OK, we are getting closer to caught up. 🙂 These images are from April and May.
These first images are from beautiful port town of Cassis.
This is a view from a boat of the Cap Canaille. It’s a staggering cliff that rises nearly 400 meters above the sea and is one of the highest cliffs in Europe.
Another view of the cliff.
After seeing this amazing bluff as we exited the port, we came to the Calanques of Cassis. These are sorta like smaller versions of fjords. They are very impressive and are reachable by either boat or hiking. We opted for boatng this time, but next time, we’d like to hike in.
This picture doesn’t do the sheer rise of the cliffs justice, but at least it’s a start.
Back in port with the restaurant lined harbor.
The town Cassis is not to be confused with the French word for blackcurrent berries (also Cassis), from which happens to be a popular Burgundian drink, crème de cassis (and part of a Kir Royale). This Cassis is a small town of about 7,000 inhabitants. There are a few who fished (witnessed by this little boat), but it’s a very touristy town and also makes very tasty wine.
Another view of the port. It’s a great place to enjoy the café scene while enjoying a drink.
This is about the only image I have from the first place we stayed. It was on the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence and owned by a wonderful family whom we’ve had the pleasure of getting to know a little better. Suffice it to say, it was a very comfortable spot and were tempted to stay there for 2-3 years, instead of just a month!
This is from the same place. At the table with Anna are Keri and Leah, two of our best friends in the south of France. They have really helped us feel comfortable here. Keri is American and has lived in France for 20 years, so as you can imagine, she is a wealth of information and invaluable to avoid as many faux pas as possible! Leah is a Brit who works with me and has been a good friend and working partner. Unfortunately, her significant other is back in the UK, so she understandably spends a lot of time back with him (or, he out here).
The fountains of Nice are lovely in the summer and sublime as ice rinks in the winter.
We were visiting the city of Nice with our very good friend, Tom, who came down to visit for a weekend (he lives in Belgium for the moment so it wasn’t too long a flight!). This is Cours Saleya in Old Nice (Vieux Nice) where we had a lovely lunch together … in spite of an interminable traffic jam on the way into the city.
Just down the street. If you look close you’ll see interesting nomenclature on the building … Le Block. Sometimes it’s cool to throw in English words. Other times, not so much.
Other times, it’s not the nomenclature, but the sculptures that are interesting. This appeared to be a normal building … until you look up. Then, it became a fascinating one.
A Bird of Paradise flower in a garden we passed.
After a little time in Nice, we drove further west to the beautiful, hilltop village of Èze Village. On the way, we HAD to stop by the fruit vendor to pick up some strawberries for Anna. She didn’t have many cravings during her pregnancy, but strawberries and ice cream were definitely among the few. But, upon reflection, she always craves those, so maybe it wasn’t pregnancy specific. Either way, we stopped, bought some way overpriced fruit and enjoyed it at the top of the hill. Where this image was made:
It’s even prettier on a sunny day. You may recall from one of our posts in 2007, it’s one of our favorite places.
After Nice and Èze, we drove home and shortly thereafter, Tom had to depart and we moved into our current place. I’ll include a few images in one of my next posts.
Until then…
–Jim