Patricia Sands

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photo challenge

Travel theme: Game ~ Photo challenge

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It’s been a while since I’ve joined in one of these photo challenges.

Boules or pétanque is a game played in the smallest villages right through to the grandest cities in France. It’s a storied part of the culture and a standard of daily routines. Click on the links above for more details … and there are plenty!

Observing, pondering, commenting … it’s all part of the game!

Mastering the technique!

A game in the Place du Jeu de Boules, the famous pétanque pitch in Saint-Paul de Vence and apéros at the Café de la Place (below) are timeless traditions. The under-stated sculpture honours the game and those who play. You can organize a lesson there if you visit.

Have you played or watched a game? Do you call it bocce, boules, or pétanque?  Here’s some Provençal history about the game.

It’s always so much fun to see the variety of participating entries in the photo challenge, click on this link and enjoy! I find it’s a great way to take a relaxing break from … whatever, and I hope you do too.

Are you on Instagram? I am and would love to connect with you. You can find me there @patricialsands  and I look forward to following you. 

Photo challenge: CLOSE UP

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There’s nothing like a photo challenge for pure relaxation when you’re in the middle of editing your manuscript. This week’s challenge from The Daily Post is “Close Up”. Pop on over and take a look at the collection of fabulous participating websites.

I love flipping through my albums. These are from our memorable stay high up the Swiss Alps last May. From the garden:

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What have you been close up to lately? I’ve got to get close up with my manuscript again right this minute … the end is in sight! Could be a long night …

WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE: DOORS

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Did someone say “doors”? Ahhhhh … j’adore taking photos of doors!

The Daily Post weekly photo challenge this week says, “A door is an everyday thing, yet is often a symbol — of a beginning, a journey forward or inward, a mark of one’s home, or even a step into the unknown.”

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Just looking at some of these doors makes my writing juices flow. I would love to know their stories! Wouldn’t you?

I do happen to know the story about these doors above. They are an entrance to the historic Chapelle Saint-Bernardin in Antibes.  If you click on that link, you’ll find a post I wrote about these doors and the gem of a church. They were carved almost five centuries ago (see the 1581 date on the door) and presented to the church by the villagers and farmers in thanks for having survived a terrible plague. On my early morning walks around Antibes, I love to stop and place my hands on those doors and feel the history. I swear you can!

Click on any image to enlarge it and then double-click again to make it even larger. Do you take photos of doors and windows too?  To have even more of a door ‘fix’, drop by The Daily Post and visit some of the other participating blogs or join in and post some of your shots.

One aspect that I love about the online photo challenges, especially The Daily Post challenge, is the opportunity to discover some pretty amazing websites. I always try to find the time to visit as many as possible as it’s a good break from writing! In particular this time I would encourage you to take a look at this outstanding page. This young woman’s photos are spectacular and her philosophy speaks volumes to me. I think it will to you too!

Travel Theme: DOORWAYS

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If it’s Friday, it must be France …

Many of you know how I love to take part in photo challenges and this week Ailsa’s theme of “DOORWAYS” fits perfectly with my addiction to photographing doors and windows in France.

(*Join us on our tour of the Côte d’Azur and Provence from June 22 to July 4 and see doors like this everywhere we go! Click here for info.)

DSC01880The fancy iron grills at the top of many doors were part of the early method of “air-conditioning”. Fresh air would be drawn in through those openings and flow through to an inner courtyard where it would rise up and out an opening at roof level, helping to cool the interior. Look for them when you are walking through the vieille villes (old towns). These grills alone make pleasing photo collections.

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These intricately-carved doors of the 16thC parish church (that served as a cathedral from 1624 to 1790) in the intriguing medieval village Entrevaux, depict the history of the time. Katherine was here in Promises To Keep. (I’m certain she took this same shot.)

La Colombe d'Or-PSandsPhotos
La Colombe d’Or-PSandsPhotos

The door in this wall leads to the restaurant terrace of the famed La Colombe d’Or in Saint Paul de Vence. Click that link to read the entertaining history of this inn. It’s quite the story! If you visit in the summer, be sure to make a reservation.

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PSandsPhotos

Now we’re strolling in the charming village of Tourrettes sur Loup. Stop here for violet ice cream and visit Le Bois d’Olivier, IMHO, the shop with the best handcrafted olive wood products in the region. Click on that link and look at the photos on their website. I think you will agree.

Blue in Saint Tropez
Blue in Saint Tropez

Visiting Saint Tropez above. This pretty portal below may look familiar … I keep it on the home page of my website.

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Imagine the size of the keys they carried around!

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When one door opens, who knows what lies beyond?

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Something old, something new (note the repair at the bottom). What else do you do when your centuries-old door starts rotting away?

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The lower door was once for the donkey.

IMG_6311See the date on the left side? 1581 … After the villagers and farmers of the area survived a deadly plague, they had these doors carved for la chapelle Saint Bernardin in Antibes to give thanks to God for sparing their lives. When we lived in Antibes while I wrote The Promise of Provence, I would walk past these doors every day and often stop just to press my hands on them. There was an aura and sense of history about them that inspired me.

Do you like to take photos of doors when you travel? Where have you found your favourite portals? Bon weekend tout le monde!

When you have a little time, you might want to stop by Ailsa’s Where’s My Backpack and see many other entries to this challenges. There are doors from around the world!

All photos on this site are the copyright of Patricia Sands.

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