“Being busy” last week, meant we were on holiday in France. As it might not be so difficult to find out where I live, I didn’t think it wise to advertise we weren’t home.
What you are about to see in this post, are my holiday snapshots. Kinda like the slide shows at home in the sixties.
Below: Remember?
So if you are getting bored, just skip the post and come back next week. LOL
We had a terrific time in the south of France, in the area Provence, where we stayed in a dreamy bed & breakfast. As it was a 1,240 kilometres’ drive plus a little detour to drop the dog off at a pleasant place, we did the trip in two days and stayed in a hotel for a night.
Below: First stop was Troyes. A beautiful little town but unfortunately it was raining and it was late, so only one photo. So much to see, such great architecture and culture in Troyes.
Trust me to photograph houses with empty, abandoned shop windows.
Below: My face at dinner in Troyes. A bit tired.
The next day we arrived at our B&B in Cucuron 4 hours later than anticipated because of an accident on the route du soleil. Well B&B…it is more an estate with 4 rooms to rents. A ‘mas Provençal’. Very personal, very warm, very charming, very beautiful. It is called Les Jardins de Sitaara.
Below: When we woke up the following morning we had breakfast with this view. With fresh fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice, an assortment of buns, an assortment of charcuterie (meat), cheeses, jams and honey. Tea and the only decent cappuccino in France.
Honestly, it was paradise. After two mornings, we asked them to hold the meat and the cheese as we were eating it all. Not good for our figure. The owners (Françoise and Paul) are the best and sincerest hosts.
Below: They have a sweet dog called Java.
Below: And a cat called Bali.
Below: View of the old water basin at the left of the terrace. You only hear the sound of birds.
I will throw in some food now and then, because the food in the south of France is so good. Below: Lunch the first day at restaurant MatCha. I wanted something light with lots of vegetables. Yummy. I ordered another one.
Below: Wearing my Max Mara dress with white jeans and flat shoes. Link to the original post where I wore it as dress and to the post where I wore it with white jeans and high heels. Didn’t pack high heels for this holiday.
Below: Delicious ice cream at the big pond, Place de l’Étang. We followed the tips our neighbours had given us, who had been here 3 weeks earlier. They talked about their holiday so enthusiastically, that we promptly booked as well.
Below: Place de l’Étang, with the branches of the plane trees touching each other at the top.
Below: Another terrace in Cucuron we hung out at, La Dame Jeanne. We ate there twice and can really recommend it.
Below: And when you order a coffee, they bring it to you in such a lovely cup. I always order a ‘noisette‘ in France, which is an espresso with a bit of milk. If you order cappuccino, you’ll get really bad coffee. Only at our B&B we had cappuccino. They knew how to make it.
Below: View from the highest point of the village Cucuron.
Below: Cucuron by night.
Below: Between breakfast, lunch and dinner, we sunbathed by the swimming pool of our B&B.
We walked the streets of villages and towns.
Below: My darling husband in the streets of Cucuron.
And we shopped a little in Aix-en-Provence.
Below: Ron sent the photo below to our family with the text “Aix-en-Provence, shop within 200 metres from the parking garage.”
Below: Followed by this photo with the text “200 metres further, now 400 metres from the parking garage.”
But honestly those were the only shops I went in. Apart from one across the street at our favourite terrace.
Below: Restaurants in Aix-en-Provence use the fountains to keep their wine cool, without wasting any water. Clever.
Below: We have seen numerous elaborate churches in every city we visit. This one is in Aix-en-Provence.
Below: Shops or restaurants tend to look like this. Irresistible.
Below: Lunches looked much like this meal we had at Bar des Sports in Ansouis, beautiful and delicious. The French eat a full course meal at lunchtime and at dinner time. At least, that was the idea that I got.
Below: Then I had the strangest encounter with a beautiful woman and her three young daughters. The youngest one had a fuzzy toy that played songs. At one stage I got up from my chair, twisted my fringe, pulled it up and started singing the beginning of a well-known French song, imitating her toy. The mother got up, ran to me, hugged me and said she really liked me a lot. Long story short, we got to know each other and she treated us to drinks and invited us to dinner. I was flabbergasted. We couldn’t go to dinner but she gave me her phone number and now we are in contact. Never have I experienced something like this before.
Below: Close-up which I think was a little too close but hey, it is what it is.
Below: One day we visited L’Isle sûr la Sorgue, which we used to love because of the (nearly) antique stuff they sell, called brocante. It is the cutest little town and totally spoiled by tourists. You cannot park your car for miles and it is really difficult to get a table for lunch if you haven’t reserved. And sooo many people. The ABBA lyric “It used to be so nice, it used to be so good” sprung to mind. We won’t go back there.
