Stories Collected While Living in France

French la Vie

Cold, Wet, Provence…Wish you were here

Route-de-crete

The days tick on while I hope for a change in the weather…. yesterday despite the cold and rain we put on our rain gear and went to Cassis, where blue usually meets blue, where sky and sea are one.

Instead of a beautiful May day singing its way into visitors' hearts, I find myself apologizing for the weather, it has become my broken record.

Walking-along-the-cliff

The Route de Crete is a road lacing the edge of the sea. The view is breathtaking, giving you the sense of flying, and catching your breath is natural at every bend.

 

Rocky-path

Walking along the cliffs: Wear sturdy shoes.

My cousin Kathy reminded me that I had on slippery ballerinas, that I could easily slip. Though in my mind I am a mountain goat leaping the mountains, bounding the hills…. or you might say, "What was she thinking wearing ballerina slippers in the rain?"

Simply stated… I was not thinking, it is a problem of mine.

Vista

Looking out and beyond.

Cliff-design

Sheer.

Profound.

Far beyond and below.

The-view

The view below: Cassis.

Cliffs-cassis

The Mediterranean… Rugged cliffs, blue sea, and charming fishing village. Beautiful even in the rain, cold, slippery rock and mud.

Yesterday in Nice, the Mediterranean turned into a wild ocean, waves reaching 32 feet high slamming on the Promenade des Anglais

Cliff

Though high on the Route de Crete in Cassis, the seaside looked calm… cold, wet, calm that is.

My cousins braved the edge at my command for a photo. I wanted them to go to the very edge but they hollered back, "You're crazy!"


CASSIS-CLIFF


What is the weather like in your neck of the woods?

Comments

63 responses to “Cold, Wet, Provence…Wish you were here”

  1. christine

    Freezing cold and raining. Off to the UK tomorrow – perhaps it’s warm and dry over there !!
    Despite your lousy weather in Cassis, the colours are nonetheless fabulous.xx C

    Reply
  2. Gina Johnson

    It’s cold here too! We had about two weeks of beautiful spring weather and now I have had to pull my winter coat out once again. Paris is so much prettier when the sky is blue and the sun splashes all around………

    Reply
  3. Julie M ~ The Little Red Shop

    Pretty, cold and windy. You wouldn’t get me anywhere near the edge of that cliff…nooo way..uh uh. Either your cousins are really brave…or they are related to YOU!
    ha!
    I hope your rain clears up soon, Corey! Your photos are lovely.
    : )
    Julie M.

    Reply
  4. Jann

    The cliffs are beautiful but I am afraid
    of heights…would rather be at sea level
    looking up. Our weather in Florida is
    quite warm and humid…summer weather
    has arrived a month early. So thankful
    for air conditioning. Hope you get
    nice weather soon.
    Jann

    Reply
  5. Julienne

    How powerful are those cliffs? Wonderful photography rain notwithstanding!! We are suffering cold nights and today was the coldest we have been after a month long Indian summer. Enough rain to get the farmers excited and enough sunshine to sow!

    Reply
  6. Karen

    What a beautiful countryside.. I must see your part of the world some day. Thank you for giving us this…
    It’s grey and gloomy today, but atleast WARM in the northeast. That helps.

    Reply
  7. Patricia

    Corey, I think you have just become very french and that is why you had ballet flats on! We took a trip to Canada with my in-laws. They were very excited to go hiking. When we headed to the trails, she had heels on! I asked her if she wanted to change shoes and she said she didn’t and her shoes were fine. Also, one time while my family went hiking in the trails near our house with french friends, my friend had a pair of kitten heel pumps! Your cousin looks very “American” with her white sneakers!
    I wish I could go on a hike where you took your cousins – looks beautiful!!!!!!

    Reply
  8. Merisi

    A few beautiful billowing white cloud ships sailing over clear blue skies, a balmy 21°C here. I am pushing hard to send you a day’s worth of blue skies!
    Your pictures speak still of an enchanting landscape, those cliffs are spectacular and the sea … I take a deep breath, thank you for venturing out and capture them for me.

    Reply
  9. Olive and Branch

    We traveled the Rue de Crete a few years ago with our little boys – we screamed the whole way – what a blast!
    The videos of the waves geant were incredible – I hope no one got washed away!

    Reply
  10. kelleyn

    Another stunning scene. You never fail to disappoint.

    Reply
  11. Gracie

    We were supposed to be on a 3-days-motorbike-trip next weekend to celebrate a little (today is our 26th wedding anniversary)but the forecasts are very bad, so I guess we have to switch for a simple dinner with friends…….and I’d like to be there in Provence even if with the rain…..

