Pretty chambre d'hote in Provence.....

It's always a bit of a worry when booking accommodation on the internet

and so it was with more than a little trepidation that I arrived at this"

chambre d'hote in Provence"

Did I get the dates correct? the price right? does the host speak ~un petit peu Anglaise~

I need not have worried! all was in order and my host, a lovely french lady

made me feel instantly at home, with pretty silk slippers {supplied to all guests}

and the prettiest of bedrooms~ dressed in the most gorgeous fabrics.

The scrumptious breakfast included
freshly home- baked croissants and a variety of about
7 different types of bread.
I have never seen such a fabulous selection of top- rate French produce
from the very best cheeses ~ jams~ butter~locally grown fruits.
All served with genuine warmth & charm.

It was a joy to have spent time in a real french provincial home

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Avenue des Champs-Elysees.....

I think that Avenue des Champs-Elysees is the most beautiful Avenue
in the entire world
jam packed with the most fabulous selection of shops
from Louis Vuitton selling fabulous leather and avant-garde fashion ~ so divine!!
to the beautiful little "Annick Goutal" boutique selling the worlds prettiest perfumes
{petite cherie~ gardenia passion~ and the exquisite Eau d'Hadrien}
to big name car show-room like Renault and Peugeot
yes I'll take one of each!

dotted along the really wide pavement are bistros ideal for snacks or lunch
on this day I visited "George V" it was very hot but the staff were
quick to get me seated on a lovely shaded rattan chair facing out to the street
and it wasn't long before a long cool drink was delivered to my table.
most of all I loved this spot for just sitting and people watching -some tourists
but many Parisians out and about

~ Champs Elysee by Antoine Blanchard~

This painting shows the Avenue in the 1930's

even then it was bustling with fashionably dressed monsieurs and madames

~ tres elegant ~

cafe creme......biologique !!

After walking the streets of Rue Montorgueil
it was time to find a nice quiet spot to sit and contemplate!
this fabulous little cafe fitted the bill
lovely friendly staff ~ who as you can see were more than
happy to let me take their photo

scrummy!!! cafe creme served in these big bowls
and of course "tarte au citron"

we could sit inside ~a la table commune~
which was very cosy ~ we felt like one of the family
and to top it all off it was totally guilt free
it was as they say in France "biologique" organic!!

Peter Mayle's house.... or non??

We were curious to see the house in the Luberon featured in Peter Mayles
book "A Year in Provence'
and had it on good authority that this was it!!
electronically operated gates at the entrance to the drive-way
indicated that perhaps we were right!!

(obviously the current owners did not want tourists invading

their little slice of paradise - fair enough!)

What a beautiful serene area - and I could imagine Peter with dogs in tow
heading off for a walk in the hills behind

Are these Faustin's grape-vines??
peur-etre!!

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L'espirit de la Place du tertre....

famous for it's artists is this lovely little square - Place de Tertre
jam packed with artists

I only wished I had thought to bring with me photos of my petites-filles
because this artist would have painted the face from a photograph-
as you can see in this lovely painting of the little girl
~with french style beret and pink foulard~

how pretty!

I loved the atmosphere of the little alley-ways nestled around Sacre-Coeur

with bric-a-brac galore
and fabulous paintings of red-poppies

~This beautiful painting by Edouard-Leon Cortes~

better known as

"le poete parisien de la peinture"
was set in the early 1900's

I hope you like it!

Carlton Cannes Hotel....

Do you ever get the feeling that you've just missed some-one important?
Walking along La Croisette in Cannes I noticed a bit of a flurry
in the portico of the fabulous "Carlton-Cannes"
hotel to the rich and famous

by the time I had crossed the street, " prestigious-guest" was being ushered into the
secluded enclave of the opulent foyer
and I will never know who it was !!
a few journalists were lurking in the wings hopeful of an interview

by the time I was able to enter
all was quiet and orderly
C'est la vie !!

"Monaco-Ville"

click on photos to enlarge

Winding around the rugged cliff-top of Monaco-Ville
is this beautifully layed out garden of "St Martin"
I particularly loved the little bays with seats so that I could
sit looking out to the twinkling blue Mediteranean Sea

lots of different foilage !!

