
I honestly think the older I get, the harder that jetlag thing becomes. Maybe it is simply that each time it becomes a tad bit more significant in emotions and events. I did give myself the weekend off to do the mundane "back from vacation" routine and spend some time with B. and our friends getting re-adjusted.
I also took time to write down some sort of schedule as my work time is pretty much spoken for until this April. I look forward to come here on this page and unwind with more recipes and stories!

In that spirit and to tell you "Thank you" from the bottom of my heart for reading, laughing, frowning and smiling with me, I put together a little basket of French goodies I picked up on my trip to give away today. Head to the end of the post for instructions on how to enter...!

In the meantime, on to the Southern part of my trip back home. I do hope my aunt and uncle won't mind my posting about their gorgeous home and the wonderful meal we had when we stopped there on our way from the Alps to Aix-En-Provence. I am so proud of the work they have done, I can't help share some pictures.

I have always thought my aunt Agnes should have been a stylist or an interior decorator and this visit proved it once again. They basically bought a ruin in Provence with 4 walls, a roof and pretty much nothing you could call a home inside. Today, they have turned it into possibly the most peaceful retreat one could think of.

I don't tend to carry my camera to every meal I attend but I knew that lunch at their place would be the perfect opportunity to make you part of an everyday meal for us. French food and cooking is always surprising. A perfect mix of intricate, controlled preparations, detailed methods and a more relaxed, everyday cooking which makes going out a true fete and dining in a celebration of simplicity.

With the myriad of regions, provinces and history in France, it's not uncommon for visitors to go a tad bit crazy over the fantastic food. I know I do everytime I come home but really French cooking is nothing but a strong appreciation for seasonal foods and the cooking methods that bring out the best of it. Simple, fresh, fragrant. And Provence is naturally perfect for that.

I just wrote myself a sticky note to ask my aunt for her confit de carottes recipe. Melt in your mouth slow cooked carrots that held their shape perfectly right up until you'd close your mouth upon them. Then it was an explosion of sweet and savory, garlic flower and thyme.


We ate and drank and took our time to appreciate the scenery before us. So much so that we made our way to Aix-En-Provence in the later part of the afternoon. The sun falling down over the city was casting a gorgeous golden glow on the house fronts and pebbled streets.


Going back there was a treat for all of us. My father went to school at the Institute of Political Studies there and got a bit emotional showing me his first apartment right on the Cours Mirabeau. We spent quite a bit of time in that area retracing steps to stores, restaurants, and other places we used to visit.


Things have inevitably changed since we used to live in the area but a few things remain as we remembered. The markets, the plazas, sitting at a cafe listening to an open air classical concert. Fountains, facades, shops...it was good to be back even for such a short stop but we had somewhere more important to be.

Going back to my old village of Calas-Cabries was amazing in ways I can't explain. In the five minutes I was out of the car, everything came back. The streets, the turns, the walkways, the shortcuts. My first bike fall, my first crush, my first dive...Trees and bushes had taken over the front lawn in my old house and that was just as well. I could almost hear us play in the pampa's grass again and not think about the pool newly installed.

Time and life change things. I did not expect anything upon returning home. Expectations ruin things most of the time. The old village had not changed however. The church where I did my communions, the central plaza where I did my ballet recitals. All these years spent there becoming the person I am today. I finally started making sense of myself to myself.

The chapel on the hill where we'd have Scouts meetings. It was good to be home and take a walk under the pine trees and to hear the kids running around at recess. Nothing like a trip home to reset the human clocks right.

It's good to be home now although I am already planning another couple of trips out West! First is BlogHer Food in San Francisco October 8th and 9th. I am honored to be back as a speaker on a photography panel with my buddy Jen from Use Real Butter as we share the same view about conferences being teaching tools not mere presentations of what is or should be. Sharing is key. We hope to see you there!

