As this was our view from our apartment during our last holiday in France, just a few steps away from the Mediterranean ....
and this from our front door ....
It really was a constantly changing painting and quite a challenge to photograph because I'm more a countryside/wildlife kind of 'girl' when it comes to photography ....
Wildlife was mostly represented by seagulls ....
But most of all I liked the ever changing colours of the sea and sky ....
There were not that many flowers on the boulevard but these made surely up for it ....
Our apartment was situated in the little coastal town Palavas-Les-Flots what at first glance appears to be a typical tourist place with lots of crowds around the harbour ....
But after having left the boulevard behind us we found ourselves in a very charming village with a lovely garden hidden near the local church Saint-Pierre .....
Surrounded by this gorgeous wall ....
The garden has a beautiful ornamental pond ....
With enormous fish ....
And gorgeous flowers everywhere ....
Further along we saw so much lovely houses and shops you wouldn't expect at first sight ....
How much I loved our view and the beach, the well-known outback kept calling.
Many years ago - during our camping holidays - we had stayed several years in this area and its outstanding beauty and picturesque villages.
One I really wanted to visit again was the medieval town Saint Guilhem Le Desert ....
A little village consisting only a few streets but with many adorable shops ....
and beautiful facades ....
Loved this entrance with the planters ....
It's beautiful abbey ....
Which has its (free) entrance at the main square ....
Laundry the french way ....
Shutter love ....
And so many shades of blue ....
Spot the family members ....
And at the end of the village a lovely garden with all sorts of wildlife ....
Being only a 10 minute drive away from Montpellier a visit to this beautiful town was naturally on our list.
And how different from when they were still teenagers, our two boys also enjoyed the visit but couldn't resist teasing me how I've made them walk almost half a marathon ....
Not only we've shopped a little but also did some cultural sightseeing and walked towards the Promenade du Peyrou with Porte du Peyrou as impressive entrance ....
The water tower at Peyrou place Royal ....
We ended up in a lovely part of Montpellier , famous for its 'off beat' shops and had coffee with
cake on the church square ....
Around the church there are several streets with lovely shops but also funny unusual features, for instance this work of a local street artist ....
But also lovely brocante shops ....
At the end of the day we discovered this beautiful mural painted by Agnes and Olivier Costa , two artists also known as the Mad'Art concept ....
To keep every member of the family happy we combined a visit to the market with a drive to a lake nearby afterwards.
So first we went to the lovely town Clermont L'Herault where every Wednesday there's a local market with all the ingredients you would expect of a typical french market ....
After have bought some souvenirs and having a delicious cappuccino on one of the many terraces of this town we drove to the beautiful lake Lac du Salagou ....
It was a lovely relaxing holiday all around with as a bonus the presence of these two. I keep saying after every holiday it's probably the last time they'll join us. So I consider it as a great gift to have had them around me once again this year ....
Leaving this beautiful sunset behind we began our journey home .....
and this from our front door ....
It really was a constantly changing painting and quite a challenge to photograph because I'm more a countryside/wildlife kind of 'girl' when it comes to photography ....
Wildlife was mostly represented by seagulls ....
But most of all I liked the ever changing colours of the sea and sky ....
There were not that many flowers on the boulevard but these made surely up for it ....
But after having left the boulevard behind us we found ourselves in a very charming village with a lovely garden hidden near the local church Saint-Pierre .....
Surrounded by this gorgeous wall ....
With enormous fish ....
Further along we saw so much lovely houses and shops you wouldn't expect at first sight ....
How much I loved our view and the beach, the well-known outback kept calling.
Many years ago - during our camping holidays - we had stayed several years in this area and its outstanding beauty and picturesque villages.
One I really wanted to visit again was the medieval town Saint Guilhem Le Desert ....
A little village consisting only a few streets but with many adorable shops ....
and beautiful facades ....
Loved this entrance with the planters ....
It's beautiful abbey ....
Which has its (free) entrance at the main square ....
Laundry the french way ....
Shutter love ....
And so many shades of blue ....
Spot the family members ....
And at the end of the village a lovely garden with all sorts of wildlife ....
Being only a 10 minute drive away from Montpellier a visit to this beautiful town was naturally on our list.
And how different from when they were still teenagers, our two boys also enjoyed the visit but couldn't resist teasing me how I've made them walk almost half a marathon ....
Not only we've shopped a little but also did some cultural sightseeing and walked towards the Promenade du Peyrou with Porte du Peyrou as impressive entrance ....
The water tower at Peyrou place Royal ....
We ended up in a lovely part of Montpellier , famous for its 'off beat' shops and had coffee with
cake on the church square ....
Around the church there are several streets with lovely shops but also funny unusual features, for instance this work of a local street artist ....
But also lovely brocante shops ....
At the end of the day we discovered this beautiful mural painted by Agnes and Olivier Costa , two artists also known as the Mad'Art concept ....
To keep every member of the family happy we combined a visit to the market with a drive to a lake nearby afterwards.
So first we went to the lovely town Clermont L'Herault where every Wednesday there's a local market with all the ingredients you would expect of a typical french market ....
After have bought some souvenirs and having a delicious cappuccino on one of the many terraces of this town we drove to the beautiful lake Lac du Salagou ....
It was a lovely relaxing holiday all around with as a bonus the presence of these two. I keep saying after every holiday it's probably the last time they'll join us. So I consider it as a great gift to have had them around me once again this year ....
Leaving this beautiful sunset behind we began our journey home .....
Can't believe while I'm writing this we're already several weeks at home and in the middle of Autumn in terms of weather.
In spite of my good intentions to not only slow down on a holiday but also at home I'm afraid I terribly failed for that matter.
September has been a very full month so far with even more events in store which I love to share with you next time .... till then!
Have a lovely evening,
Anita
~xo~
