Another scene from Mamie Rolande’s home. She used them pitcher and bowl to wash her hands and such at the vanity before they had running water in the home.
Water everywhere
In Menton, France.
I adore this young-man-cum-pseudo-Jesus. He says everything I want to say just by standing there. Nice, France
People were jumping off this rock into the sea! CD would have done it, I’m sure.
I’m hazy on this photo, but I think Sylvie stopped the car in Villefranche Sur Mer so I could get a better shot. I think that little peninsula is Cap Ferrat??
Sometimes infinity pools make me nervous, but it must feel wonderful to swim in them, especially when the backdrop is that.
Monaco, Monaco. That little round building near the corner is where the Norah Jones concert was. Divine!
And of me, in Ventimigilia, Italy. woohoo! Just a little ways east is France. i tried hard to apply sunscreen every few hours, but sweat mixed with the sunscreen is not a delicious combination for my skin. A couple days I kept my bathing suit in my bag and ran into the water for a quick dip before continuing on with the day.
No theme
I am safely ensconced in a cozy apartment in the 18th arrondissment after two weeks of liberating but wearying travel. My right hand is callousing from dragging my suitcase in and out of trains, buses, and metros. The only thing it wants to grab hold of is a nice cup of tea, which I have easily made happen, thanks to the thoughtfulness of the people from whom I am borrowing this flat for the weekend.
I took nearly 1000 photos so far and have yet to go through all of them carefully, but here is a small group of them, in no particular order. They are all from the south of France, however. London wasn’t so easily photogenic.
Such an inspiring thing to wake up to! Wouldn’t you want to jump out of bed and fling the windows wide wide open and shout to the world?
Villefrance Sur Mer from the train. THE TRAIN.
If it is possible to be smitten with windows, I am.
Little Provencal dresses that I want to force upon my imaginary future daughter
Abandoned repose in old Antibes. Was the shopkeeper reading or bubbling in Sudoku when he stuck his glasses in as a bookmarker?
a fancy schmany hotel precariously perched atop the hills over monaco
I love the grooves and dents of heirloom tomatoes, especially when they’re from the garden out yonder
I choose a double-masted sailboat over a yacht any day.
Roquebrune cap martin, france
It may be hard to see on first view, but this young man is upside down. I would love to send him this photo.
Nice, France.
The Mediterranean Sea from Nietzsche’s Walk, on the way down from Eze Village to the bottom. The colors!
This picture was taken almost exactly three years ago on July 14, 2007. CD and I were in Marseilles, and after gorging on bouillabaisse, we drove around until we found a calanque, did some mild rock-climbing to find a good spot, and swam in the most wonderful blue inlet of water. Well, CD swam while I scurried back up to our rock after realizing that my body could not handle the frigid temperature. Plus, I had no bathing suit, though I was prepared to ruin it in the seawater if necessary.
I still wear this very outfit sometimes. I had just gotten the hippy dippy girl t-shirt in Paris for 20 Euros a week before this photo was taken. And the skirt was one of my favorite purchases the year before at Monica’s in Westwood. It was a splurge, but I could not resist that green.
The sunglasses were also a splurge from the Chanel section at the Galeries Lafayette. They were practically glued to my face that summer, but they are now lost.
But most importantly, can you see how blue the water is? Or azure, should I say?
St. Emilion is the cutest f-ing village. One day, petesmith and I drove out there from Bordeaux, bought some vrai macarons (NOT the laduree kind), were blown away by a tour of the underground church, ate lunch in a tiny cafe that also sold Hello Kitty products, trespassed onto someone’s vineyard to make out, and visited a kickass vineyard nearby that also happened to supply wine to the president of France. it rained a little bit and was freezing but we young lovers didn’t care.
And I’m going back to France next week! For the very first time, I will not be taking a guidebook with me. Itinerary thus far will be: 5 days in Troyes & Champagne region, road trip to Bordeaux region, staying a couple nights at a chateau along the way, and then 9 blissful days in Paris, where we’ll be renting an apartment. This might be a trip based around beverages - champagne, wine, and cognac. I’m not a huge consumer of the latter, except when the partner’s parents offer it as a digestif. But we’re definitely dropping by some caves and vineyards for tastings of all three. I was also trying my damnedest to find a farm or vineyard where we can stay the night, but it’s proving to be a slight challenge, mainly because of the dearth of information online. If I had access to a camper, I would definitely, DEFINITELY want to take this kind of road trip: http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/apr/12/vineyards-france-campervans-brittany-wine More details forthcoming!