1303 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 1303 Newer› Newest»Your pictures are so beautiful! I hope to honeymoon in France this spring. I can't wait for the cheese, wine, oysters, and cider that await me. Love your blog!
Oh how beautiful!!! If I could, I would take a whole month to travel through France at my leisure. That basket look phenomenal.
These photos are absolutely breathtaking! Thank you for hosting the giveaway!
Isn't France gorgeous? We fell in love with the little seaside town of Villefranche on our honeymoon. I've been loving your photos - it makes me want to go back!
Helene, So glad you had a wonderful trip!!! Your pictures are tres magnifique!
Kathleen (akprinz at msn dot com)
May I just say that seeing all of your pictures made me homesick for Europe, yet again. My husband and I spent our first few years of marriage over there and had a wonderful time...we'll be heading back next summer to visit friends, places, and to show our son where he was born. Thanks for the beautiful pictures!
What a lovely goodie giveaway!
aprilsconfections@yahoo.com
Awesome giveaway! I was drooling just looking at the basket of goodies.
Thanks for sharing your pictures. I have so little time to myself and viewing your photos is like a mini vacation. Lovely.
So pretty! I love your photos and it makes me want to plan a trip somewhere sweet and simple.
Your photography is amazing and left me drooling for a French fix. 2 plane tickets to France, please!
I'm taking a semester abroad to France next year, but after seeing your pictures I don't think I can wait that long!
Gorgeous photos. Makes me want to hop on a plane tout de suite!
Thank you for putting together such a wonderful giveaway!
All of your photos are so beautiful. Looking at them is the next best thing to being there. :)
Yay for giveaways. Love France!
Wow, thanks for hosting such an awesome giveaway!
I've never been to France, but now I really really want to :)
Your photos are gorgeous. Reminds me of those travel articles in *sniff* Gourmet. Thanks for sharing!
What a beautiful post. I also can't wait to see the confit de carrottes recipe...
How pretty!! :)
How lovely! Thank you for taking us on a mini vacation through your photos.
How beautiful! The photos are just lovely ~ it makes you wanna plan a next trip to France )oh if only that were possible!) :)
France looks absolutely gorgeous. The pictures you have taken are making me extraordinarily eager to visit there someday. [:
Your beautiful pictures really make me think I should be going over to visit sometime soon - the 'fresh' look to them is positively edible :)
Your photos are so beautiful -- I went to France when I was little and am hoping I can soon go back!
What an exciting giveaway! I was in France this summer too and I absolutely loved it.
I wish i were in the south of france right now! Lovely pictures!
The pictures are stunning and made me want to visit France. Your hometown looks so warm and nice too.
And what a generous and delicious giveaway!
iqggy@yahoo.com
These pictures make me swoon, I daydream about going to France someday, it looks so beautiful.
Breathtaking photos. They makes me want to travel the world!! :)
Gorgeous!
Dreamy images of wonderful places...definitely added to my scrapbook of places to visit!
Amazing photos, beautiful blog.
Oh goodness this post makes me so nostalgic for France...
Oh, how I miss France. Your pictures are simply beautiful and bring back so many memories.
Thanks for sharing your pictures. I'm heading to Europe in two weeks and I'm getting very excited. We'll be driving thru Provence! Looking forward to all the sights and foods!
Love your blog! Your recipes and photographs are divine. I hope I win :)!
Another blog post that makes me want to visit france!
Oh wow! Did you just took photographs of my dream or were you actually there? What breathtaking photographs! I actually travelled thousands of miles through your photographs. Now I want to make a trip to my home country and share its beauty with the world :-)
How beautiful!!! I would love these goodies!
Oh wow, enter me please!!
ooh.la.la.cherie@gmail.com
Beautiful pictures! Makes me want to go to France all over again!
How beautiful! Thanks for the virtual tour...
Your pictures take me back to feeling of belonging. I love "old country"! Something about these old walls.. if only they could talk. Thanks
Would love a taste of France!!
What a wonderful vacation and a lovely basket, I'm keeping my fingers crossed!
Sounds amazing! Sign me up!
Thank you for sharing wonderful photos of your trip. Since I could not visit my family in Europe this summer, your photos have made it a little easier to bear the separation.
Man I wish I could travel right now. Your pictures are gorgeous. I'm loving the giveaway too. All that delicious stuff...yum!
