A Little Tour of Provence

Doorway to Provence

As my friend Mari is here visiting me from the States I thought I would show her my neck of the woods. Mari loves France… she knows it pretty well, and there aren't too many places she doesn't know already. Thankfully, she loves to see it over and over again.

Often people ask me if I ever grow accustom to the beauty of Provence.
Heck no! It never ceases to amaze me. I am a tourist in my own back yard.

Colorful-shutters

Cotignac is a post card village. Full of charm, winding streets, colorful facades, great cafes and a wonderful open market every Tuesday morning.
It is also where my good friend Josephine lives.
We went to her home for lunch: Velvety broccoli soup, spinach goat cheese quiche, tomato salad, the most delicious almond caramel flan and red wine.

What I love about living in France: Good friends, good food and the happy wobble of my hips when I walked down the cobblestones street.

French-restaurant

I cannot get enough of French facades.

Provencal-street

Purple-shutters

Fountain-provence

Or antique shops nestled in small places with fountains overflowing adding to the mood.
How could I grow accustom to this? I am in "Soul Ville" soaking it in daily.

Mary-in-Provence

Mari has the same bug as me.
AND she is getting the Brocante Bug too.
Poor thing.

Trees-in-provence

Many of you ask me when is the best time to come to France.
Anytime is my answer.
It really depends what you like or want to see:
Warm weather? Come in July, August, September;
The vines changing color? The end of October or November.
The red poppies? Best around May.
The lavender fields? End of June but not later than July.
The best time for the flea markets? Anytime really. But if I had to pick one month…. September.

Facade-provence

I hope this facade is never repainted.

Doorway-provence

The Provence tour continues.
What reminds you of Provence, or France?

My top Six Favorite Provencal Villages:

Isle sur la Sorgue for antiques.
Apt for the best open market.
Bonnieux for the best photos of a perched village.
Cotignac for friendship.
St Remy for a taste of everything French in a nutshell.
Cassis for the cliff and best view of the sea.



Comments

40 responses to “A Little Tour of Provence”

  1. You know more Provence than me , girl !!
    I always love to have a tour with you in your blog !****
    I can see you didn’t eat meat this time in Cotignac !
    Bisous

  2. Only last night I said to my man that I was longing for a holiday. And I said, “I wish I could go to France”. How can anyone wish something else?? I love your stories, that always seem to take a extra grip on my heart. The images of the narrow streets are baeutiful, so are the typical French architecture! The doors, the shutters and the lamps. I am also in Love 🙂
    Have a beautiful day Corey,
    Aina

  3. Glad my lovely St Remy made it into your list Corey…Look forward to catching up soon, xv.

  4. Thank you for a few dreamy moments!

  5. if I were you, then I do believe I would think I had died and gone to Heaven… history like that is something I can only dream of (well, Until I actually get over there, then I will see it for myself and I hope I am like a sponge)…

  6. I love Arles, for it’s market on saturdays, it’s Roman ruins, it’s beautiful bookshops (Actes Sud), love… But I love little villages too, Grignan (Drôme provençal really), Vauvenargue, Meyrargue near Aix, Fontvieille near Arles… and so many more, it’s true, me too, I am an eternal tourist in my (for now) home country.

  7. Your blog always puts me in a good mood. The photos are so lovely. Today’s blog made me so happy that we have already booked a return trip to Provence in September. Oh, how I wish September were closer but just thinking about it keeps me warm on this cold day.
    We will be staying near Vaison La Romaine. Any flea market suggestions for your favorite time of year for the markets would be appreciated.
    Margaret

  8. Your photos are so lovely. I enjoyed the tour!

  9. I could drown in that ‘french blue’ of window shutters. Such richness.

  10. Merci for a beautiful tour…oh how I wish I was there……

  11. OOh I love your blog and I am so sad that when I was in Paris I was stuck with a then friend who decided that when she got there did not to want to go to Provance or do much. I did do a bunch of things alone but not everything. Needless to say she is no longer a friend….Thanks for sharing all your loves. Grace

  12. I am just aching to get there. As usual, thank you so much for your beautiful pictures…until I actually do get there they satisfy me.

  13. Hi Corey…Such a great tour .. Thank You. Another part of France for us to visit..It is beautiful, and I just love the photos, with the shutters, but they are all amazing.

  14. Rolling hills in the country sometimes remind me of Provence. French macarons for sure remind me of France. Ripe purple grapes hanging from vines, rows of lavender growing full and scented so strong. Houses with the soft glow of golds, ambers, terra cotta, orange remind me of Provence. Oh now I wish I were there again.

  15. Corey, thank you so much. Do I get tired of hearing/seeing more about the wonder that is Provence? Heck no, too. Keep it coming.

  16. My only trip to Provence was just after my father died in 1988. Sodden with grief and urged by friends (and my boss!) to take off for awhile, I grabbed my credit card and headed for France, alone. I found a little room in St. Remy, above a garage, next to a melon wholesaler. It was impossible to sleep past 4am, so I was up and exploring early. I rode my bike , past olive groves and fields of sunflowers, to little market towns where I loaded up on cheese, bread, fruit and local wine, all before noon. I snoozed through the hot afternoons and explored little cafes in the evenings. When a friend arrived from Amsterdam in his car, I was able to explore farther: Les Baux,Tarascon, Arles, Cavaillon and all points between. We went to the Camargue where we rode horses through flocks of flamingoes and bought lunch from a gipsy vendor on a beach in Sainte-Maries-de-La-Mer. (The Gypsy Kings were playing on every station then.) Then I headed to Antibes and Corsica before catching the TGV back to Paris just in time for my plane home. I was young and had no money, so put everything on a credit card. It took me YEARS to pay it off, but it was worth every penny. Great grief therapy.

