A room with a view ....

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 .....

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~

A trip down memory lane ....

About two weeks ago we went together with my two sisters and their husbands on a four-day trip to Luxembourg 

Not just an ordinary trip, but one down memory lane.

When we were kids we went for a couple of years on holiday to the little village Beaufort , and now again one of the villages planned to visit. 

Now our parents are no longer with us it seems our bond only became stronger.

While you sometimes hear that families fall apart when the parents pass away, with us it's certainly not the case.

I think that as we - by circumstances - haven't lived as a real family that long, our close relationship and the few precious family memories is something to be treasured.

A collage of some pictures from our childhood holidays showing our - I now think - very cool transport, and the visitors during that years including my dear gran ... 

So not long after our mum died last May we planned our first holiday as adult sisters together!

We booked three rooms next to each other in a family hotel near the historic town Clervaux .

When we arrived two weeks ago and went up to our room this was our view ...

After unpacking our suitcase we went exploring the little town and its environment. After a walk and late lunch we walked to the end of the town towards the abbey. Not really knowing if we went the right direction we asked a resident who directed us further into the forest.

What happened next during our walk through the woods made me really feel the presence of my parents, as if they guided us on our journey.

Because out of the blue there was this - for us not really common in a until then completely silent forest - magical moment ....

After first thought we might have misunderstood the good man, the sound of the bells and this view through the trees made it clear that we were well on our way ....

And there it was the Benedictine Abbey Clervaux ....

And all the beauty around it ....

Surrounded by the scent of blossom ....

And such a wonderful new experience, walking together in nature ....

The next day we went to the capital Luxembourg ....

A beautiful historic city with so much flowers and greenery ....

This is the view from above to the lower situated park ....

A park designed by the landscape architect Edouard Andre as an English garden filled with all sorts of flower beds ....

There were all kind of rhododendrons but I especially liked this one ....

Because the park is much lower as the city there's no noise at all, only birdsong ...

We also admired the view from the promontory in the north-eastern corner
of Luxembourg's old historical district ....

And especially this fabulous located veggie plot ....

And still - in many ways - flowers everywhere ....

On our last day we visited the campsite where we stayed during our childhood holidays and
saw that little had changed.
Everything still so very lush and green, only much larger trees in the adjacent forest ....

I was determined to light a candle in the village church but unfortunately it was closed. So sorry that I couldn't go inside the church ....

My father was known for his rather vivid imagination and loved to take people fooled. All those years ago he made us believe that - in the castle just outside the village - lived a clown. He meant the character of a - in our youth very popular - television series. And of course we believed him and were always on the look for "Pipo de Clown" when we visited this beautiful castle  ....

My dad would be so very pleased to know his joke is still such a living reminder ....

Our next stop was the tourist town Echternach where we payed a visit to the beautiful abbey....

and lighted a candle ....

Our last stop on our trip down memory lane had to be the beautiful Mullertal also known
as little Switzerland ....

Where the waterfall seemed much smaller than I remembered as a child. But still impressive though as nature never fails to do ....

I think my mum and dad must have had a very satisfied sight from above , seeing how their daughters memorised their childhood together.
One thing is for sure, this was our first but certainly not our last trip together. New memories will be made and I know two people who will make that very happy ....


Anita
~xo~