Les Grandes Vacances ~ Part Four

Posted on September 1st, 2010 in Gourmandise, Travel

Summer time and the livin’ is easy…If you have been reading Bardot in Blue for a while then you already know my love for eating well. Luberon life in the summer is one of leisure, taking the time to enjoy all the delicious things in life is one of my greatest pleasures when I am there. Fresh produce, big brunches, sipping rosé pool side, and the local restaurants or the tastiest part of summer in Provence…

Freshly sliced nectarines and mint…

Ice cream to cool off…

Dinner at my favorite Lourmarin Michelin Star restaurant, La Récréation…

More wine from the region and homemade tartes and ice cream…

Afterwards it’s nice to head to rooftop bar La Maison Café for an after dinner drink and some live music…

A full moon tucked behind the clouds on the walk back to the house after a summer night in town…

…and a photo of the sunflower field I took at night with an extremely long exposure. They glow in the moonlight…like a painting. C’est un peu Van Gogh n’est ce pas?

Les Grandes Vacances ~ Part Three

Posted on August 30th, 2010 in Fashion, Travel

Here is a little peak at these vintage salopettes I added to my Provence wardrobe this summer…

So comfy and cute. What’s your favorite thing you added to your wardrobe this summer?

P.S. Shop vintage in the Bardot Boutique!

Les Grandes Vacances ~ Part One

Posted on August 24th, 2010 in Travel

It’s that time of year where Paris is empty and everyone heads to warmer locals in search of rest and relaxation. I was lucky enough to get at least a couple days in the Luberon. Everytime I come here I leave a little piece of my heart and fall more in love with this place and life here. I love in the film A Good Year when asked “Are they good memories” about his childhood in the Luberon, Max replies “No…they’re grand.” I couldn’t agree more. I absolutely adore this film and if you don’t know Provence at all, or even if you do like me, it’s a must see movie. This place is magic in all its simplicity. There are no words to describe its enchantment, and no photos that can capture the feeling here. Nevertheless I will try by sharing mine with you in my next couple of posts.

In the village of Lourmarin there are so many cute little apartments…

…in beautiful old buildings.

In late mornings we stop for a café at Chez Gaby.

Usually we have headed into town to pick up some fresh summer’s bounty.

A stop by the boulangerie to pick up some pain au chocolat and bread for lunch and dinner later. Doggies have to wait outside.

That’s where I met this cute little guy.

I imagine what it would be like to have a simple life living year round in the tiny village in an apartment like this one, walking down the street to work every morning.

Each and every time I go I see something I didn’t notice before, like this old paint they are charmingly let fade away above this store.

Many more photos from the south to come. If you haven’t seen my posts from Provence before check out my travel section to catch up. I really enjoyed hearing those of you who have been share your memories of Provence back in those posts.

I Left My Heart in Provence ~ Part Four

Posted on May 10th, 2010 in Travel

My days in Provence go something like this…

Lounging by the pool…

…beneath blue skies.

Plenty of delicious things to eat.

Cooling off in the pool.

Enjoying the view.

Often the cooler nights are spent down the road in Aix-en-Provence…

…strolling around…

…tiny quiet streets…

…looking in windows after hours.

Provence, je t’aime.

The End, now back to blogging about Paris!

I Left My Heart in Provence ~ Part One

Posted on May 1st, 2010 in Travel

I have to say I really feel like a lucky girl. Hard to believe less than two months ago I was exploring the Cote d’Azure with French-Kissed and on our train ride home through Provence the ground and covered in snow. I am fortunate enough to have been back last weekend and find the seasons have completely changed. This time I was in sundresses and swimsuits. My darling boyfriend has a family home in the region of Luberon, and whenever we get the urge to get out of town we head south for the weekend, which is only a three hour high speed train ride to paradise. Just down the road is the little town of Lourmarin which I fall deeper in love with every time I go visit.

Everything here is so pure, pristine, and sweet in all of its aged and authentic charm.

I swear it’s extremely difficult to get a less than delicious meal in the region.

This is the town school…

This is one of the several boutique hotels in town.

The produce is amazing…

…which is one of the main reasons the food is the best I have eaten in the whole world in the Luberon.

I love how nothing here fancy or over done. I feel so at ease in the world here. Knowing every weekend there will be too short, I slow down and take the time to live fully in each moment.

After my first several trips, we are still finding new things to do. This time we visited the cemetery in Lourmarin. Call me creepy but I love visiting old cemeteries.

French Algerian author and philosopher Albert Camus is buried in the cemetery here. Camus is one of my favorite authors. Being in the Luberon you can see how it must have inspired him. Once I moved beyond the absurdism and existentialism in his work, I really feel his message is more about not letting life distract us from what is incredible about the moment now. There is too much we can’t know, but the simplest things are often the most real and  most beautiful, and thus perhaps the most important. The colors in a pretty sunset, feeling the breeze on your skin and the sound as it rustles through the trees, the smells of the flowers, watching the street lights turn on at twilight, etc. In the Luberon I take the time to appreciate these things. I read his book The Stranger in high school, and as his vivid descriptions of the simple magic in life became so much more important than the plot line as a whole this was the message I took from it. I have also read several other works from Camus but The Stranger is my favorite.

Camus died very young at the age of forty seven in a car accident not far from Lourmarin. His wife is buried next to him.

Another who died young…

I have so many pictures from just one weekend in Provence that I will be sharing them with you in a series of posts this week. In the meantime if you are looking for inspiration be sure to check out what’s hanging in the Inspiration Gallery as well as one of my new favorite blogs You’re the Rag to My Doll who shares amazing inspiration boards including one with Bardot in Blue! Once again I am so sorry I have not had the time to return anyone’s comments but as soon as things settle down next week I will pay all of your lovely posts the attention they deserve. Now I am back to writing papers…much less fun than blogging!