    Reply
  12. Bev

    Well when I was walking this morning it was in the mid 60s and is supposed to get to the low 80s today. We have no humidity which is unusual for DC. It is lovely!

    Reply
  13. Kathryn

    Those pictures look so beautiful despite the weather. I hate to tell you this but it’s glorious sunshine with us here in Virginia.

    Reply
  14. jeanette mc.

    I’m on vacation at the moment and the weather is glorious but at home in Phoenix, I hear it’s already pretty hot – ugh. Those cliffs remind me of Sedona.

    Reply
  15. Julie Loeschke

    It stinks! It snowed again last night.

    Reply
  16. Nancy

    What beautiful pictures!! We have had wind!!
    I bring my beautiful flowers home from the greenhouse, and the wind tears them apart!! Typical Iowa in the spring!

    Reply
  17. Chris Wittmann

    What gorgeous photos, and oh my…all those wonderful wild plants (herbs??)! Here in New Hampshire we’ve actually had a gorgeous spring. Yesterday I rototilled one of the vegetable gardens and hauled out the mower for the first time. Everything is bursting in bloom…lilacs, apple and plum trees, lily of the valley. Temps have been unusually warm. Today, warm but overcast with some storms due. We cannot do much about the weather, but remember…colors are so much more saturated on cloudy days…so keep taking photos!

    Reply
  18. Kathleen

    Cloudy but dry and cold here in southern Ireland!Volcanic ash still disturbing the flights in and out of the country.Those cliffs nearly gave me vertigo looking at them,I do not think I would venture that close to the edge!
    Nice is suffering all right with these waves!

    Reply
  19. Julie Ann Evins

    I remember taking a boat ride in the bay of Cassis last summer – the climbers on those huge cliffs looked like little tiny spiders. We have had a cold week here but it is brightening up, cannot believe we will be warmer than you for very long Corey, Jx

    Reply
  20. Judy O

    Here in New Hampshire it is humid with thunder showers expected today. BUT yesterday it was a 10. Blue skies and deep blue ocean.
    The perfect day to take a book and read by the sea. Hope your clouds and rain give way to blue skies soon!!!

    Reply
  21. Marilyn

    Clouds, cold, and rain her too. Ballets on a walk like that, you must be a French girl. It has happened.
    Beautiful cliffs and sights.

    Reply
  22. Ardi

    Ditto what yours is. The view is less spectacular though. Thanks for sharing your outing. The rock cliffs are gorgeous – weren’t you scared being out on them?

    Reply
  23. Alison Whittington

    It’s gonna be a hot and very sticky mid-summer day here in Virginia – this desert girl can handle the heat, but I’ll never quite be able to adjust to humidity. But it sure looks beautiful out the window.
    About the shoes, though – I’ve always had the impression that women in France can climb mountains with heels on, so I wouldn’t be at all surprised to go hiking with someone wearing ballerinas!

    Reply
  24. Debra P.

    Your pictures are wonderful . . .Wash DC/Balt.: beautiful and warm, 80’s all week . . .seems Mother’s Day will stir a cool change.
    Any idea if Tongue in Cheek Tours de Chasse Brocante might offer a side trip to Cassis? it looks so dreamy . . . ha

    Reply
  25. cynthia Wolff @Beatenheart

    Despite the clouds and gray, your neck of the woods still looks beautiful and serene. Here in Long Beach, California expect the sun, smog and traffic jams on the 405.

    Reply
  26. liz

    It’s cranking up to be another humid, hot (near 90) day in Western NC…this weekend’s cold front can’t come too soon.
    I happen to love cold stormy seafronts…sometimes more than the sunny variety. I remember being in Brighton UK in the early 70s, huge waves pounding the seawall…and my bellbottoms,sticking out below my slicker…getting incredibly wet and heavy!

    Reply
  27. Patt

    Windy, Windy, Windy here in Northern California. Rather have rain, then I wouldn’t have to be out in the wind watering all of my beautiful flowers that the wind is drying up. However, it was beautiful in Berkley yesterday.

    Reply
  28. Ed in Willows

    It’s that time of year when the north wind can rip down through the Sacramento valley and today is no exception. Rice planting is finally getting started after late spring rains. It’s been sunny for a week now and warm in the afternoons. Hoping the wind dies down for Lamb Derby this weekend.