nutmegnanny@hotmail.com
How stunning!
Welcome home, such lovely pictures! Makes me wish I could visit sometime.
Oh my, this makes me want to visit Europe so badly. Thanks for posting your lovely pictures and holding this lovely giveaway!
I have wanted to visit France since I was a little girl, now I really must go soon! Your pictures are beautiful.
Absolutely beautiful pictures as always. That basket of goodies looks divine :-)
Your pictures are wonderful, and now I really want to go to France. Thanks for sharing!
Oh man! I want to go back there. I was in that area, in the spring of 2004. I was even at that candy shop.. I still have the tin. Thanks for bring back some good memories.
What an awesome giveaway!
Your photos are gorgeous! I'd love to have a sample of your trip :)
What fun to tag along with you on your beautiful trip!!!
What a great giveaway! It's so sweet of you to share a taste of your time in France with us. I really enjoyed your lovely pictures.
snucci @ gmail.com
those photos are nice! I love the photos that you took of the Provence it makes me want to be there
Oh my gosh, beautiful photos and a giveaway too? I am so jealous of your trip, it looks AMAZING!
dzitella(at)gmail(dot)com
Breath taking photos. This entry was a mini vacation to read. Thank you for sharing.
oh my fingers are very crossed for this giveaway. i have found myself yearning for france lately. i miss it so.
and i love la cure gourmande!!
Welcome back home! That first picture is stunning! And who wouldn't love a basket full of french goodies!! :)
*yum* I miss Europe =( Those pictures are absolutely beautiful!
Gorgeous photos! I visited the southern part of France when I was a teen..How I'd love to go back to Aic-en-Provence and Eze again!
Oh my, that basket is a little to beautiful for its own good!
Joao and I have plans to go to Provence - maybe next year. What a stunning place, Helen! And gorgeous photos!
Definitely looking forward to a full confit de carottes post :)
What a gorgeous area, a place I must visit while I am on this side of the ocean! Thanks so much for sharing in your past few posts!
ooh, would love this!
Your trip looks wonderful, serene, and peaceful. Thanks for giving us glimpses of your beautiful home!
What an amazing and beautiful trip.
I have been really enjoying your pictures from France, looks so beautiful! The hamper looks delicious.
I hope I win :)
I'm a big fan of stomping grounds! Wish mine were in France and not Wisconsin though!
What beautiful photos; you must have had an amazing trip! That basket of goodies is so generous and wonderful!!! :D Thank you!
Looks absolutely lovely -- a feast for the eyes! Brings me back to my own trip to Provence a few years back....I hope to get there again one day! Thanks for sharing the highlights of your trip and for the wonderful giveaway.
Oh my goodness - what a generous and beautiful giveaway! The photos of your trip are beautiful. :)
Thank you for sharing your inspirational trip. The photographs are so beautiful. I never knew there was somewhere in the world so beautiful and serene.
I honestly think I can safely say that France is one of the most beautiful places, and I'm jealous that you can call it 'home.' I also think that your aunt's house is gorgeous in its ancient simplicity.
I love your photography, I love your blog, keep up the excellent work! :)
So in love with these photos! Love your blog- brings back happy French memories for me :)
It is absolutely beautiful! My husband and I are dying to go to France so he can show me all the places he loves there. And that basket looks so perfect and just the sort of thing we can share to bring a bit of France to our home!
gorgeous photos, it makes me want to visit there some day! Love the colors, tones and textures of everything. Beautiful!
Beautiful photos! Thank you so much!
Now, these photos really make you want to travel there and experience everything by yourself.
A big hello from Croatia!
Gorgeous pics as always! It makes me want to go to France. Right now.
OOO LA LA! Lovely!
What beautiful photos!
Helene, please take me along with you the next time you go home :-)
I loved those stairs at your aunt's house and those plates...beautiful!
Yr photos always inspire me Helen...I hope to visit France someday..just chill around eat lovely food and click beautiful pics like you do hopefully!
Que J'aime Aix-en-Provence! I'm so jealous.
'Be still my heart'....what pictures! Thank you...and those figs!! I have been longing for some sweet delicious figs and looking at the picture was almost as good as munching one down! And how kind of you to want to share some goodies from your trip.
Thank you again, Rebecca
What a great post. The pictures make me want to get on the plane right now and experience this trip for myself... Thanks!
