Une Escapade Dans la Région

Une Escapade dans la Région 

Les Baux-de-Provence and Arles 

I've always said that the summer time is one of the best times of the year to be in the south of France. There are so many activities to do; for example village parties which are called 'bodegas' or 'fête de village', or going to the beautiful beaches and calanques, or on this case village hopping. Village hopping is something that I really enjoy doing. I basically go from one village to another and enjoy the sites, local food, or whatever expositions they have going. 

This time around we ended up going to Les Baux de Provence a small medieval mountaintop village that takes you back in time. Visiting Les Baux was way over due since its been recommended to us by some friends. It's a really pretty village with a castle at the highest point in the village. One thing I will say is that it's really touristy specially during the summer time. But what can I say tourists don't go to places if there wasn't something great to see. 

As you stroll down the cobble stone streets you can see beautifully decorated street corners and restaurants. Shops with typical proveçal style products, sucha as lavendar and Cigale figurines. 

If you're planning on visiting the region, I recommend you come visit this cute little town. For more information feel free to check out their  website. 

After Walking around Les Baux de Provence we decided to head up about 18 km to Arles. Little did we know that it was the weekend to be there if you are a fan of photos as I am. Every summer there is an international photo expo, with people coming in from all over the world! Check out the expo through this link. 

Arles seemed to be a bit of an artsy city with graffiti, musicians, and colorful knits on the their trees. It was actually the first time I had ever seen something like that, and thought it was a great concept to add color and character to anotherwise  plain ol' park. 

 

The place de la mairie was buzzing with locals, tourists, and newly weds. There was what seemed like a wedding every thirty minutes. You can hear cheering and clapping while witnessing flowers and confetti being tossed in the air. If anything you can clearly feel the joy and love on this beautiful summer day. 

We stumbled upon some very adorable restaurants that seemed quite tasty. We didn' t get the chance to stop for lunch but it will for sure be on my list to do!

Of course there's always a paella being cooked in the streets, it seems to me that this a staple of the region during the hot summer months. 

After our stroll we decided to take a break and have a cappuccino for me and a tea for M. It was a nice way to end the day. 

Let me know what you guys think of the posts and if you have any questions in regards to visiting the south of France. 

-R 

Instagram: rosibelle 

Twitter: @rosibelle 

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Vintage Silk Maxi Dress

Vintage silk maxi-dress

La Tour d'Aigues, France

Chateau de Tour d'Aigues

A couple of months ago my friend angie made a quick stop in Aix en Provence while she was traveling through Europe. It's quite nice to have friends visit since they bring a little bit of home to where ever you are. And she sure did end up bringing me back , it was so refreshing!

 We did a lot of sight-seeing, laughing, eating, drinking wine and of course shopping! For those of you who aren't familiar with me I absolutely love fashion! I love the way you express your personality with color, shapes, and fabric. I especially love the way it evolves with the season as we humans do. Fashion is the outermost expression of who you are, or how you want people to portray you.  With fashion you can showcase this on a daily basis.

 For me being up to date with the current fads, trends, or designers isn't the most important thing, it's expressing how you feel and who you are, it's your personal style.

With this being said, Angie and I set out to do some souvenir shopping and stumbled upon this really cool second hand store called Blow up in aix en Provence. You can check out an article with multiple pictures of the store HERE.  (contact info below)

As we walked in I automatically saw this gorgeous, colorful, one of a kind, vintage 70s silk maxi dress, it was calling my name I swear! It was so perfect and I had to try it on. once I slipped into this dress I didn't want to get out. It fit like a glove, I was transported to a care-free era and trust I didn't want to come back. It was PERFECT! You know how when you find a dress and you feel like it was made for you? Yup, that's the feeling I got!
Angie thought so too, so she decided to gift me the dress, how awesome is she?

Checkout the dress and let me know what you think about it!

 

Taking advantage of the scenary; cornfields

Absolutely adore the colors

check out the low plunging back

Vineyards

Don't take life too seriously, be silly, let your hair down and dance in the vineyards

Until next time!

-R





Blow up Vintage Store
Contact info:

26, rue Boulegon
Aix en Provence
  Facebook Page : https://www.facebook.com/pages/Blow-Up/185778794809916

Store hours
– Tuesday to Saturday 10:30am to 7:30pm
– Monday 2:30pm to 7pm

Le Marché de Pertuis

Le Marché de Pertuis

Pertuis, France

Peonies at the Pertuis market

It's like a ritual, every friday morning I wake up early brew myself a big cup of coffee, eat a tartine and get myself ready for the weekly market. It starts every friday morning from 8am until about 1pm. 

I came across this market by accident about a year ago when I was running a couple of errands in the center of town and let me telly you, I fell in love. Before then I was a bit hesitant about living in this small city which to me seemed impersonal, cold, and a bit desolate. But once I stumble upon the market my mind was changed!  I enjoyed walking through and seeing the town's people in thier element, kiosk keepers enticing their customers, the colors and scent of fresh produce, the crowded streets with both tourists and locals taking thier time to examine the products before commiting. It's unlike any market I've ever been to in the US, once you've been there atleast 3 times the merchants start to recognize and embrace you as a regular making you feel like you are a part of the community. This was exactly what I needed to help me feel welcome. 

Walk with me through the market on a typical summer morning.

Colorful fouta and table cloths stand

Local pollen and honey in many flavors; lavender, thyme, chestnut, creamy honey etc.

French people love hats,  the Panama is the must have hat of the summer

Local charcuterie; Bull sausage, comté cheese sausage, figue flavored sausage, and donkey sausage

 

 

The french are serious about their sausage

charisma gets the customer to your stand

I love this! Typical panier provençal, you can see many of the locals carrying this around in the market with their morning purchases

hahah he really wanted a picture

dried fruit and nuts

There's always a food truck or stand with someone making paella, yumm!

Fountain in the middle of the city with kiosks surrounding it

Let's do some shopping!

Produce from a nearby town; Carpentras

Fish stand

Second hand clothing

Local Produce

 

 

local handmade products

Spatulas, cutting boards, and bowls made from the wood of an olive tree

Sunny market day

The crowded streets of Pertuis

Of course we can't forget the local favorite olives different types many flavors

I hope you enjoyed our day at the market, you get to see what a typical Friday morning looks like for me.

Until next time!

-R