Sunday, August 07, 2016

Dreaming of France -- Heating Up


Thank you for joining this weekly meme. Grab a copy of the photo above and link back to An Accidental Blog. Share with the rest of us your passion for France. Did you read a good book set in France? See a movie? Take a photo in France? Have an adventure? Eat a fabulous meal or even just a pastry? Or if you're in France now, go ahead and lord it over the rest of us. We can take it.

Here we are in the heat of summer, and it reminded me of a hot time we had in France last year.
We usually visit France in the spring or fall, avoiding crowds, but in southern France, it can get plenty warm even in the spring.
The one hot day on our last visit, was the day we decided to hike up Mont Ste. Victoire near Aix en Provence.
From here, the top of the mountain seems so far away.
We had some trouble finding the beginning of the trail, but eventually we
saw a sign that assured us we were headed to the cross on top of the mountain.
The entry to the path goes over a dam.

Once up on the mountain, we could see the nuclear power plant in the distance. 
Although we hiked over very rocky ground for a couple of hours, we  never quite made it to the cross at the top. Some people were doing mountain running. They raced past us jumping from rock to rock. Amazing.
Getting closer.
As close as we got before we climbed back down the mountain. 
Next time, we'll take  more water and food, and we'll start earlier to make sure we reach the summit.
And after we finished our hike up Mont Sainte Victoire, we stopped for ice cream, of course.



Thanks so much for playing along with Dreaming of France today. Please leave your name and blog address in Mr. Linky below, and leave a comment letting me know what  you think about my love affair with France, or your own love affair. And consider visiting the blogs of others who play along so we can all share the love. 
I'm also linking to All About France



Oui In France

12 comments:

our life in france said...

Oh Paulita your blog is always interesting and your absolute love of france shines through, i bet you cant wait until you are here full time, i love the french always embrace their lives here, they live to eat and talk with loved ones and friends about anything or nothing, i saw the number 13 on the sign and it reminds me how lucky we are as our house is number 13 x

Esme said...

The photo with the water is lovely. Where in France are you moving to? My post is about a book set in Provence. We are in sync this week.

Louise said...

What a wonderful day that must have been, even if too hot- and some nice glaces at the end- perfection.

Paulita said...

Roz, Thanks, yes, I am definitely smitten by France. I can't wait to start our French life.
Esme, We're going to explore villages in Languedoc Roussillon, which is to the west of Provence, but not quite as popular as Provence yet, which hopefully means we'll be able to afford a house there. I'll check out the book you recommended.
Louise, Yes, it was a lovely memory.

Anonymous said...

Languedoc is definitely more affordable than Provence, especially if you aren't too close to the beach or a big city like Montpellier or Nîmes. When you get here, I will divulge all my accumulated French real estate knowledge.
It's very hot these days, but dry as a bone. The river through our village has nearly dried up. Sometimes there are wildfires (again, they're worse near the coast, where it's much windier). On the upside, there are no mosquitos, and the heat is tolerable if you stay out of the sun. We do our shutter dance and keep the house quite cool without A/C.

Anonymous said...

I love the spring here, before the crowds arrive. We are on the Atlantic coast in the Charente Maritime. Yes it is super busy in the summer, but still not as bad as the Côte d'Azur and it's definitely more laid back, think t shirts and boating shoes as opposed to designer dresses and Jimmy Choos! We can still move on the coast and visit the beach at least twice a week without any problems. Journey times just take a little longer. We are about 15 minutes inland which is perfect, we get the best of both worlds! We are also surrounded by the Atlantic Islands, Île de Ré, Île d'Oleron, Île d'Aix and Île Madame.

Paulita said...

Francetaste, I'm looking forward to picking your brain about real estate as we get closer. For now, we mostly look at websites about buying real estate in various cities in Languedoc.
Susan, The Charente Maritime does sound lovely, but we've definitely fallen for the South. Perhaps we'll end up looking other places too.

Jacqui Brown said...

We have now been in France for 12 years and on the blog this week I am reliving those first few days!

Paulita said...

Jacqui, I'm really enjoying the story of your move to France.

Unknown said...

I found my way here through the #AllAboutFrance link-up and I'm really glad I did! We lived in the Auvergne for 7 years (and I've worked there several weeks a year for 13 more), and your comments really strike a chord.

Philippe F. said...

Bonjour paulita! I finally managed to connect to your blog !!! Thanks to GOOGLE .
Now I am ready to chat with you about your different posts. A bientôt. Philippe.

Paulita said...

Philippe, So glad you figured it out. Welcome to An Accidental Blog.

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