beautiful photos - it makes me miss france!
Que J'aime Aix-en-Provence! I'm so jealous.
My college roommate spent a year in Provence, and I've always wanted to go! Such beautiful pictures :)
Wow...beautiful. I just can't say enough about Provence...it's just so amazingly gorgeous. I want to travel so badly it hurts, but my little one's are far too young to head off into the unknown just yet and hubby is unwilling to take the amount of time I want him to off of work. I will have to live vicariously through your posts...such beauty!
how beautiful! and what a lovely basket of treats. thanks for the giveaway.
Your post brought nostalgic tears to my eyes. The images from your childhood are so perfectly painted through words and pictures! Thank you for this virtual trip to Provence, it was so nice!
OMGoodness the basket reflects your travels and the beautiful post.Gorgeous!!
Your photos are so expressive that I can smell lavender, dry dust, spice and buttery croissants with good coffee. Thanks før sharing your talent.
Andrea
WON-DER-FUL!
It has been like doing my holidays in France twice!
I've visited the very same corners in Aix-en-Provence!
Beautiful pictures as always... Would like to go back to France sometime soon, I was there last summer but in Paris and Menton... Want to visit Provance too, it looks so nice!
And that last sentence made me thiiiis happy :D Thank you for hosting a giveaway for everyone!
I just love reading your blog and seeing your beautiful photography. Thanks for sharing your trip home with us!
consider yourself inspiring! many thanks!
Oh Helen!! that was a beautiful post!! Thanks for taking through such a gorgeous journey. We hope to do a road trip through the country in the next couple of years.. and I am going to bug you for suggestions then :DD
And, what a fantastic giveaway!! I must say I have loved all things French since our trip to Paris a few yrs back and it would be great to relive the memories if I win the basket!! {fingers crossed}
what wonderful photos!
oh, this giveaway is awesome! it would be a fantastic early birthday present :) have a great week!
You're photos are always an inspiration. Thank you for hosting this giveaway! I miss France :(
Brandon
Wow, beautiful photographs! And delicious looking treats!
Going back to memorable places can be such a journey in itself, can't it? Things change, some things stay the same, but it's nice to make new memories to complement the old ones. Thank you for sharing your homeland with us (and it's bounty!).
A beautiful wrap-up of your trip. My son leaves for his junior year of college in Germany this week, and I am so happy that he will have an opportunity to see lovely places in Europe while he is there. Your basket of goodies would be wonderful to win, and you wouldn't have to mail it very far -- I'm in South Carolina, too. I could drive down! -- michele
Love your blog!
-Meredith
Hope you had a great trip and that gift basket looks like a lot of fun!
I love Aix en Provence! Have only been there once, but really want to go back. It is such a beutiful town with all the fountains and statues and nice shops and restaurants everywhere. The best thing I bought when I was there was a yellow ceramic dish for grating garlic, nicely painted in the Provence colours. It brings me back.
Thank you for great inspiration in your posts.
I've been following this blog for a while now and of all the recipes that I've try ed the only taste that was left was delicious. Very very nice photos too. Thank you very much.
Hi
I love your photography and simply drool over every shots you took.
Your photos make me want to just pack my bag and hop on to the next plane to France = )
Thank you for the giveaways.
Blessings on you
Christine
Beautiful Pictures!! I can't wait to visit France someday!
Beautiful photos! I'm off to book a flight to France now...
what an absolutely BEAUTIFUL place to be able to call home! I wish I could go back for a visit RIGHT NOW! But this post was the next best thing...
Thanks for sharing such a beautiful trip!
Your photos are wonderful. Beautiful blog.
What a wonderful post!
I have been to all of these places when I studied abroad in college. I hope to go back very s oon but this gift basket would keep me satisfied until then!
hopeswenson@gmail.com
Thanks for the great pictures! They make me want to travel!
I have been to all of these places when I studied abroad and hope to go back soon! This basket would satisfy me until then!
hopeswenson@gmail.com
Wow, fantastic giveaway! Thank you!
I would love to go back to France!
What a beautiful trip. It is a life long dream of mine to travel to France. I can just taste it. Thank you for sharing these beautiful photos, and reminsicing about times gone by. I loved the peak into French life and cuisine.
