Tuesday, October 18

the three fs ( france part one)

 france, friends and food. as we drove into dordogne i suddenly felt as if i was driving into one of my beloved novels.  we arrived in the town of Beynac, where stephanie and her husband renovated the loveliest home, so tastefully curated at the foot of a castle,  you could not help but to feel lucky to be within its walls( do you know you can rent the maisonette!) every morning i would get up early and in my pyjamas would step onto the terrace( photo right above) and look outside to the incredible views. i would walk around the castle, the cobblestone streets and gaze over gated entryways. the fog visited this tiny village and reminded me of home, the church bells would ring, the birds would sing and i would whisper to myself this is magical and it was. it is not often that the imagination and reality meet but there in beynac and the maisonette it did just perfectly.

nights would be spent with long dinners at the loveliest places where thoughtful menus were prepared, incredible fish soup served in a beautiful white terrine, plat principal of delicate fish, in season vegetables, desserts such as   glazed figs and verbena ice cream, how we dined, each place now has memories of good conversation, laughs attached to them. we would make our way back to the maisonette, sometimes stopping by neighbours who shared incredible stories and filled our hearts with unexpected emotions. as we walked down the hill pass the castle we would gaze at the stars. our nights would end with us sitting at the farm table exchanging thoughts and ideas for the following day, then i would retire to my bedroom till i would hear the morning bells ring once again...

* more to come

22 comments:

S. Etole said...

What a magical place. Your photos are wonderful as always.

Kristin said...

These are gorgeous pictures of a dreamlike place.

Erica said...

These are beautiful! France is quickly moving to the top of my travel wish-list!!!

Naomi said...

These photos are so atmospheric - I especially love the combination of the peacock & potted plant; the colours are almost the same!

las tardes de Ana said...

I love your photos. They are incredible. This time is like stepping in a fairy tale with the castle and the village. Thanks for sharing them with us.

Ballad of Seasons said...

I just discovered your blog and I'm in love with the photo stream here! amazing photographs!

lots of love from France,
Betül
http://balladofseasons.blogspot.com/

Cannelle Et Vanille said...

seeing it all over again through your eyes is a joy. yes, the three f's. couldn't have said it better. lovely!

Roberta said...

Beautiful pictures... pure magic!

Verónica said...

Adorable France and perfect, magical village... I read somewhere that Beygnac was a location for the film "Chocolat" : )

onesilentwinter said...

yes chocolat was filmed there as well as ever after

tj said...

...Oh my. One would wake up there and then wonder if they are truly awake or just dreaming - simply magical. :o)

...Gorgeous photos, as always.

...Blessings

corine said...

Beautiful!
... and even more beautiful as seen through your eyes

alma said...

Glad to see what you discovered and enjoyed!

Anonymous said...

oh my gosh all that gorgeous stone and fog. positively ethereal. can't wait for more posts and photos!

the wild magnolia said...

I would seriously like to be on this trip. Walking the cobbled stones, moving through the damp fog, eating the most luscious foods, and sleeping sound to awaken happy each morning.

Beautiful photographs.

Elisa said...

I can see why the movie chocolat was filmed here, it's so beautiful. and you captured the mood perfectly!

Josephine said...

I wish I had stowed away in your suitcase! What gorgeous photos! They look straight out of a fairy tale.

Jane Flanagan said...

Absolutely divine! I'm so happy you had this time away. And I'm happy now you're back to share it all with us too!

Alicia P. said...

I love this blog so much. I don't comment very often -- for some reason I can't find the right words -- but I just think you are wonderful, and I'm so glad you share it. xo

Lucia said...

Cobblestone and mist; castles and verbena ice-creams. Even if it's not home, it feels like home, doesn't it?

Silène said...

Quelle que soit la rive, quel que soit le côté de l'océan où vous vous trouvez, votre talent de photographe ne cesse de m'émerveiller.
Silène

PK Studios said...

Ahhhhh..... so lovely. Your photos capture the specialness of the French countryside. So glad you enjoyed yourself. Thank you for sharing and reminding me to pull my old travel photos of France out of the box! : )