May 112017
 

I hiked partly back up the trail towards Monterosso to take this picture as the sun set in Vernazza. I was joined up there by a family who had brought a few big beers up with them, which they were good enough to share. It worked out pretty well for me.

venazza harbour

May 032017
 

This is another one of my new favourite places in the world; Vernazza, in Italy’s Cinque Terre. It’s a small village connected to the other villages in the area by hiking paths and the train tracks you can see in the bottom right of this photo.

vernazza with train tracks church and castle with view of ocean

May 012017
 

On my first day in Provence I took a drive down to the little seaside town of Cassis. We arrived late afternoon and I think we were pretty lucky to find parking. However, it seemed like the bulk of tourists were on their way out so before long it wasn’t too crowded.

cassis water showing harbour with boats and buildings with blue sky

Apr 242017
 

Even though the Chateau was closed for renovations (seemingly indefinitely), it was still nice wandering around this small town in Provence, France. I took this photo, carefully framing it to avoid the cars parked in front of the clocktower. Then I turned and walked into an artist’s gallery just behind me. The first thing I saw was a painting of the same scene with almost an identical composition.

clocktower in ansouis provence quaint medieval french village

Apr 222017
 

It was a fairly long walk from Vernazza to Monterosso al Mare up and down along the Italian coastline. When I arrived the first thing I did was sit down in a small cafe above this beach to enjoy parma ham and cantaloupe with a big bottle of water. It was while eating there that I discovered that wasps are attracted to ham. This would be confirmed a couple days later as I tucked into the same lunch in a different location.

the beach at monterosso al mare with church and castle on hill and blue and wihte umbrellas and lounger chairs and bathers

Apr 162017
 

During my stay in Aix-en-Provence I went on a drive to a number of small villages nearby. I stopped in this village, which has a chateau at the top of the hill. Unfortunately, the Chateau was closed for renovations but I still enjoyed wandering around the town.

quaint french house with green shutters in chateau d'ansoius in provence france

Apr 092017
 

This is taken on the main drag through the small medieval town of Lourmarin. It’s a pretty sleepy place despite the tourist hordes descending upon the town. Cafes and restaurants like the one pictured here adorn the whole street.

friends strolling through lourmain provence france main street while couples dine and relax at streetside cafes