Episode 1

Tales From The Blue Coast - Vanessa

Published on: 15th February, 2026

The second season of these lively and revealing podcasts opens with Patsi meeting up with Vanessa, a Canadian of Filipino heritage who has lived and worked on The Riviera for several years. Vanessa shares her journey to becoming a French citizen in Nice, having moved there from Paris. Despite initial citizenship rejection, Vanessa persevered. She talks about her work as a teacher and tour guide, and her new business venture to create inclusive, family-friendly tours of Nice for visitors with special needs. Reflecting on the cultural and linguistic dynamics of the city, Vanessa champions its beauty while also acknowledging its many challenges.

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About the Podcast

Tales From The Blue Coast

Trailer

Patsi Mackenzie, a writer and broadcaster from the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, spends much of the year on the French Riviera. Captivated by the city of Nice and the people who - like her – go there once and never want to leave.

In the summer of 2024, Patsi began recording snapshot conversations in English on the Côte d’Azur. Her guests cover a wide range of ages, professions and backgrounds. From musicians and historians, to chefs and teachers. All with one thing in common; a devotion to the Riviera. Their personal stories are revealed in these gently probing podcasts, recorded against the lively backdrop of Nice. The show also travels the coast, taking in contributors who work in some of its other popular towns such as Antibes and Monaco.

Informative, amusing and at times deeply moving, these individual stories are both a love letter to the French Riviera … and an invite to visit it. At least once in a lifetime.

Tales from the Blue Coast launches summer 2025 on all supporting apps.

About your host

Patricia Mackenzie

Patsi is a writer and broadcaster from the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. She has worked in radio and television production since leaving school, and has run the award winning independent production company, Sorbier Productions, since 2005.
She is currently a full-time screenwriter.
Patsi spends much of the year in Nice where these podcasts are recorded. Funny, poignant and revealing personal stories of others who like their host, have made a home in the South of France.