As for the giveaway, I would love love love to win! Such a beautiful and treasured basket of goodies. xoxo
This brings back so many great memories. I used to live in a small (really small) town near Aix and I miss it so much. The people there are so generous and open, I wish I would still be there :(
I know that it would not be fair if I won (even though I want to so bad!) because I live in Germany which is just near France and I could just go over there on vacation and get it myself. And others are far away and probably have been dreaming about des huiles de Provence for a long time.
But thanks for the chance!
thnks for the virtual treat,..everythin looks so good,.feel like gng to this place
These pictures have made up my undecided mind on visiting the south of France where my boyfriend lived for some time. Thanks Helen.
Thank you for sharing this piece of your life. What a beautiful post!
Your pictures are amazing! My husband and I were in Aix for our honeymoon, it brought back lovely memories. Our hearts are certainly in France!
Gorgeous photos. Thanks for sharing!
OMG.. I wish I could go to France. The photos are INCREDIBLE!!!
Beautiful photos and what a fun giveaway! Sign me up =)
must concur with nearly everyone else here... truly amazing photos...
the colors in Provence alone would bowl me over! regal purple figs, bright and cheerful yellow confit de carottes, and oh that delicate glass of bubblegum pink rose! i'll dream to see, smell and touch it all some day.
cheers,
*heather*
So beautiful! Thank you for sharing the photos. Makes me feel like I'm one step closer to my dream of living there someday. Thank you!
Beautiful post, beautiful land. Thank you so much for sharing it with me.
Your pictures are amazing. I want to hang them all around my office so I can feel like I'm in France all the time.
Your pictures are magnificent :)
Will try my luck :)
Katerina
Your photo's are amazing, I'd love to visit France someday :)
What wonderful pictures. I have been to other areas of France, but never yet to Provence. It is certainly moving higher on my list now.
I always love reading your blog! I recently started my own company baking tarts and look to your recipes often for inspiration!
I always love reading your blog! I recently started my own company baking tarts and look to your recipes often for inspiration!
Lovely photos, lovely post, lovely giveaway! :)
oh la la so beautiful photos! amazing giveaway! please count me in! xo
Your pictures are so beautiful that it makes me want to travel. I've never been far from the east coast and this makes me want to see the world
I love French!
1 years ago Paris, last month Bretagne.. next year Provence *-*
fede.ci@hotmail.it
What gorgeous photos! Next time, can I come along? ;)
what an awesome giveaway but what awesomeR pictures!!
You had me at Violet and Rose Petals..
Gorgeous! I felt like I was there -- thank you for the trip!
That photograph of the olives on the branch is just perfect. It reminds me that sometimes the tiniest details tell the story. This photo was so much more compelling than the one I probably would have taken, a far-away view of the entire olive tree, which would come nowhere as close as your image to conveying the essence of the thing!
That basket looks amazing. The French make such delicious treats.
Absolutely beautiful photographs!
Wow - great basket to give away :)
These photos have inspired me to create some sort of French dish for dinner tonight! Mmm
The market looks amazing, I wish I could be transported to Provence and taste all the lovely flavors of the fresh food being sold there.
What lovely photos! The picture of the tomato salad made me happy that I have a huge bowl of them at home :)
What a lovely post. Your photos really captured the essence of that region in France. Beautiful.
Wow, these are great pictures. Those prizes all look delicious (well..the napkins don't, but the macarons on them do)
Helene, your photos are lovely (as always!) and make me ache to return to France for a visit. Next time I might skip Paris altogether for a journey in Provence. Thank you for sharing your vacation with us!
Oh my! Such beautiful photos and story and now a basket, too? Sign me up, please!
Elizabeth
bennette@uci.edu
Everything is so beautiful! What a fun little goody basket. Looks fantastic.
Provence is amazing! One of my most memorable lectures when I was in lycee francais was the one on Provence! I remember my teacher explaining that it's one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen.. I been draming to go there ever since!
I'm really happy about you!
xx
Awesome photos! I really want to take another trip to Europe!
Your photos make me want to jump on a plane, RIGHT NOW.