    Reply
  29. Rodger at American Harvest

    SF Bay Area’s weather is near perfect today, but Sharon and I would rather be in Cassis. It is one of our favorite places in France!
    Hi Roger and Sharon,
    My thoughts and prayers have been with you during this time.
    C

    Reply
  30. Brother Mathew

    Tell Gene the wind has been blowing like a somebitch. Four days now. Everyone is getting crazier than a bunch of shithouse rats round here.
    _____
    Editor’s note: Mathew is not in a monastery, nor a monk like his name applies. He swears, especially on my blog, He is not heavy, he is my brother. (One of four, and the biggest B.S. of the bunch.)
    (P.S. I swear too but rarely on my blog… but those of you who have met me have told me it was nice to hear me “be real”… The Amaro’s are real.
    P.S. Gene is still laughing, “Darn that Matt.”

    Reply
  31. Cara

    It’s been beautiful here in Northern CA, crazy windy, but sunny and warm. We might get some rain in the next week.

    Reply
  32. meppyBN

    Woke up to sun this morning 🙂 🙂 High clouds with it tho’ around our blue hole here on the Olympic Peninsula. Have had a cool spring, wind storms, etc. Am so ready to be able to sit on the terrace in front of the fire pit in the evening – watching the cruise ships sail out the Strait of Juan de Fuca………

    Reply
  33. Barb in California

    The weather in San Diego is sunny and mild, but the “May Gray” & “June Gloom” are right around the corner. It’s the price we pay for living on the coast… Cassis looks amazing, wish I were there!

    Reply
  34. Sharon

    Today the 6th of May, is warm, soft breeze in beautiful Kansas USA. Iris are blooming, and the climbing roses are beginning to unfold. The grass is green and the sky is blue, and all is well in Wichita Kansas…at least in my space.
    See you soon Corey.
    Sharon

    Reply
  35. marsha

    Here in Seattle we just had the coldest day ever recorded in May! I think it was a high of 49 degrees!! Today the sun is shining and it should be in the 50’s..Spring is elusive here in the Pacific Northwest!

    Reply
  36. Theresa

    What amazing photos and the view ~ gorgeous! Weather here in Southern California in the 80’s the last couple days a bit cooler today.

    Reply
  37. Tamra

    Gorgeous spring weather here on the central coast of California! Chilly in the morning, warm in the high 70’s during the day and cool breeze in the evening.
    Love it, but still wish I was back in Paris.

    Reply
  38. Kimberly

    Woke up to snow flakes for about a half an hour and then the sun came out! They say it should reach the high 50’s today. Blessings, Kimberly Oh p.s. North Idaho forecast.
    ____________________
    Hi Kimberly,
    Is this typical…snow in May?
    C

    Reply
  39. Tracy

    Sunny skies in the upper 80’s. We could use some rain. Houston Tx

    Reply
  40. john

    Beautiful day here in panhandle Florida. Thanks for great pics. Beach here is like sugar. We await the oil slick to ruin it all.

    Reply
  41. Ladelle

    Ooooh…wish I was there too. Lovely Cassis. Wonderful time spent there with the Mistral and our picnic in the car! Weather here is 67 degrees and blue skies. Missing you.
    ___________________
    Hello Ladelle!
    I thought of you in Cassis.
    C

    Reply
  42. Denise Moulun-Pasek

    There is a little snow leftover from the storm on May 2cd. My son graduates this weekend and the weather is going to be a whopping 6 to 8 degrees Celsius.
    Sure hope it warms up a bit over there in July!
    🙂

    Reply
  43. Throughthemilkhousedoor

    Blue skies. Perfect for hiking in flip flops of course.
    (Note to Brother Mathew. I meant to say freakin’ perfect.)
    Laurie
    SF

    Reply
  44. pam

    I wish I was there, too. Your cold weather day looks very similar to how it has been here,(not the views)only we have had a lot of rain and hail to throw in the mix too. This morning it frosted, again. The sky is blue today though, and there is a promise of finally getting out of the 50’s today. Fingers are so crossed!

    Reply
  45. Jeannie

    We had May in February and now we are having February in May. I may get the garden planted in July!

    Reply
  46. Paivi

    Cassis and the Mediterranean coast looks amazing even in the rain. We’ve still got some snow up here, some degrees below zero (C) during the night and about +5C in the daytime. Very much like Canada…

    Reply
  47. Victoria Ramos

    Sacramento California has had beautifully sunny weather all this week….windy though – and today it is once again, which is playing havoc on everyone’s allergies, as plants/trees/grasses are blooming, birds singing, roses blooming, fruit trees loosing their blooms to prepare for the upcoming summer harvests. Snow pack in the Sierras is high…..all is good in No. Cal. Although we have had a wet spring, our weather has been better than some of our other US friends with freakish rain and flooding. Guess that it way everyone (except Cory) moves to California ;-). But at least Cory moved to an even more beautiful place.