(Link to the post with this kaftan dress.)
In the afternoon we decided to leave L’Isle sûr la Sorgue and drive to Avignon, another town we appreciated very much in the past. The first photo of this post was taken there. Again, it was a disappointment. I don’t know whether it was the time of day (in the afternoon the light is always too harsh) or whether we were in the wrong part, but it didn’t do it for us. Probably not Avignon’s fault.
Below: We visited a beautiful little town called Ansouis.
Below: Wearing my palazzo trousers as they were cool. (Link to original post with two different tops.)
Below: Of course there was a church in the village with this surprised looking statue.
Below: I am not religious but I do think there is more than meets the eye. I like the theory that everything is energy and if enough people think positive messages, the universe will help. As I write it down, it sounds silly to me, but just in case it is true, I am lighting two candles in this church for two friends who are ill. I have been doing that at home for two months now. Let’s hope it helps.
Below: The statue of the dog in the church suffered a lot of damage.
Below: We had dinner on the back terrace of L’Insolite in Lourmarin. And they had piña colada! The one cocktail I love and hardly any restaurant or bar has it on the menu. Gosh, did I enjoy that.
Below: I had duck breast for dinner which was delicious.
We both gained weight. But hey, it’s the holidays.
Below: Ron always wants to keep busy so he invents ‘projects’. This holiday he photographed weary old dogs haha. Here is one cooling down in a fountain.
And it was time to go home again. Sadly but we cannot stay there forever.
On our way back we stayed a night in Reims. Again, a beautiful city.
Below: Lovely old houses in Reims.
Below: Statues all over the place. Funnily enough with gates around them. They spoiled the statues enormously. Was that a precaution, to prevent kids from climbing on the statues?
Below: Reims has a gigantic cathedral. The photo only shows a little part of it.
Below: I lit two more candles with a picture of the smiling angel of Reims.
We searched the town for terraces and restaurants but couldn’t find any (but one which wasn’t very nice). Restaurants were all closed until Tuesday and it was a Sunday. So we ate a crappy sandwich at a low-down crappy snack bar. At least it satisfied our hunger.
Below: Then we walked 20 metres, turned the corner and there was this gigantic boulevard with terraces and restaurants. It is twice as big as on the photo.
We do this all the time. In every unknown city we go in the wrong direction. Always. So stupid.
Anyway, no use crying over spilled milk. We headed home the next day, picked up the dog and I started washing and ironing (yuck).
I hope you liked my extensive holiday report. If not, please return next week.
Back to the section you missed last week.
What happened in my life this week
I did errands, had my bicycle checked, brought clothes to the dry cleaning, did about 8 washes, ironed and went to the pedicure. Nothing to report upon really.
Well, a few random things then.
Below: One of my outfits this week. (Link to original post.)
Below: Marcella came round for a coffee and a chat.
Below: Another outfit this week. The sequins are printed on the top, but they are real on the trainers. (Link to original post.)
We did see some sunshine in the Netherlands this week, but it also rained and the temperatures were half the ones in France. Burr.
Greetje
Greetje – I just finished reading “The Winemaker’s Wife” by Kristen Hamel and she travelled to Reims! OMGosh, it was fun to see the pictures of the city and it brought the book more to life. Loved reading about your travel adventures; I’m in the US and I won’t be travelling to Europe but love seeing it through your camera lens. Thank you so much!
And here I was, thinking I might bore everyone with my holiday snapshots. I don’t travel a lot so most of what you will see on my blog will be the Netherlands. And outfits.
Lovely photos. Thanks for sharing your vacation with us.
My pleasure entirely. While creating the blog post I relived the holiday once again.
As always such beautiful photos of your surroundings, which I so appreciate as I am a ‘virtual’ European traveller these days.
Especially loved your palazzo pants and the lime jacket, you shine!
Loved the journey notes. I would love to hear more. I studied in Paris when I was younger.
Sorry Angela, we are already back and it will take a while before we return to France.
I bet you speak French a lot better than I do.
Glad you enjoyed this post Marguerite. I was a bit afraid people would say: “They are YOUR holiday photos, YOUR memories; don’t bother us with it”. LOL
The palazzo trousers seem to be everybody’s favourite.
You look lovely in your chic outfits! I especially love those palazzo pants — so flattering — but really you look gorgeous in all the photos. I would love to visit the south of France. As someone else said, your photos make me feel as if I’m there.
