. Whale oil was liquid gold to these sea-faring folk.

I think the sense of performance and theatre was in my blood very early - but my father was more involved in music and light entertainment, whereas I wanted to do serious classical acting. I wanted to be Dame Carol Drinkwater.

Pinhao, spectacularly haltered by terraced vineyards, produces most of the world's finest ports.

I get so much mail from women who have lost children because one of my books is about that. There was also a period when my marriage was in difficulty, which people connected with.

Kastellorizo is where Europe ends and Asia begins, and its history is fascinating.

The olive's properties are not altered, but the flavour of oil pressed from green olives is different from black - green oil tends to be peppery and black has a more mushroomy taste.

Property in Provence can cost a fortune if you don't know where to look and a glass of champagne sipped on the pristine whitewashed terrace of one of the seafront hotels in Cannes can set you back the price of a meal in any other establishment.

Algeria, the second-largest country in Africa, has been dogged by terrorism. But while dangers remain, they are far outweighed by the hospitality of the people.