    Reply
  48. Alan

    Enjoy the rainy days. I love them as much as the perfect ones.

    Reply
  49. Cheryl ~ Casual Cottage Chic

    Geez, even in rainy weather France and her countyside ~ cliffs, seashore, vineyards, villages ~ are beautiful!

    Reply
  50. shelley@decoragain.blogspot.com

    Living in Carrying Place, Prince Edward County near Toronto, Ontario, Canada and we haven’t had any snow since early March. Summer started extremely early and we’re loving every minute of it!!!
    And still…France beckons.

    Reply
  51. Marie Amaro

    Oooo I wish i was there! It looks awesome!
    You take great pictures Coco!
    -Ree ree

    Reply
  52. AmyKortuem

    That cliff looks like a mile-high layer cake! It’s nice to know that the south of France is mirroring the blustery Minnesota. Otherwise I would have to succumb to the deadly sin of envy that you’re there and I’m here.
    I just found out I’ll be in the south of France for a writing workshop in September. What’s the weather like in Auvillar then?
    ______________________
    Hello Amy,
    May, June, September, or October, are the prettiest months to travel to France. Fewer tourists, beautiful scenery (either blooming or fading) and usually the weather is gentle.
    C

    Reply
  53. Shelley Noble

    You’ve clearly been hanging around French Husband too long, Corey! That cliff looked TERRIFYING! Even where they are looks to risky to me these days! YIPES!
    ————————-
    Hi Shelley,
    I only “look” down…. I would never, never, never rope down.
    c

    Reply
  54. Barb

    Lousy! Just one cold front followed by another: Alaska sending us her reminder not to plant any petunias yet. High winds, winter advisory in the mountains, chilly rains, grey skies, but CLOUDS!!! One pretty thing, anyway. Oh, and I saw a rainbow yesterday. A few shivering flowers have tried to survive. Rumor has it that it will turn warm this weekend.
    Barb Alexander

    Reply
  55. Kate of the North

    Since you asked … we got snow on Tuesday morning here in Saskatchewan … again!!! The leaves are slowly coming out anyway, and somehow the perennials in my garden are poking up through the ground and haven’t frozen. I guess they can’t turn around and go back, so they have no choice.

    Reply
  56. Kate of the North

    Before you ask … NO, snow is not typical here in May. But last year we had a nasty freeze around the 10th of June, so you just never know.

    Reply
  57. Rhonda P.

    Ah, it’s beautiful for now but soon and real soon it will be in the 100’s. I realize most people cannot imagine living in that type of heat but you do get used to it.
    Warm winter trade – super hot Arizona heat in the summer.
    Beautiful photos, Corey!

    Reply
  58. joanne nixon

    goodyear, az…it was another sunny day today, although a little more breezy than average …. the temp was 97 degrees today in goodyear. yesterday, it was 100 degrees. summer is coming quickly. june will bring us temps hovering in the 110s. i do not like summers here. although it is dry until july or august…hot is still hot. i have lived out here for more than 30 years….still here, cooking….my husband says…”every day above the grass is a good day”..he is a cemetarian…and he is absolutely right about that….when it rains out here….we are ecstatic…we jump around and frolic in the rain like children…i guess everything is relative, isn’t it?

    Reply
  59. Alexandra

    wow, absolutely gorgeous! here in my corner of the world it is ariynd 80 degrees and synny, no rain for the last few days, but there us some coming tomorrow.

    Reply
  60. Alexandra

    meant to say 80 degrees and sunny in the post above.

    Reply
  61. sherri mccormick

    I may be the weirdest person on the planet because I ADORE rain! I cannot get enough, and the gods must be laughing because I live in one of the sunniest cities in the USA: Colorado Springs. So when I hear of rain in France, it is my idea of heaven. Corey, I continue to be enthralled with your photography, and encourage you to write ( and photograph) a book. ASAP!!

    Reply
  62. Kipik – Sylvie

    Esterel, my bloved Esterel… I miss you! – great photos Correy!!!

    Reply
  63. jend’isère

    I could only report an optimistic upturn of the weather today in eastern France. In the thrill of Spring fever, I contracted a lingering flu due to packing too light for the Mediterranean coast. Nothing like walking around St Tropez with soggy shoes, inverted umbrella while trying to shop for inexpensive raincoat. My spirit is now upbeat, as well as my health and weather. Enjoy the Paris sunshine!

    Reply

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