.... and what goes up has got to come downit's about 60 metres above the harbour
and I huffed and puffed -
but the view was definitely worth the effort.

I broke the tourist rule and sat down in a restaurant
at the top - for a tall glass of coke.....Big mistake!!!

(it cost about A$18.00 oops!!)

images - me

"Peugeot"....200years

2010 celebrates 200yrs of Peugeot .
They first commenced manufacturing flat steel saws
then coffee & pepper mill mechanisms -bicycles and motorcycles
and in 1891 they produced their first automobile.
What a fabulous story
.
Don't you love some of their early cars ?

~ I love the red one~ it's a 1913 Bebe (Baby) so cute!

and caused a sensation at the "Paris Motor Show"

little wonder!

They were quite happy to let me go for a spin -
as long as I didn't leave the blocks of course!

A browse through their gift boutique on ~Avenue des Champs Elysee~

never leaves me empty handed
you can find a fabulous selection of beautiful wooden box coffee grinders
plus salt & pepper mills of all shapes and colours

note the little s & p on the base of mine
~very discreet~

1905 Lion Type VA

was a very popular model and could reach up to speeds of 40km/h

Wow! now that bit of information is for the car buffs

but I must say it looks impressive

Well done Peugeot !!

Walking in the Vaucluse ......

After a beautiful walk from Caromb to Le Barroux in the Vaucluse region
we found this gorgeous petit restaurant - it was just a few tables
gathered under the shade of a lovely old tree

the set menu of Salade Compose - was absolutely divine
(terrine - melon topped with prosciutto - risotto - beautiful cheeses & salad vegetables
with a selection of fruit tarts for dessert

Walking back were sweeping views out to "Les Dentelles" a low mountain range
which is actually the foothills of Provence's highest peak - Mont-Ventoux
The name "dentelle" means lace ~ referring to the jagged shape of their white lime-stone peaks.

what a welcome sight to find the roadway spasmotically dotted with lovely- Alep Pines-

this gave us a shady spot to catch our breaths,

take in the spectacular scenery and top up our fluid intake!

After a 7 km round walk
it was nice to return to our delightful villa

in the picturesque hill-top village of Caromb

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quaint & lovely rattan chairs.....

How quaint and functional are the lovely rattan chairs
found in almost all of the Parisian cafe's and bistros. I like the fact that
they are usually facing out to the street
ideal for people watching!!
"La Cremaillere" on the Place de Tertre
would you believe, first opened it's doors in 1926
I could have sat here for hours watching the artist
painting on the square.
I'll give this a 10/10 for people watching

(don't forget to click on the photos to enlarge them!

~on the pic below you can see the lovely detail work above the door)

From the bohemian & arty area of Mont-Matre
to the sophisticated and elegant Avenue Montaigne
The rattan chairs here are formed into a square
maybe ideal for business lunches - making those big important decisions
or deciding what to buy at "Christian Dior"
right across the Avenue

And onto the left -bank - and this bistro that serves modest meals

but is in a great location - near to La Seine -Notre Dame - and that

fabulous book shop "Shakespeare and Co"

.........................................................

the same rattan chairs.
some facing out - some in small groups for chatting
a mish-mash - but very comfortable and of an evening just the best

spot to sit and drink in the beautiful ambiance

of la belle Paris !!

Musee D'Orsay.......

~Musee D'Orsay~
What a fabulous art gallery! and to think they have created this from a train station
I would have to say it's my favourite gallery to visit
and holds the best of the French impressionist paintings

~Rue de L'Abbe de L'Epee~
by Johan Jongkind
I'd never heard of this artist before, but loved his work
especially the little group chatting on the right
Do you think he's asking for directions or just saying
Bonjour mesdames ??

and of course visiting art galleries is strenuous work
and one needs a little sustinance!!
The food was fantastique and the waiters very charming!

Vous-avez un bonsoir Madame!!
oh la la ! must go back

"Les Lavandes" .....

It was lovely to sit in the village square in Provence, and watch the little community
prepare for~ le diner~
each restaurant with it's own individual style and menu.

The pretty serviettes at this one aptly matched the name

~Les Lavande~

~traditionnelle provencale fare~About an hour later ~ all the seats were occupied by
French families enjoying their evening meal .
and I loved listening to the beautiful melodious accent
of ~Les Francais~