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.
No comments:
Post a Comment