French Open - Day 2. Jon cooling off with the Perrier-provided mist at the "Point Fraicheur".
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Paris - Photo of the Day (May 25, 2009)
French Open - Day 2. Jon cooling off with the Perrier-provided mist at the "Point Fraicheur".
Paris - Photo of the Day (May 24, 2009)
French Open - Day 1. Kristi enjoying a great perspective on the Annex Courts.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Friday, May 15, 2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Paris - Photo(s) of the Day (May 13, 2009)
Highlights of our day trip to Versailles, with our good friend Stefan Voglis.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
Paris - Photo of the Day (May 10, 2009)
Appropriately named deli in the Jewish Quarter - love the barber poles.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Les Gorges du Verdon
The final stop on our tour of Provence last week was the incredible Gorges du Verdon. Also known as the European Grand Canyon, this is the world's second largest gorge and an incredible natural wonder.
We started out with a hike en route to the Gorges, outside the town of Sainte Laurent du Verdon. Our hike took us along a winding river with some incredible cliffs, but certainly just a prelude to the Gorges themselves.
We stayed at a cute inn just outside the town of Moustiers Sainte Marie and had a great time hiking around Moustiers, a unique site in itself (above).
The Gorges have to be accessed by car, which induced some perilous driving on the Route de Cretes, an incredibly windy scenic road that works its way around the Gorges and provides some breathtaking views.
Although it wasn't quite warm enough for rafting on the river, but we were fortunate sure we arrived before tourist season so the roads were relatively empty and we were able to cruise at our own speed, enjoying the many lookouts along the way.
One of the other interesting features of the area are the lakes, which were man-made over the past 80 as part of an electricity scheme. The lakes shimmer an unnatural bright blue, more like the Caribbean than a man-made reservoir.
Finally, we encountered quite a bit of the local wildlife, from hawks soaring over the Gorges to mountain goats, feeding on the surrounding hillsides. These animals seemed completely nonplussed by the cars / humans around them.
We definitely would call this a "must see" sight. Also, Moustiers is a wonderful town with some great restaurants and a great way to explore a different part of Provence.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
South of France (Provence / Cote d'Azur)
We are currently in Paris (arrived on Friday) and will be here until May 27. Prior to Paris, we were in the South of France (Provence and the Cote d'Azur), the subject of this post.
After a week-and-a-half of traveling around the South of France (by car), we have already started planning future visits. A combination of trips to the beach , incredible hiking, visits to local markets and the beautiful countryside scenery left us never wanting to leave.
We spent a perfect day on the beach in Cannes. With the weather already in the high 20’s (that’s Celsius), it was even hot enough to dip in the Mediterranean. The seemingly never ending stretch of beach was busy with locals, but not yet packed with tourists. Taking a break from the lounging, we walked around the city and saw the Palais des Festivals and docks full of incredible yachts. We also spent a day exploring Juan-Les-Pins and Antibes, which took us to some more beautiful beaches and the incredible peninsula Cap d'Antibes, home to some incredibly palatial homes and hotels.
Away from the waterfront, we picked up a couple of hiking maps at the local tourist office and embarked on some of the most phenomenal hikes.
Our favourite was a hike that started in the Massif d’Estrel and took us along cliffs and beaches in St. Raphael - some of the most spectacular scenery we have scene anywhere.
We also visited the perfumeries of Grasse (above) and toured their facilities. A bit of an overrated experience, but fun nonetheless.
We also loved the food in the region and have consumed almost exclusively local produce. Even at this time of year, the markets are full of wonderful food, with every vendor eager to give you a taste of what they have on offer. They are so proud of their produce that one vendor even remarked to another vendor (in French) “I wish there were a way to give away samples of eggs”. Some of the delicacies that you might have found in our reusable market bag over the past two weeks ncluded: apricot nougat, fennel salami, duck ravioli, a bouquet of purple artichokes, a smorgasbord of local cheeses and always a baguette.
Getting around to the beaches, hikes and markets has been almost as exciting as arriving at our intended destination. Some of the roads have led us through “Villages Perchés” (literally tiny villages that are perched on the top of a mountain), through rolling green hills, past fields entirely covered in bright yellow flowers and along streets lined with overhanging trees that make you feel as though you’ve entered a tunnel.
We visited tons of small towns like Fayence, Seillans, Mons, Callas, Moustiers Sainte Marie and Foncalquier all of which looked like just small dot on a map, but took on lives of their own as we walked around cobblestone streets and visited small markets and bakeries.
A natural extension of our time in Provence was a visit to the L'Occitane en Provence factory, where we saw how they make soap, candles, fragrances, etc. and also learned about the history of the company. Naturally, Kristi was enthralled with this visit and we were able to pick up a few products at the factory store after our tour.
Although we are now in Paris, we are still working on a post of our visit to the European Grand Canyon - stay tuned.
After a week-and-a-half of traveling around the South of France (by car), we have already started planning future visits. A combination of trips to the beach , incredible hiking, visits to local markets and the beautiful countryside scenery left us never wanting to leave.
We spent a perfect day on the beach in Cannes. With the weather already in the high 20’s (that’s Celsius), it was even hot enough to dip in the Mediterranean. The seemingly never ending stretch of beach was busy with locals, but not yet packed with tourists. Taking a break from the lounging, we walked around the city and saw the Palais des Festivals and docks full of incredible yachts. We also spent a day exploring Juan-Les-Pins and Antibes, which took us to some more beautiful beaches and the incredible peninsula Cap d'Antibes, home to some incredibly palatial homes and hotels.
Away from the waterfront, we picked up a couple of hiking maps at the local tourist office and embarked on some of the most phenomenal hikes.
Our favourite was a hike that started in the Massif d’Estrel and took us along cliffs and beaches in St. Raphael - some of the most spectacular scenery we have scene anywhere.We also visited the perfumeries of Grasse (above) and toured their facilities. A bit of an overrated experience, but fun nonetheless.
We also loved the food in the region and have consumed almost exclusively local produce. Even at this time of year, the markets are full of wonderful food, with every vendor eager to give you a taste of what they have on offer. They are so proud of their produce that one vendor even remarked to another vendor (in French) “I wish there were a way to give away samples of eggs”. Some of the delicacies that you might have found in our reusable market bag over the past two weeks ncluded: apricot nougat, fennel salami, duck ravioli, a bouquet of purple artichokes, a smorgasbord of local cheeses and always a baguette.
Getting around to the beaches, hikes and markets has been almost as exciting as arriving at our intended destination. Some of the roads have led us through “Villages Perchés” (literally tiny villages that are perched on the top of a mountain), through rolling green hills, past fields entirely covered in bright yellow flowers and along streets lined with overhanging trees that make you feel as though you’ve entered a tunnel.
We visited tons of small towns like Fayence, Seillans, Mons, Callas, Moustiers Sainte Marie and Foncalquier all of which looked like just small dot on a map, but took on lives of their own as we walked around cobblestone streets and visited small markets and bakeries.A natural extension of our time in Provence was a visit to the L'Occitane en Provence factory, where we saw how they make soap, candles, fragrances, etc. and also learned about the history of the company. Naturally, Kristi was enthralled with this visit and we were able to pick up a few products at the factory store after our tour.
Although we are now in Paris, we are still working on a post of our visit to the European Grand Canyon - stay tuned.
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