Today

Today I would like to be sitting here...



with a glass of this...



nibbling on some of these...



and some of this...



followed by one of these...



with a view like this...



or even like this.


What would you like today? Pin It

South of France Views

Since October I've taken advantage* of friends who live in beautiful places and made a couple of trips around southern France to two stunning regions, each of which with their own unique personality and charm.
Last month I went east on the train to Marseille & Cassis and last week I jumped in our little car and drove north to Rodez.

Both times I was well taken care of!
There were local wines to taste and cheese shops to visit; I was driven to a picturesque Provençal village perched on a hill, and to a picturesque Aveyron village perched on a cliff; we explored le Panier neighborhood in old Marseille and sat with un café noisette in a sunny café along the pretty port in Cassis; we toured the lovely city of Rodez and sat with a glass of Marcillac red wine in a local bar looking out at the glowing nighttime Rodez cathedral.
Both times my French got a good work out, as did my little camera.

The view from Cassis


La Vielle Charité in Marseille


The Vallon des Auffes in Marseille


Provençal patisserie


Petite maison à Rodez


Gothic courtyard of Rodez


Cathedral in Rodez


Village of Bozouls

Église de Bozouls


Side street in Bozouls



Next week I'm taking trip number three.
Tuesday morning I'm pointing the car northwest and heading to the Lot-et-Garonne to visit Kate for few fun-filled days of Armagnac, duck fat infused cooking and Gascon markets.


No camp this time, (I will definitely miss my fellow campers) but I'm sure there will be Cassoulet!


le Relais de Camont



*I mean that in a nice way, of course Pin It

Photo du Jour - Cassis

Cassis is one of those wonderful, old French port villages. It is an enchanting little place that oozes with Mediterranean charm.
After several visits over the last 15 years, I find it as alluring as ever. Pin It

le Weekend

Friends drove over for the weekend, one from Cassis and the other from a village near Florence, bringing with them their charm, cooking skills and Pecorino cheese, wine and succulent, thinly sliced, cured meats from Italy. I made an insalata caprese and we had a perfect Italian feast!

We drove around the region on Saturday, to Caunes-Minervois, to Rieux-Minervois where the unique, heptagonal church of Notre-Dame is located and to taste some wine at a wonderful shop called le Chai Port Minervois on the Canal du Midi at Homps. They cooked lunch (yes, they were the perfect guests) of tomatoes provençal and baron d'agneau followed by a salad, then fresh and aged goat's cheese that we picked up in the market in Rieux. Dessert was apricots from our garden and white peaches. C'était magnifique!
That evening there was a big birthday bash at our friend's house, complete with live music, great wine from the village, dancing and my husband joining the band for a couple of songs, singing in his Barry White-like, smooth, deep voice.

Sunday morning was spent at the kitchen table with coffee and baguette slathered with butter and confiture de fruits rouge, discussing our next trip to see them in Cassis. We haven't been in three years and since they've recently been issued a boat driving license, the plan is to rent one and cruise out to the island of Porquerolles which looks like absolute paradise!
A lazy lunch at one of our favorite restaurants, a trip to le Somail to the Librairie Ancienne and we reluctantly said our goodbyes.

Can't wait for our trip to Cassis in August!

The weekend was full of fabulous photo ops, and I forgot my camera every time we left the house. Merde. Pin It