Markets in Provence

To market, to market, to buy a penny bun,
Home again, home again, market is done.

That was the first recorded version of this rhyme,  Then they added a pig, a hog etc...

When we plan our trips to France, one of the first things we do, is check out the market days in the villages. There is a lot of activity on market day, great food and of course, people watching!

Valensole market

I have never seen so many lavender products in my life!  Paintings that smelled of lavender, bath products, honey, soaps and even vendors with lavender hair.  By the end of the day, the lavender scent was a little overwhelming...I needed to smell some coffee beans! The last time I was smelling a variety of fragrances, they gave me coffee beans to smell.  It is like sorbet between courses and helps you distinguish between scents!

Introducing the lavender girls of Valensole!

Forcalquier Market - our home on this trip

Sisteron market

Aix-en-Provence Market

There are many market days in Aix...It is a  larger city than the villages we have been visiting.  Many stores, bars, restaurants and opera!  

Some markets are better than others and one of my favourites is the Lourmarin market.  It has a mixture of crafts, food and other local products.  Maybe it is our favourite because Lourmarin is the village where we stayed on our first trip to France.  I love it!

Isle Sur-la-Sorgue Market

He is sooo cute!

Market days are such an important part of daily life in France...you can also pick up some vintage pieces of jewellery!

A la prochain....

Penny

The Photographer's Wife

We set the alarm for 6:00 so we would be on our way by 6:30 to view the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque. This iconic place, built in 1148 by Cistercian monks is probably one of the most photographed spots in all of Provence. It is set in a valley and framed with beautiful lavender fields. The plan was to get to Gordes by the time the sun cleared the mountain. We got there about 7:45 and waited ...and waited.  We counted the rows of lavender...the light is on row 4, we wait a little longer....on 5 now. It now hit a corner of the roof. Where is a Tim Hortons when you need one?  Cars stop and people jump out and take photos quickly of the abbey, but we continue to wait. Camera Guy says "not yet", and we wait a little longer. 

Oh look, the light hit the steeple...it's now 8:39 and the light covers most of the roof. Maybe by by 9:15 we'll be enjoying that long ago promised coffee in a cafe in Gordes. Camera Guy gets the car in the right position, climbs up on the roof and makes this beautiful image.

We found that cafe and enjoyed coffee and pain au chocolate and planned the rest of our day. I think Camera Guy will be waiting for me now, as I shop the markets. 

À demain.

Penny

Likuliku, Our Favourite Place in Fiji

 



 

What impressed us most at Likuliku was the staff and the service.  We have been to great hotels around the world, but this was different.  It wasn't "taught" customer service...it was sincere. It was from the heart.  I believe it was and that is what  is important.  They wanted to help or accomodate us all the time.  Even when they were unable to do something, they made every effort they could...and that makes LikuLiku  unforgettable.

 

 

 

I spoke above to Tulia, the Hotel Manager about what makes LikuLiku so special.

 

 

I loved it here...

 

 

Yes they sold snorkelling excursions, but Tom recommended that we check out the snorkelling from the pier first. It really was spectacular.  Dan could have stayed in the water all day.

 

One excursion we did purchase was the Sunset Cruise.  We highly recommend it!  It was Coolie, the guitar player , Sam- our pilot , Dan and me.  They served champagne and a beautiful antpasti platter...it was soooo romantic- an amazing sunset, floating in a stunning lagoon, music and the love of my life.

Pinch me...is this a dream?

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

And Sam...you promised me the next clam you brought over to the lagoon, you would name Penny...We will be back someday...Thank you - Vinaka to all the staff at LikuLiku.

Two more nights on the mainland before our journey back to Canada.


 

Likuliku, Absolutely Stunning!

Our transfers were on South Sea Cruises.

Once upon a time across the bluest of oceans, an island was born of lava and sand - an untouched paradise whose heart was a turquoise lagoon of unimaginable beauty and tranquility.  The first visitors came and explored.  To honour the magic of the place, they named it "Likiliku", meaning "calm waters"

(taken from www.LikulikuLagoon.com)

Our beautiful room at Likuliku. The bed faced huge picture windows facing the lagoon.

A plunge pool and day bed outside of the room with a view of the lagoon-simply paradise...

We found this in our room upon arrival and took it to dinner the first night.

Below the Executive Chef, Ihaka Peri and his team present exquisite dishes...

We loved it here...and the service levels here were simply outstanding.

 

Dan took this picture when we were snorkelling off the pier of Likuliku.  There were a gazillion fish - it was almost overwhelming....

 

The torches were lit each night.  The resort is so romantic....
More on Likuliku to follow.

Welcome to Scotland!

Thursday, July 7th, 2011

After a lot of worry over the weight of our luggage…it was all for nothing.  We flew from London to Edinburgh on BMI and the weight allowances for each of us is 20 kg in addition to one carry on.  I know many people have had issues with discounted airlines but things went smoothly for us on British Midland. 

The flight went well until we were about to land - and I mean we were waiting for the wheels to touch the ground - when all of a sudden the pilot gunned the engines & put the aircraft into a steep climb!  It seems the aircraft ahead of us hit a bird and protocol is that the airport personnel check the runway for remnants….so we circled and got a nice tour of Edinburgh before landing smoothly.

We rented our car with Auto Europe (prepaid) and were upgraded to a Ford Titanium…. the challenge – driving on the left side of the road and shifting a standard with your left hand!  

And so it began, the nail biting and dashboard clutching - I think it is even more difficult being a passenger at times like this.  I don’t believe there is anyone I would trust more than Dan to drive me around in a foreign country, but I needed a little time to have faith in him – especially in the roundabouts!  All I could think of was “keep left!”  After a while we did settle in to the rhythm of the driving but camera guy still had a problem with his perspective on the passenger side of the car.  We were always on the very edge of the road – awfully close to parked cars or the ditch.  I know he was trying to maintain room in the middle of the road but really….

After being told to please stop screaming every time he got close to the edge, I developed this technique that we agreed on (actually I am not really sure Dan agreed, but he seemed to be ok with it and even got a laugh once in a while).  I would say “Beep!”  when he moved towards the edge and “BEEP BEEP BEEP”  at a slightly higher frequency when getting dangerously over – remember there are no shoulders on these roads.  Or very few. 

After a spectacular two hour drive north, we settled in at Polmaily, our bed and breakfast for the next four nights, outside the town of Drumnadrochit- pronounced Droom-na-drock-it.  This is right at Loch Ness and no we didn’t see Nessie- I tried talking to her and begging her to come out but she didn’t co-operate….

 Tomorrow – The Isle of Skye!