Fabulous photos! Everything in the basket looks amazing!
I was just transported. Provence is on my list of places to visit. Thanks for the taste!
Looks amazing, thanks for sharing!
Those figs look amazing! Everywhere they are popping up!
The pictures of Provence look like a fairy tale. I can't imagine that a place that beautiful actually exists. How marvelous to spend your childhood summers in such a dream location.
Wow, what an amazing trip! I only went once to France, early this year, and didn't have the chance to visit more than Paris (and not all of it, of course) -of course it was great!-, but I did buy some sweets in la Cure Gourmande and they were just perfect.
Thank you for this giveaway!
I have never had the desire to visit France - your pictures and posts have changed that to be sure!
Thank you!
Love your blog; the colours, the food, the photography. Very inspirational.
Cheers Kim (Carp Ontario)
Your photos are beautiful! I spent 3 weeks in and around Aix 3 years ago. I stayed on Rue Pierre et Marie Curie, listening to the singing coming from the nearby Opera House. We were hosted by friends in Ventabren to the most wonderful lunch of my life, overlooking Mt. Sainte-Victoire - a lunch that looks almost identical to your Aunt's!
This post has me pining to go back. Thank you for bringing your camera and sharing your magical Provence!
I've only been (briefly) to Paris and had little chance to dive into the foods while there. Your post makes me even more regretful (if that's even possible!).
I love the shot of the olive tree. I studied abroad in Greece and the sight brings back so many memories. They are lovely, shapely things.
Thanks for the many ice cream and sorbet recipes - I just got an ice cream maker and am scrambling to make everything before it's no longer ice cream season!
lovely pics. would love to pack my bags and go...
I'm in the middle of traffic and could use a french retreat myself! Do your Aunt and Uncle want to come decorate an apartment in Boston ? :)
I have never been to France but it's on my bucket list :) Your photos are lovely and makes it even more tempting.
I have never been to France but it's on my bucket list :) Your photos are lovely and makes it even more tempting.
I love your blog, the photography and recipes are wonderful.
What beautiful photos! I've been experiencing an awful lot of wanderlust lately and I'm happy I can travel vicarious through you!
oh my, those croissant sugar cubes are the best thing i've ever seen!!!!
Beautiful, beautiful post. Definitely stirs up the urge to travel ...
Your photos are beautiful! They're making me want to go to France again! Thank you for sharing part of your trip with us.
your pictures are gorgeous and really capture the feel and atmosphere of france. it's going to the top of my vacation wish list! :)
Gorgeous photos, and a gorgeous give-away! Would love to win! :)
I hope I can visit there someday, your photos are just too beautiful!!
Your pictures are really beautiful and in a certain way it remembers me about my Italy...the countryside with the old buildings, the olive trees, the sun that touches everything and gives you ripe vegetables and fruits. oh, so lovely. Happy that you share this blessing with us. thank you
Martina
Gorgeous. Aix is one of my favorite places.
Ah, Helen, you inspire me still. I am planning another trip to France for next year and hope that unlike this year, things don't fall through.
I love your photos! You capture some of the same things I like to look at when I travel. I miss the shops in Paris, those off-the-beaten-path pockets of treasure that make me feel like I've discovered something very special.
Maybe next trip I can check out Aix-En-Provence. In any event, their tourism bureau should give you compensation for making everyone want to visit!
Mochene
Watching the photos I may say you had wonderful summer! I've also been to Provence, last summer holidays and I enjoyed it so much! The french food is amazing, their breads, fruits, and the fact everything is light and tasty. Not mentioning the landscapes and weather! However, I'm from Poland, which is not too close to France anyway. (:
Such pretty photos. Can almost smell through them! Sounds like a wonderful trip!
Looking forward to that carrot recipe! Sounds delicious.
Such pretty photos. Can almost smell through them! Sounds like a wonderful trip!
What a fantastic post! I would love to have this goodie basket for my boyfriend's birthday for a wonderful picnic at a local winery!!!
Best,
Lindsay
shrimpsaladcircus [!at] gmail dot com
Everything in that basket looks absolutely divine.
Lovely post, brings back memories of a great trip I took to Provence with my mom about five years ago. Thanks!
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