When in France...
Soak up the quiet rural lifestyle whenever possible...
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Take time to smell the flowers...
Take time to smell the flowers...
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Discover villages tucked away down seemingly impassable lanes...
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But head for the towns and cities too for a dose of the fascinating heritage and sights to remember.
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Eat outside the little cafés...and watch the world go by...
Sample the specialities and don't worry about the calories!
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When in France...
Get to know the locals...
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They're a friendly lot...even if your schoolgirl French from 28 years ago is now a little dodgy, and who knows what you are really saying...;-))
Relax...
Dream...
And Laugh.
When in France...
Act your shoe size...
And enjoy the sunshine, knowing that back home its probably raining!
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Treasure the details and the souvenirs picked up along the way...
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Shop!
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Shop!
Even when it turns out that all that lovely vintage enamelware isn't for sale...
And its 'display only'!
A few pieces just might have a price ticket - and one that you can afford, too ;-))
And its 'display only'!
A few pieces just might have a price ticket - and one that you can afford, too ;-))
(Drat that poor exchange rate!)
(But I'm chuffed with my red check enamel pieces and the traditional Bretagne clogs, which I shall display in our kitchen as a reminder of a fab holiday)
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And there's always the colourful markets, where an eyeful such as this is priceless!
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And there's always the colourful markets, where an eyeful such as this is priceless!
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Garlic and onions are always for sale...
Garlic and onions are always for sale...
And sweeter scented Marseille soaps.
(I've invested in several bars of these traditional floral soaps, which will come with me to the next V&H fair.)
And if possible make a b-line for Helen's 'heaven on earth'.
(More about this story will follow on another post...)
(Hubby, our youngest daughter, her bestest buddie and I, all stayed in a rural Gite near to Josselin in Brittany. It was a wonderful holiday, where we found the Bretagne people to be very welcoming. The scenery is beautiful, the lifestyle laid-back and luckily for us, the sun shone!)
Niki x
What a lovely place!
ReplyDeleteAnd I bet you had a lovely time, those pictures are absolutely wonderful.
You really made me want to go there. What a lovely place!
ReplyDeleteIt looks absolutely wonderful Niki!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing it with us all.
Jayne
Oh, what beautiful photos~ I feel like I was there- am crazy for the red check enamel- did you buy any?
ReplyDeleteKaren
Oh ... how I wish I could just click my heels together three times and be magically transported to this world. At least for a week or two! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for sharing with us - looks like a place I would love to go to.
ReplyDeleteI stayed in Josselin too, many years ago! Brittany is one of my favourite places to visit...;) I'd like to pop in there sometimes soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing beauty!
Monica xx.
What gorgeous photos, and I LOVE that soap.
ReplyDeleteSue xx
Hi Niki, It all looks so beautiful. We always talk about going over to France but never seem to get around to actually organising it in time! Maybe this will be the spur to just 'get on with it'
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovey holiday. We're heading north to Brittany in two weeks' time, to share a gite with my PIL. We may be able to meet up with Elizabethd from French Village Life whilst there, which would be added fun. I do hope the rest of your summer in the UK is also good for you.
ReplyDeleteThank you for taking me to France with you, I had such a lovely time!
ReplyDeleteWx
Wow, great holiday piccies. Looks as if you really had a special time. Lizzie x
ReplyDeleteYour photographs are always so beautiful, it looks like you had an amazing time.
ReplyDeleteAnn x
I want to go there, it is all so beautiful and colourful.Looks like you had a lovely time.
ReplyDeleteSue
Oh how pretty there it is. I live only one kilometer away from france and on friday I was on a small but very interesting fleamarket there and showed it in my blog. Your picture from the enamel coffee pots is gorgeous and I love the old sugar tin with the roses. I collect enamelware too and buy the most on ebay or in france.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing this beautiful pictures.
best greetings from germany,
rosenresli
Hi there,Nikki!
ReplyDeleteIt looks idyllic!
It was great to have an 'escape' for a few minutes!
Lovely of you to share it with us!
As for shoe size..sadly, I have always acted mine!
;-)
Now I feel that I made it to France this year after all...gorgeous photos, thank you. Rebecca x
ReplyDeleteFabulous post, you summed up all the reasons why I love living in France!
ReplyDeleteLeeann x
Merci Niki! What a truly stunning post as always! Thank you for sharing some of the magic xx
ReplyDeleteDear Niki
ReplyDeleteIt looks just splendid - so much sunshine! Thank you for giving us a glimpse of your rural French holiday.
Denise x
i never expected that France have such a very beautiful spots like these. The photos were great|!!! Nice capture!!!
ReplyDeleteOh you always have the best pics! This was a lovely tour Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHugs, Lisa
That looks like a fab location Niki I feel all sad as we have missed our annual trip to france this year..as you said drat that euro....love H
ReplyDeleteHi Niki
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I missed this post! Fabulous!
Sue x