Post by sistereurope on Apr 15, 2008 8:48:54 GMT -5
Hi everyone,
I thought I'd share some of our pictures of our recent sojourn through the south of France and Spain. It was a great trip and I'm still missing France...
Nice was fabulous - I loved it there and now it's my SECOND favorite city in France (Paris will FOREVER be #1, of course!)
But we really had fun in Nice...the food was great, the people were nice, and the market was fun. It's so colorful there:
And our Easter dinner at the Chateau Eza, in the charming town of Eze built into the cliffs overlooking the sea, was so memorable. The food was expensive but worth it - I will never forget that lunch!
This was the view from our table.
We spent 3 nights in Nice, then it was on to Lourmarin. We stayed in a village townhouse in Lourmarin that had been converted into apartments. It was charming. Here's the front door, and our street:
The Friday market in Lourmarin was incredible!!!! I couldn't STAND to see such beautiful linens, fresh flowers, olives, spices, meats, cheeses...We just walked around, marveling at the riches!
We saw a LOT of Provence in 6 days! Of course, as I mentioned, we also tasted LOTS of wine. Here's a shot of Chateauneauf de Pape. We decided to walk off all that wine after lunch. Grapevines were EVERYWHERE around us...
We also went to Marseilles and Cassis one day. I liked Marseilles a lot...it's very real, and a bit gritty, but in a good way. We had the BEST bourride I've EVER had, sitting out on the harbor. After lunch, we drove out to see the Calanques. BEAUTIFUL! We hiked for a while, so we could see this:
We ended the day in Cassis. Here you are Gitte - I see you sipping your white wine here:
We also spent a lot of time in Avignon. We had a few more outstanding meals there, and of course went to an all day wine event at the Palais de Papes called "Rhone Exaltation". I learned how to spit properly there ;D Here's a picture of Avignon, taken from a window in the Palais de Papes:
After Lourmarin we headed out to a small village in the Corbieres called St Pierre des Champs. These are a few shots along the way, of some Pink Flamingos in the Camargue (being from Baltimore I had to shoot these!)
And me in Grau de Roi, a small resort town south of Aigues Mortes...we were the ONLY English speakers there. We feasted on tellines and a fabulous seafood soup...everything was so fresh.
We went to Carcassone one day, which was very interesting and I enjoyed seeing the castle that Walt Disney based Sleeping Beauty's castle on...but it was also very touristy and a bit ticky tacky. I think I enjoyed our other adventures there, such as more wine tasting and a visit to Bages, a town on the coast. We also spent some time in Lagrasse, a real medieval town!
After all that countryside, it was on to Barcelona for 5 nights. Since this is all about France I won't go into detail, but it is worth a trip. What a fun, LIVELY city. The Gaudi cathedral was stunning, and of course the tapas bars...woohoo!
So, that's our trip. Happyg asked me if it was hard being in France and not going to Paris. OF COURSE it was....but then again, now I have an excuse to return! ;D
I thought I'd share some of our pictures of our recent sojourn through the south of France and Spain. It was a great trip and I'm still missing France...
Nice was fabulous - I loved it there and now it's my SECOND favorite city in France (Paris will FOREVER be #1, of course!)
But we really had fun in Nice...the food was great, the people were nice, and the market was fun. It's so colorful there:
And our Easter dinner at the Chateau Eza, in the charming town of Eze built into the cliffs overlooking the sea, was so memorable. The food was expensive but worth it - I will never forget that lunch!
This was the view from our table.
We spent 3 nights in Nice, then it was on to Lourmarin. We stayed in a village townhouse in Lourmarin that had been converted into apartments. It was charming. Here's the front door, and our street:
The Friday market in Lourmarin was incredible!!!! I couldn't STAND to see such beautiful linens, fresh flowers, olives, spices, meats, cheeses...We just walked around, marveling at the riches!
We saw a LOT of Provence in 6 days! Of course, as I mentioned, we also tasted LOTS of wine. Here's a shot of Chateauneauf de Pape. We decided to walk off all that wine after lunch. Grapevines were EVERYWHERE around us...
We also went to Marseilles and Cassis one day. I liked Marseilles a lot...it's very real, and a bit gritty, but in a good way. We had the BEST bourride I've EVER had, sitting out on the harbor. After lunch, we drove out to see the Calanques. BEAUTIFUL! We hiked for a while, so we could see this:
We ended the day in Cassis. Here you are Gitte - I see you sipping your white wine here:
We also spent a lot of time in Avignon. We had a few more outstanding meals there, and of course went to an all day wine event at the Palais de Papes called "Rhone Exaltation". I learned how to spit properly there ;D Here's a picture of Avignon, taken from a window in the Palais de Papes:
After Lourmarin we headed out to a small village in the Corbieres called St Pierre des Champs. These are a few shots along the way, of some Pink Flamingos in the Camargue (being from Baltimore I had to shoot these!)
And me in Grau de Roi, a small resort town south of Aigues Mortes...we were the ONLY English speakers there. We feasted on tellines and a fabulous seafood soup...everything was so fresh.
We went to Carcassone one day, which was very interesting and I enjoyed seeing the castle that Walt Disney based Sleeping Beauty's castle on...but it was also very touristy and a bit ticky tacky. I think I enjoyed our other adventures there, such as more wine tasting and a visit to Bages, a town on the coast. We also spent some time in Lagrasse, a real medieval town!
After all that countryside, it was on to Barcelona for 5 nights. Since this is all about France I won't go into detail, but it is worth a trip. What a fun, LIVELY city. The Gaudi cathedral was stunning, and of course the tapas bars...woohoo!
So, that's our trip. Happyg asked me if it was hard being in France and not going to Paris. OF COURSE it was....but then again, now I have an excuse to return! ;D
And of course I'm well overdue for another trip to Paris............. 
hahahha