Ansouis revisited

We visited Ansouis in autumn last year.  We also spent an evening there a few weeks ago and I'm happy to report it's just as gorgeous in summer too. I seriously doubt there is a bad time to visit.

I purposely reserved a later table for dinner so that the mister and I would have a chance to wander around the village a bit in the 'golden hour'.

The school holidays were over and the lack of tourists was notable (except us, of course).

As the sun began to set a beautiful golden light settled in the streets.

Twilight soon followed - time to eat!

We ate at La Closerie that night - a restaurant that has received good reviews. I'm happy to report we also enjoyed our meal there. Delicious food (we had the Menu Gourmand), attentive service and a great wine recommendation from the staff. Book a week out though - it's very popular (this was the second time I'd tried to get in.)

The entree was a killer: crab meat salad with avocado and dressing, a papadum-ish back shell and two crab claws (pre-cracked and read to eat). The two chives for antennae completed the picture.

Thank you, Ansouis, for another lovely visit!

I'll be back with some photos from our Nice trip early next week.

Have a great weekend, everyone. We'll be up at 6.30am on Saturday to watch the Australian Football Grand Final - good luck Swannies!

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Yesterday we hauled ourselves out of the house and drove to the Luberon Valley to visit the lovely village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie.

A 200-odd metre chain is strung between two rock masses over the town, from which a golden star is suspended. The legend says it was hung in the 10th century by the Knight of Blacas, who vowed to do so if he ever escaped his captors (during the Crusades).

The original star is long gone - apparently the chain and etoile are replaced every 50 years or so.

The main tourist attraction in Moustiers is climbing up to the Chapelle Notre Dame de Beauvoir perched above the town.

But before we did that, we had a bite to eat and enjoyed walking around the picturesque streets.

There were some really unique artisan wares:

And of course, the usual touristy stuff:

Moustiers is well known for its faïence china and there are plenty of shops stocking many variations (there is also a museum on the subject near the mairie).

You can even find lovely examples of it adorning residences:

The walk up the the Chapelle must not be missed. It's not a steep incline and there are handrails almost all the way up.

The Chapelle in the distance, from about half way up

You'll pass the 14 Stations of the Cross as you go:

A warning - the rocks steps have been worn smooth by the feet of a million tourists (and pilgrims) and are really, really slippery. The handrails were a necessity on the way down.

You will also want to keep your little ones nearby for although there are walls/rails, there are also a few spots where they could take a tumble.

I'm really not sure what Mary is up to in this scene:

The views on the way are spectacular:

The church itself is small and cosy:

But the real reason to make the climb is to look back down on the village and the land beyond.

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is a gorgeous spot to visit if you love cobblestone streets, crockery or tourist attractions that help you burn off all those crème brulées.

We recommend it!

Linking up with Love the Place You Live over on Design Mom. Love the place I live - what an understatement!

Whataya mean it's almost been a month...

Hi Everyone!

Wow, there's a few cobwebs around here.

The late summer/back to school combo got the best of me, but I promise I haven't been idle.

Neither has the mister - he finished his epic, 7 day biking event in the Alps. After 780km, 19 cols (biiiiiig hills) and 21,000m of ascent he was mighty tired when he crossed the finish line in Nice, right in front of the Mediterranean.

He was a little gaunt too, as they tend to be after an endurance event. I set to work fattening him up again.

It helps that the figs are in season:

And we have easy access to lots of double cream soft cheeses:

We managed to squeeze in two date nights - including one in lovely Ansouis:

Then there was the whole back to school routine. Two in primary school, one spending mornings at the  maternelle school (preschool) and the baby with two afternoons of garderie (creche). The routine took some getting used to but now we've got it down pat.

Lots of admin for our move home to Australia in January as well. House renovations, new schools, finding daycare, part-time work, inventories and flights. Feeling better now we've broken the back of it.

We've booked an autumn holiday for Malta! I'm really excited we're going.

Of course there's been some sewing:

And just to give myself a big kick into action I joined up for the Travellin' Pic-Stitch Blog Hop (details on Katy and Laura's blogs). Did you know that EPP stands for English Paper Piecing? I've got a lot to learn before October!


Hope you've all been good this past month. I've got lots more to show you but until then I hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

A bientôt!