I forgot to say that I too find lighting candles as an act of caring to be very therapeutic. I vividly remember doing this in Notre Dame Cathedral, and feeling a sense of love as I did.
I do hope your friends’ health improves soon.
And I so hope it is true, that the love we feel while lighting a candle (or better said, taking a moment to think about a person), is helping.
Palazzi trousers ?????
Hi from Las Valras ( Seaside , Hérault)
There is a casino if you are into games
Beware, the sea is chilly ( 17 ° C ) right now
Lionel from Las Valras
I am absolutely not a casino woman. Very risk averse. I have been to a casino once or twice and didn’t play more than 10 euros.
The sea and I are no friends, so I don’t even dip a toe in it.
If I made you feel as if you were there, I did a good job, so thank you for the pat on my back.
The outfits were carefully selected with warm weather in mind. I knew it was going to be between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius. But is a dry warmth and that isn’t as hot as 30 degrees in the Netherlands.
You look absolutely chic in your travel clothes , Greetje. How come I never look that good when I travel? Loved seeing all the pictures of France, you’re so lucky that you don’t have to travel far to get there. Your dress is gorgeous.
I liked it your photos of friends me want to go LOL
It is a tempting post, isn’t it? Nice weather, good food, nice people.
Europe isn’t a bad place to live. How come I look good in travel clothes? Because I pack a lot haha. We went by car and you can stash a lot in it. I will pop over to your blog very soon. Have been neglecting it.
I read Peter Mayle’s wonderful books about living in Provence so I very much enjoyed your holiday photos. Thank you for sharing.
Oh those books are hilarious. We often refer to it, for instance when we see a typical craftsman car, “a Colombani car”.
I loved sharing my holiday photos and stories with you.
Ha we have had a second home in France for twenty years and despair of finding a decent coffee – cappuccino, flat white just dont exist. The other half was even tempted to drive many kilometres to Belgium or Holland for a good coffee!!!
Funny. I have an easy solution for you. Buy your own coffee machine and milk/froth maker. I have them from Nespresso and I can make really nice coffee and cappuccino at home.
Hello Greetje
I enjoyed your blog very much. We have been living in a small perched village near Nice for over 23 years and never regretted it. The villa, its views, French life, were one huge incentive to stay on.
One tip I can give you re the world’s best coffee is, buy the roasted coffee beans from Naples, whose beans originate from Ethiopia. The secret is in the way they are roasted. Result, perfect Italian coffee!
If you ever wish to spend time in our part of France, do take a look at our website:
http://www.rental-gattieres.com
Carry on the good work!
You have a nice place to rent out, but I think, if we are going back, we will be going back to Les Jardins de Sitaara. When we were younger we have been going on holiday in Cagnes sur Mer every year for decades. Ever so nice, but we need another spot. Thank you for the compliment though.
I WANT YOUR CHERRY DRESS! You 2 are adorable! We live in the south of France (Nimes) and loved your travel log. Some of the towns you visited we haven’t been to.. can’t wait! Isn’t France joyful? We are transplants from San Francisco and wouldn’t think of returning to live!
I suppose the area we were in is quite a drive from Nimes but not undoable.
France is indeed joyful. We met three American and English couples who had emigrated to Cucuron. When we were younger we toyed with the idea of buying a second home in France. But I didn’t want the burden and I certainly didn’t want to emigrate. I am so very rooted in the Netherlands even though France is much nicer.
You look so cute in all your photos, especially the cherry dress with white leggings. I can see that it was very hot too. I think that over tourism is ruining so many beautiful spots in Europe. Provence is really overrun, especially Avignon and Aix. My favorite town there is St Remy.
If you want cappuccino ask for Café Crème – it’s the Italians that do cappuccino!
Look for Lavazza or Richard coffee they are widely served and very good.
I moved to France In 2022 and am just getting to appreciate the differences. I stop with milk in my coffee in the morning thereafter expresso which the Italians do too !
I do the same as you do when I am in France. Then I suddenly drink espresso with sugar (never mastered drinking coffee without sugar, even though I tried for 6 months). But a noisette is OK for me too. It is like an Italian espresso macchiato. But thanks for the tips.
I should have known about St Remy, then I would have been there too (spoiling the place with yet another 2 tourists LOL). It is always this way. Just with nice shopping areas in town. First there are quirky, special shops, then the neighbourhood becomes popular, the prices of the buildings rise, the original owners sell up and cash and the big chains take over and ruin an area. Then another, less polished area becomes popular…
What a lovely trip – makes me want to go again too. We have been twice. Once before our daughter was born and once with her but they were both a long time ago.
