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travel in the south of France

Memories tour/18 ~ Day 4

October 16, 2018 by Patricia Sands 4 Comments

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!

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Filed Under: Blog, France, General Travel, Photo blogs, Uncategorized Tagged With: Absolutely Southern France, Barefoot Blogger, Patricia Sands, Provence, south of France memories tour, travel in the south of France

Tourrettes Sur Loup

September 2, 2011 by Patricia Sands 12 Comments

If It’s Friday, It Must Be France …

Buckle up and keep your camera ready! The drive to the medieval village of Tourrettes Sur Loup is breathtaking. Only 14 kilometres from the Côte D’Azur, it’s easy to reach and might be combined with a visit to St. Paul De Vence. Much smaller than St. Paul and far less touristy, we like to take visitors there. If you approach from the west, the moment you come around the last corner takes my breath away every time.

I can’t tell you the number of photos I’ve taken of this view. Different times of day, changing seasons, sunny, cloudy, any excuse makes it simply irresistible to my shutter mania.

Established in the 11th C, the natural setting created the fortification of the town. How did they build those towns? All by hand … it boggles my mind. The 12th C church is built on the site of a Roman temple. Don’t miss it!

The village isn’t overloaded with shops (click here for a complete list and the town’s official site … in French, but you can figure it out) and their products are truly artisanal. Le Bois D’Olivier is our favourite with beautiful olive wood products produced by hand since the 1950’s by the Dubosq family (father and now son). Simply walking into their shop is a buzz! I love the warm shades and textures of olive wood. I haven’t seen better prices or finer work anywhere. (Trust me, I’ve looked at way too much olive wood!)

Further along La Grande Rue you will find Poterie La Bergerie‘s awesome cave-like atelier where delicate ceramics are crafted and hand-painted with violet motifs.

You’ll want to pop into many of the other shops as you stroll through. Tourrettes Sur Loup has been famous for the cultivation of violets since the 1880’s.  The locally well-known Fête de Violettes is celebrated every March.

Walk down to the bottom of the village to find a panoramic view past a Roman aqueduct right down to the coast. When you’ve filled your camera chip, have a fine meal at La Médiéval, where the friendly owner fills a glass of rosé like I’ve never seen before. Check to make sure it’s open before you go.

I’ve attached a video below that gives you a bit of a tour through the village. It also shows how the Dubosq men work their magic with the olive wood.

It’s a long video so pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy!

[dailymotion id=xjl5g8]
Le travail du bois d’olivier. Saladier artisanal…dubosqguillaume

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Filed Under: Blog, France, If it is France... Tagged With: 2011 Next Generation Indie Book Awards Finalist, Cote D'Azur, ForeWord 2010 Book Of The Year Finalist, olive wood, Patricia Sands, The Bridge Club, Tourrettes Sur Loup, travel in the south of France, violets

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