23.05.2013

1st Anniversary

Today was our first anniversary. It began like all good days should, with sleeping in and missing breakfast.

After checking out of our hotel, we started our drive to Provence. The weather was gray and gloomy, with rain off and on. We stopped for a quick coffee and bite to eat on the way. As we drove into the region of Provence, the landscape began to change from flat farmlands to more mountainous scenery. We began to see vineyards, and then the sun broke through the clouds and we saw blue sky for the first time in days!

We found the little hameau where our holiday home was located pretty easily. It's made up of 10 homes, that's it. About five minutes away is a small town. The holiday home is perfect. It has a little private garden with a pool and BBQ, a little kitchen/dining area, living room, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom.

After getting settled in to the house, we drove to town, parked and walked around for awhile to photograph and just take in the flavor. We both love the rustic elegance of France and were almost in disbelief at how beautiful everything was. And the weather could not have been more perfect - sunny and 20C.

We found a little restaurant in town and had a lovely dinner together of marinated beef, red wine and a dessert of cheese and fig confiture. After driving home, we gave each other our anniversary gifts. We had to laugh, because after bringing four cameras with me on this trip, Johnny gave me another - a beautiful Olympus rangefinder that I had taken a fancy to.

The perfect day ended with a bottle of rosé wine and some music at our little home-away-from-home.

23.05.2013

Embarking to France

Our second day started with a nice breakfast on board the Oscar Wilde. We arrived in France at 11 o'clock in the morning and started our drive in Cherbourg.

We then stopped for petrol and lunch in Le Mans and left the highway close to Vichy to stop for the night. Rebecca and I both love road trips and were enjoying each others' company after a couple of very busy weeks at home.

We had not booked a room in advance and after our first attempt wasn't very lucky, we found a nice room in the Grand Hotel Montespan Talleyrand. We enjoyed a fantastic dinner in the hotel's own restaurant incl. white wine and cheese from the region, before we snuggled up for the night - both of us passing out quickly after the long drive.

22.05.2013

Bon Voyage

To celebrate our first anniversary on May 22, Johnny and I are going to Provence, France for 2 weeks. We're both really looking forward to it. Waiting for this day felt like years!

It was a bit of a hectic morning getting our last-minute packing done. We had a good laugh between us about how much camera equipment we packed. Seven cameras between the two of us - two digital and five film. But everything was ready in time and we started off to Rosslare, where we would catch an overnight ferry, the Oscar Wilde, to Cherbourg, France.

Our drive was about 3-1/2 hours, and check in was smooth - we drove straight onto the ferry, parked and went to our room. Johnny had booked a nice cabin for us, which is like a hotel room, with a comfortable bed, a bathroom, a living room, and windows to the outside. We spent some time relaxing in our room and then went for a quick lunch at the Braisserie cafeteria. Afterwards, we went on deck to take a few pictures. The coast of Ireland had long disappeared, and all you could see was vast ocean, rough gray water disappearing into fog. It was beautiful. We sat for awhile together at the back of the boat and watched the wake rolling into the distance. We both felt incredibly lucky to be together on this trip.

After some more lounging in our room, Internet surfing and a short nap, we went down to the Steakhouse for dinner. Tonight we will cozy up in our room with a glass of white wine and fruit. I'm already looking forward to snuggling up and sleeping - I love the feeling of being rocked by the waves. I feel so incredibly blessed to be enjoying a holiday like this with my husband. Tomorrow we arrive in Cherbourg at 11am, and then our long drive to Provence begins.