Provence
To me, Provence is all about tastes, smells, sounds and warm sunshine: water tinkling in fountains, cooling the summer air, the lavendar fields, the markets with cheeses, fresh herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil. If only the camera could capture all of that.
To me, one of the delights of summer in Provence is to be able to retreat from sun into the dappled shade of a square, sitting with a drink or coffee, easing the time as the heat of the day builds, preferably with the sound of a fountain in the background - as here, in the square outside the Cathedral in Frejus.
Market days at Le Muy are, for me, what Provence is about - sauntering between the stalls, savouring the smells of cooking, of herbs, of cheeses, watching the way the locals check out produce or prepare ready meals with an almost religious devotion to the senses.
Peppers, mushrooms, olives and beans on another market stall in Le Muy.
Lavender fields on the Plateau de Valensole.
Get into the mediaeval fantasy in the cloisters of the cathedral at Frejus.
Wandering through the streets of the old town of Villecroze is a delight, having stopped for coffee at a modest cafe (in the upper photograph), delightfully tucked away in a side street.
Another atmospheric cafe; this one in the small hilltop village of Tourtour.
