Patricia Sands

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Photo blogs

Memories tour/18 ~ Day 5 ~with a slight glitch!

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Be still my heart! On Day 5, we had a full day to wander where my heart lives … and where my Love in Provence series is set … enchanting Antibes.

This was a wonderful day of strolling the streets we’ve all read about, taking photos, picturing Katherine, Philippe and the other characters from the stories going about their lives. It was such great fun to listen to the chatter and comments. And Mother Nature continued to provide perfect weather.

 

Best fans ever!

On the search for Philippe, the handsome fromager in the Antibes Marché Provençal!

 

 

These 500-year-old doors are true inspiration, crafted for the church to give thanks for local villagers surviving a dreadful plague.

To be continued …

 

 

 

Memories tour/18 ~ Day 4

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Okay, please don’t judge me ~ I’m slooooowly posting about every day on our tour. I have a lot more photos and will eventually get them into an online album. In the meantime, I’m at least compiling a (brief) daily photo journal of the wonderful memories we made together.

On Day 4, we had an easy morning with everyone free to do whatever they pleased … sleeping in, shopping, catching the Musée Chagall or Matisse, exploring the old town, or climbing Castle Hill. So many choices!

At 12:30 we met our guide Stephanie, boarded our comfy coach in Nice, and wended our way along the Moyenne Corniche, enjoying the spectacular views where the hillsides drop precipitously to the azure sea.

After a brief history concerning the stunning hilltop village of Eze, we committed to heading straight up the steep cobblestone allées to the 12thC castle ruin at the top of Jardin Exotique. The panorama from here at 1400 ft above the Mediterranean is worth the climb.

Below is another perspective of Eze that I took on a day when I drove along the Haute Corniche … a bird’s eye view.

From Eze, we drove back down to the sea and spent a leisurely afternoon exploring the stunning Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild and its breathtaking gardens and dancing fountains in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

 

 

At the end of the day, another fine evening!

 

Be sure to visit the website of my friend and tour co-leader, Deborah Bine aka Barefoot Blogger, where you will find all sorts of great articles on more places in France than you can imagine. I’m telling you … that lady gets around! Click right here!

Memories Tour/18 ~ Day 3

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I’m in catch-up mode! Do you ever find yourself in this situation with so many good intentions but not enough time?

On this day we began by settling into our comfortable private coach and driving up into the hills above Nice and Cannes to Grasse, the world’s perfume capital since the late 1700s. Our first destination was to tour the Fragonard perfume factory, family-run since 1926.

Next we drove along a picturesque winding road to the medieval village of, Tourrettes-sur-Loup, one of my favourite places. We had time for lunch and a quick stroll.

A half-hour later we were in the charming hilltop walled village of Saint-Paul de Vence , with its storied history of attracting artists. After talking about this fabled past during our bus ride, there was free time to stroll the cobblestone streets and enjoy the beauty of the surroundings and art galleries … and, of course, shop. Many also took the time to visit the grave of Chagall who lived there for the last 30 years of his life.

Stay tuned for Day 4!

On y va ~ follow along on our 2018 women’s tour!

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The fun in the south of France began in Nice today as sixteen ladies arrived from Canada, the United States and Australia. They will spend the next twelve exciting days with my good friend, Deborah Bine aka Barefoot Blogger, and me.

Day #1 ~ Dinner on the beach kicked things off tonight, with a delicious meal at the Plage Beau Rivage .

A perfect Côte d’Azur evening was the best reward after arduous hours of travel. The journey from Melbourne, Australia, to Nice was definitely the longest. So much fun getting to know everyone!

We hope you will follow along as we visit some of the beautiful historic and charming locations I write about in my novels and Deborah blogs about.  Thanks to the awesome Nancy McGee of Absolutely Southern France travel agency for putting all of our details into such an impressive package. 

Come join us as we make some memories for a lifetime!