"COLLAGE" - MEMORIES OF FRANCE

• Fellow BWP bloggers are responding to a challenge of creating a collage of "HOME"
• Browsing the blogs this weekend, I felt inspired to also create a "COLLAGE"
• The theme I chose is "FRANCE" (BIG surprise, right?!)
• Ritz Photo in Paoli printed it on 24" x 36" photo paper
• It's now framed and hanging on my wall!

Now, for the enlargements of the photos in the collage, with a short description of where I took each one......

One of my favorite red wines comes from the tiny village of RASTEAU in the Rhone region of southern France, where the famous Cotes du Rhone wines are bottled.  It was Fall and the leaves on the vines were "golden".  Not just "golden" but actually "shimmering gold" in the bright sunshine.  I had a "moment" when I felt that I was seeing the much talked about "light" that the Impressionist Painters sought in the Provence region. It literally took my breath away. Shimmering, glittering, golden leaves on the vines - literally like diamonds.  I took this photo from the top of the hill, looking out over the valley.

It was in 2007, and my friend Mary Ann and I stayed at a terrific B&B in VAISON-LA-ROMAINE, called L'Eveche. We spent a whole morning in the exciting "market day" experience, where I bought some fun jewelry that I still enjoy.  And of course we had to buy some French cheese and baguettes to go with wine (Cotes du Rhone of course) for our dinner. Perfection!  Another morning we discovered uncovered ruins in the middle of town and wandered around for a bit.  Sculpture really fascinates me.....  I just don't know how they do it!! Mary Ann still laughs when she remembers my "stumble" here (lost my footing) and there was a girl sitting on a wall just staring at me stumbling with no reaction whatsoever.  Really Mary Ann? Was it really THAT funny?!

While on the west coast of France with Linda and Andy Smith in 2009, for their daughter Abbey's "Destination Wedding in France" (with Ben Hunter), we spent a few hours in the most beautiful village - TALMONT-SUR-GIRONDE (it's on the "Most Beautiful Villages in France" list). The BLUE!! The FLOWERS!! The LAVENDER!! The DRESS on the shop door!!  

Jumping back to 2007 in Provence, we also stopped in the tiny village of SEGURET (also on the "Most Beautiful Villages in France" list), near Rasteau and Vaison-la-Romaine, where I took LOTS of pictures. Everything there was just so beautiful.  I couldn't get enough.  The vibrant fall colors were unbelievable.

Not far from Seguret is the town of GIGONDAS, another area producing really fine Cote du Rhone wine. The price for a bottle of wine there was reasonable, but here???  Not so much.  But it IS a really delicious red wine. I felt really at home in this town. We stopped for a quick lunch, but I could have spent a few more hours just sitting and looking around (and taking pictures of course!).

On this same trip, we actually started on the French Riviera in one of the most wonderful and unique B&B rooms that I've ever stayed in, in the hilltop town of EZE (they had "overbooked" their B&B and HAD to put us here. They had just completed it and we were the first to stay - oh my!).  SPECTACULAR!!  It was a tiny 2-story apartment with a pull-down stairway to the roof where there were chairs to watch the sunset and the sunrise. Which we did. With wine. Overlooking the water of the Riviera. Mary Ann and I still laugh about this being the most romantic place a person could be, doing the most romantic things and who was I with? My friend. Mary Ann. Sigh...........  I'll have to share some photos of this apartment another time. Anyway, we spent a few hours in the walled town of ST PAUL DE VENCE one afternoon. Once again, a Photographer's Paradise, with the red and gold leaves of Fall hanging off the walls (didn't mean to make this rhyme here).  I'll never forget it. Here's a glimpse of a stairway down to a residence with a metal gate that caught my eye.

And my favorite photo of all time is of a window in Provence.  I think it may also have been in Seguret, but I'm not certain. Isn't this inviting? I love the lace curtain in the window, the rustic shutters and the color of the leaves on the walls.

And another sculpture - at the magnificent PALACE OF VERSAILLES, outside of PARIS. It's hard to believe that I had been to Paris maybe 6 times before I visited Versailles. But I finally did it. And with who better than Linda and Andy (he is quite the talented watercolorist - Andy's Website). We all walked around together in awe. Naturally, I then became obsessed with reading more about Paris during the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, her daughter, etc., etc. The gardens are beyond beautiful. The decor in the Palace is so over-the-top........ (more photos might be in order for another blog post, right??). But doesn't this sculpture just take your breath away? Ok, maybe I'm a little dramatic, but it really does move me.

I hope you've enjoyed the description of my collage photos while on our brief little "trip to France" together........