Le Frioul

La Cité Radieuse

A few more images from Le Corbusier's Masion du Fada.

I've written a guest post over at the brilliant YHBHS.

La Bastide de Marie

During the summer I spent a weekend in the Luberon doing research for an article. Part of the research involved visiting a Provençal country hotel - La Bastide de Marie.
It is Peter Mayle country and in fact, is not far from the surprisingly unspoilt Ménerbes, the village which he wrote about in 'A Year in Provence'.

La Bastide de Marie is luxurious, in an understated Provençal kindof way. It's set amongst a vineyard, with views looking out to the Luberon hills. The kitchen is open and airy. In fact the morning I was there, a freshly baked tray of madeleines was cooling outside the kitchen, wafting delicious smells over the guests eating leur petit dejeuner in the morning sun.

It was relaxed & friendly and reminded me of similar upmarket hotels set amongst working vineyards, in New Zealand.

argentique

Last week the rollei and I went on our first 'proper' outing together.
We met Marion at Les Rencontres Arles Photographie and wandered around the exhibitions for the day.
The results were a mixed bag - most of the shots inside were pretty overexposed. I have lots more experimenting to do. So I think that rollei will be coming along on holiday with us to Italy next week!

Have a look at Marion's version of the day.

fujichrome sensia 100

do le RinQuinQuin

A few weeks ago we spent the weekend in the Luberon as I had a magazine article to take pictures for. One day we lunched in this superbly old school restaurant in Bonnieux. It was one of the best restuarant meals I've had for ages; especially as for research & photographic purposes, we had to sample some of the apéritifs de Provence.
It was the RinQuinQuin that totally had me. It rolls off the tongue like a cross between a Moulin Rouge show girl and a Noël Coward play. There's usually à la pêche added to the name but I prefer to call it simply le RinQuinQuin.

Hôtel Restaurant Panoramique César
Place de la Liberté,
84480, Bonnieux

noël market

On Boxing Day morning we wandered around the centre of Aix en Provence and came across various markets with their products all so beautifully displayed.

le pavillon noir

The Pavillon Noir is a contemporary dance centre in Aix en Provence, designed by the architect Rudy Ricciotti in 2006. It's an elegant, modern contrast to much of the more traditional centre of Aix. Next visit I'll make sure I attend a performance there.

le tholonet

Le Tholonet is a hamlet just outside Aix en Provence on the way to Saint Victoire, the famous mountain of Cezanne's paintings. There's not much here apart from a bar, restaurant and boules ground - however, these are exactly the 3 things you really need in a French village. It's the third week of a heatwave in the south of France and so people don't tend to go out much until the light starts to change to the soft pink, particular to Provence. This is a beautiful village to sit with a glass of rosé filled with ice blocks, nibble on some anchovie flavoured olives and watch as the light changes and families start games of boules.