  17. I only got to visit Avignon when I was in that part of France, I would love to go back and see your favorites.

  18. Great bag, Corey. What one is it?

  19. Right now, everything reminds me of France. I can’t listen to the radio or watch TV or read a book without there being some mention of Paris, some scene that reminds me of being there, some scent of an emotion that’s brought back.
    Le Paris Bug bit me, and hard.

  20. The Mimosa are in full bloom already in the forest of Tanneron, not to forget the Violets in Tourettes-sur-Loup (Beginning of March for it’s festival). Also Grignan, Lourmarin, Forcalquier, Sisteronm Entrevaux, Vence and Mannosque are on my list of favorite. Nice photo of the droguerie.

  21. Just stumbled upon your blog and must say I love it. Great Pics! Wish I was there 🙂

  22. Reminds me of Italy. I have not had the pleasure of visiting France just yet, but I sure hope to get there one day. Lovely pics. Love your blog!

  23. Hmmmm. I’m thinking I’d plan my trip in September!!!

  24. Denise Moulun-Pasek

    I agree with your choices Corey. I have a particular fondness for Cotignac too! Surely it is a little piece of heaven on earth!

  25. Oh to live in such beauty. You must never tire of it. Having friends come visit also must make you appreciate where you live more. I feel lucky living in San Francisco and never get tired of going over the GG Bridge and seeing the Bay. It is truly a beautiful place on Earth, but Provence? Nothing like it. I was there 4 years ago and am in the planning stages of another trip with my best friend this year. Keep posting pictures….I love them! –Delores

  26. Jenny McH

    I am in love with all those beautiful colours on the buildings & shutters…I want to grab a paint brush and bring some colour to our boring brick homes here in Melbourne. Keep those photos coming…Please.

  27. …love the mini tour…thank you so much for sharing. i live in texas and just down the road is a lavender farm believe it or not?! i love the lavender!

  28. …had to let you know i found your blog looking for french chocolats. i used one of your pictures and linked it back to your blog as well as mentioned your blog in my post…my mouth was watering! michel

  29. The photo’s are beautiful. I could never tire of walking the streets in the villages in France. To be in the presence of such beauty just fills my heart. xxx

  30. Oh, I soaked in every photo….thank you for sharing your tour with us that live halfway around the world!!

  31. cynthia Wolff

    putting thoughts and dreams and wishes into my head…The things you do and the joy you put into doing them..shopping and eating and drinking in France!! what bliss..Southern California is crowded and noisy and no countryside to speak of but yet one must create that same sort of bliss in other ways…I yearn for the soft,quiet ways..

  32. Corey! I love Mari’s purse! Can you ask her what brand it is?
    Love you as always!
    Kristy

  33. Beautiful pictures in my head and on your blog. thank you so much for sharing. I hope to visit France again some day and this inspires me.

  34. Stunning and beautiful (photos & writing!)and… I wish I was there 2c…

  35. Country French Judi

    Oh the facades, cobblestone streets, the sweet slow life. I have been to France many times and just never can get enough. I would move there in a heartbeat but cannot leave our 4 adult children behind!! The USA is just full of french wanna be’s. Stores are full of “french decorations”???@@!! What real french house has all those silly signs bonjour etc and when people re-do their kitchens “french style” they have more cabinets than the display in the store. I like “REAL” SO keep those great pics coming because there are no more books for me to buy and I can only dream through you!! Love, Love Love your real blog.

  36. Skip Anderson

    Dear Corey,
    I am a friend of Ellen C.’s and she sent me to your blog…
    What a pleasure! If you are a Brocante fiend, try the Saturday Puce en Carpentras. It now features organic produce and wine, but the Brocante is the best mix and good prices.
    There, I’ve probably ruined it now! The dealers from Isle-sur-La-Sorgue are already there, so I guess the word is out.
    St. Remy-de-Provence is a distillation of all things Provencial. It is a great place to stay…and has a little known lake within 10 minutes drive. Ask at the Tourist office and buy some sandwiches at the patisserie and wine at the Intermarche on the square and you will find an idyllic blue lake very close to centre ville!
    Really enjoy your blog, Corey. I wonder where those old dice in the spoon were found?
    A bientot,
    Skip

  37. I love the fourth photo on this post! I’ve never been to France, but I associate the name Provence with lavender. Thank you for sharing your lovely photographs with your readers.

  38. Like others, the smell of lavender reminds me of Provence. And the smell of Nirmala perfume, which doesn’t seem to exist anymore. Also, driving on tiny, twisting streets, because driving from Nice to Monaco and back again a few times and up into the hills while we were on a TV shoot was great fun for me. Until I knocked the rental car’s mirror off on a light post, but that has nothing to do with Provence, really.

  39. It almost hurts to read this…Some of my favourite places. It’s hard to be living in Norway again after several years in my beloved Midi. I miss it so much.

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