A lunch date in Aix-en-Provence (+ Provence vineyard tours)

It didn't take long to figure out what all the fuss was about.





Aix-en-Provence is one of those perfectly imperfect French communes that oozes European charm from every angle.

Exploring the Gorges du Verdon in France via Paddleboat

I know what you're thinking.

"That picture is fa-AKE! Altered, photoshopped, enhanced! There's no way that's the real color of that water."

And I'm here to tell you...



YOU are correct, sir!

Alongside my typical tweaks (aka my deconstructed filter), almost all of these photos were unsaturated by about -15. So yes, these photos were altered, but they were altered to bring DOWN the vibrancy of the water because heaven forbid I mix bright and colorful photographs with my attempted minimalistic and neutral blog palette. . . *eye roll*

Moving on!

Do you remember me talking about 'roadtripping around the Grand Canyon of France'?

I know. It was a really long time ago. . .

Well, J and I obviously had intentions of checking out the "French Grand Canyon" from wayyy up top, but what we didn't know was that we would have the opportunity to experience the Gorges du Verdon from a way more intimate setting.




On our way down the mountain, both our eyes caught a glimmer of the bright teal waters of the Lac de Sainte-Croix, and we knew we had to stop.

"Just a quick stop—just to see the water up close," we said, "and then back on the road to our next adventure in Provence."

And thennn...



SURPRISE! Paddleboat rentals!

Done and done! All other plans (and destinations) would be put on hold for one hour and thirty minutes, which is exactly the amount of time that we had to have the boat back by.

Roadtripin' around the "Grand Canyon of France"

James and I spent our first full day in the South of France zipping around from one end of Provence to the other. Mid-morning we set out from Marseille and headed North East into the Alps-de-Haute-Provence, and subsequently, the Gorges du Verdon.

After two hours of rolling French countryside, we arrived at the base of the mountain. Even at the bottom the views are pretty incredible, but once we caught a glimpse of the bright teal waters of the Le Verdon and Lac de Sainte-Croix, we knew we wanted better view.

Don't make THIS mistake when visiting the Calanques in France

One of the main reasons James and I made the side trip to Cassis was to visit the famous Calanques. Since we didn't have enough time to explore the area on our own, we decided to take one of the highly recommended boat excursions.

There are three options for boat tours; you can visit the first three, five or all nine Calanques. The first three will take you approximately 45 minutes, the first five will take you 65 minutes and all nine will take you 90 minutes round trip.

Scenes from a Heavenly Sunset in Gordes, France

We arrived at the small hillside village of Gordes right before sunset. I intended on spending the remaining sunlight meandering around the inside of the village walls, but I quickly realized there was something else on my radar.

The above photo is basically the only photo I captured while inside the walls... Oops!

I was drawn away from the village and into the outskirts of town. I was looking for a view—a view that I had seen before, and a view that I wanted to see for myself.

Why Cassis Should be on your 2015 Bucket List

Cassis, a small coastal village in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of the South of France, is located just 30 miles east of Marseille. If you are coming from Nice, it will take you at least two hours to get there, but I promise it's worth the drive. Whether you're an adventure-seeker, hardcore explorer, seasoned traveler, easy-going tourist, foodie or lazy sunbather— Cassis has something to pique your interest.

By now, most of you have seen (or heard) me gushing about Cassis, France. Whether it's a snip-it or two on my Instagram or my post reminiscing about its winding streets, it's pretty obvious that I'm all about Cassis right now... And you should be too! 

Inside the Streets of Cassis, France

When James' co-worker (a lovely French woman, who holidays in the South of France) told him that we "had to visit Cassis," I basically took it as the word of God and penciled it right in! Of the four days we spent exploring the South of France, Cassis is probably the one place that I wish we had spent more time. All in all, we only had about four or five hours in the area, but apparently that was all we needed to fall in love with this charming little coastal village.

The Essence of the South of France

J had an opportunity to get away from the office for a few days, so we decided to book a last minute holiday—a 'London-moon', if you will. We considered a couple different places, but the perfect forecast and unusually high temperatures in the South of France solidified our choice.