Big kiss from Zurich,
Yvonne http://www.funkyforty.com
We used to go to the Cote d’Azur every year but that was yonks ago. This trip happened spontaneously. Being retired has its advantages.
What a great post! It was fun to see your wonderful travel outfits and to see the towns I visited a few years ago. I loved Aix, and I also loved Avignon, especially the old part by the mill, and all the smaller towns are so exquisite. Your photos really captured the warmth and the food looks fantastic.
I did well then, didn’t I? Thanks for all the compliments Sheila-Merle. I remember Avignon being a very nice town, but I think we walked in the wrong direction this time (again).
What a lovely holiday and your snaps give a real flavour of the places. I did like you in the outfit with the palazzo pants. A very nice mix of colours and shapes that you wore so well. Beth
Perhaps I should become a traveller and write about the places I visit? No, just kidding, that is nothing for me. I am not a traveller.
Thanks for the compliments on the palazzo trousers. They are very comfortable and airy as well. Good for warm days.
As always, I enjoyed seeing pictures of your part of the world. I have been to Aix so I especially enjoyed those pictures. I have, and will continue to, pray for your two friends who are ill. That way, they’ll be covered on all bases.
Aix is indeed a lovely town. Thank you for your prayers. The more people send good thoughts, the better.
I loved seeing your vacation in Provence. It is such a shame that tourists are ruining everything. That is why we chose a very remote island in Greece for our last trip. No one there but us and the cats.
Suzanne
We were still able to see enough nice places with not that many tourists. And of course, we are also tourists. The stupid thing is, that you do hope for good restaurants, nice shops etc. which wouldn’t be there if there weren’t any tourists. So I hope you ate well in Greece being just with the two of you and the cats.
Our choice of restaurants was limited to only one but it was excellent. Restaurants don’t matter too much to us as I like to cook and we stayed at an AirBnB.
Yeah…no one likes tourists but of course we are, in fact, tourists.
We do differ a lot when it comes to cooking. You like to cook, I hate to cook haha.
Thanks for the wonderful trip to France. Loved all of your outfits and the food looked marvellous.
It was entirely my pleasure Linda. When we arrived at that relaxed B&B I was afraid I might have overdone it by bringing so many clothes. But it worked out all right in the end.
Thank you for this wonderful post! Your photos really give a sense of being there. Glad you had a great time!
I was a bit apprehensive at first, creating a blog post with photos that are really only my memories. But I liked doing it and I am glad so many like it. When you say “your photos really give a sense of being there”, I think to myself “Hmmm…maybe I am not bad at this” LOL
And yes, we had a great time.
You are very good at this! I, too, loved the palazzo pants, and the Max Mara dress. I’m sorry you’re not very comfortable with the shorter front, as it looks very good on you! I loved your vacay nearly as much as I love your everyday home life – but not quite! As I’ve told you several times, I love hearing about your home life – all aspects of it! I’ll pray for your friends, as well as your surgery. Take care and best wishes! The US English teacher
I was aware that showing my holiday photos is a bit boring, which is why I included that photo of the family in the fifties. But, it amused me creating it and that is the beauty of a non-commercial blog. It is my blog and I can post what I like.
I am not aware of any surgery for myself. Have I missed something? LOL
Thank you both for sharing your lovely vacation. So interesting. Also your outfits were great and I am inspired to add a few coloured accessories to my fairly classic wardrobe.
Colour and accessories (and the combination) are great instruments to jazz up a wardrobe without breaking the bank.
I got a little bit of a shock when I saw your name. My best friend was Scottish and had the same name, both first and last name. She sadly died a couple of years ago and I still miss her.
I enjoyed all the vacations pictures. Beautiful places with so much history. Great clothing styles. The red printed dress so pretty, the modern printed pants great style! You do an amazing style up.
Oh gosh Patricia, so many compliments, you make me blush. Seriously…thank you very much. I am glad you liked it.
Oh, it looks fabulous, and has me craving a visit to Aix-en-Provence! I’m glad you had a nice getaway. I’ll bet Watson was glad to see you when you returned!
So happy to see the cherry dress have another outing, and I love the colorful dress in the top photo.
Very interesting holiday report, makes me want to go to France too. I loved your holiday outfits and nice to see a bit of Ron!
Funny. When I report about Amsterdam or Haarlem or Delft, everybody wants to go there. Now I am reporting about France and everybody wants to go there too. Apparently I lead a happy life, which shines through. I asked Ron to smile in that first photo on the blog. This was his attempt haha. He doesn’t like to smile by command.
As I was creating the post I wanted to go back straight away haha.
It was quite an unexpected getaway as you know. I think I am over my bed bug phobia now. Although I did check the mattress in Reims haha. Watson was glad to see us but I think he had a wonderful time as he slept all evening.
Thanks for taking us along on your little holiday! I enjoyed it very much, especially the story of meeting a new friend so unexpectedly.
Yes, meeting my new friend so unexpectedly is indeed a good story. She got in touch with me today and said I could use the photo without making her face unrecognisable. So I changed it on the blog.
I love your printed dress, it’s gorgeous. Provence is a lovely place, I really like it. The estate looks like a beautiful place. I really like your cherry dress, it’s so cute. I’m glad you had a nice time on your holiday, a nice photo shoot. Oh, and I think the super close-up is lovely.
Yes, the printed kaftan dress is a looker. I agree with you that Provence is a lovely place. We have been there on holiday almost every year when we were younger.
As I posted the super close-up, I thought of what you might say. And you didn’t disappoint. XXX
Loved the travelog. Brought back many memories of a trip there many years ago. We stayed in a townhouse for a 3 week hiatus. Fabulous countryside. Looks like you really enjoyed it. Thanks from across the pond! Claire
The pleasure was entirely mine Claire. I wasn’t even sure whether people would want to see my holiday snap shots. But I liked creating a post with it and it seems to go down well.
Thanks for sharing the beautiful photos of your vacation. It looks like you had a great time. I used to visit Provence for vacation in several springs in the 1980s and later for work (conference attendance) in the 1990s.
It was still a lot less touristy back then. We were there in those days too (from 1989).
I so enjoyed your post. You were lucky to find some wonderful and unspoiled places amongst the areas which are now “over-touristed”. Nice weather, relaxing atmosphere and great food, what’s not to love? The photos were great and you wore attractive and colorful clothes in all of them. So envious of your trip. Thanks for sharing.
Sharing was my pleasure entirely. I wasn’t even sure whether you would want to see my holiday photos haha.
We quite spontaneously booked the holiday after not having been on one for yonks. That’s the beauty of being retired.
When I arrived the atmosphere was so relaxed that I felt a bit like a prat with all my clothes. “City girl goes to the country”. That kind of thing. It worked out in the end.
Thank you for taking us along on your holiday. I enjoyed your photos, they reminded me of our trip so many years ago.
I was afraid people might think “What do I need with your holiday photos? They are great memories for you, but they are not my memories. Buzz off.” I felt like creating this post anyway and I think it went down quite well.
You are so right! when we visited Paris a few years ago, I found the coffee to be terrible, especially the capuccino. I ended up every day at Starbucks! I loved your holiday! France is so unique an beautiful. I liked at the outfits that you wore! Looks like you had a great time.
Yes, France is a country we always chose to go to on holiday. We both speak a bit of French and it is nice to understand a bit of the language. England would be a good opportunity too as we speak English, but the climate there is just as bad as in the Netherlands haha. Thanks for the compliments. We were by car, so I didn’t travel lightly. LOL
Comment *Die Palazzo broek is geweldig!
Overigens een super leuke fotoreportage van jullie vakantie. Ik ben zelf niet zo’n fan van Frankrijk, maar zou door deze foto’s er toch nog een keer naartoe willen.
Moest erg lachen om jullie ‘etentje’ in Reims hahaha.
Volgende keer gewoon even checken bij Tripadvisor 🙂
Oh my you were here and we didn’t get to see you 🙁 The photo of you and the 3 ladies at a table in Aix – you can almost touch our home from there! I think we were in Alsace while you were here. We love Cucuron- will take note of that B & B. Salut to you and Ron – sorry we missed you!
Of course! I forgot you have a house in Aix-en-Provence. I knew in the back of my head it was somewhere south in France. Oh well, you weren’t home anyway. Shame. I would have loved to see you again.
We hadden Google geraadpleegd, maar Tripadvisor is vast beter. En ja, het was een hele leuke vakantie.
Ik wil ook! Wat ziet het er fantastisch uit zeg en dat eten dan…jij ziet er ook weer heel goed uit wat staat de palazzo broek jou toch fantastisch!
Ik wil weer terug. Die palazzobroek is echt een hele goede vondst. En dat voor dat geld he?
Geweldige foto’s uit La Douce!! Ik zou zo in de auto willen springen. Dat sfeertje, dat eten…….
Wij wilden al halverwege de terugrit omkeren. Ik mis het erg. Vooral die ontbijtjes.