Oh, Bonnieux, how I miss you so (rhymes with monsieur, if you're curious how to pronounce it)! Nestled and perched high on the side of a mountain in the Luberon region lies Bonnieux, another Roman-Gothic tiny village that has vibrant life, steep streets (very very steep, which is still an understatement), and a spectacular view onto the land of les paysans (farmers). This little town, home to Les Chapelins (a small neighborhood surrounded by vineyards that climbs the mountainside where we stayed), unlike any other is bustling with life, beyond welcoming, home to delicious restaurants, and had the most casual lifestyle. While we didn't make it to the bread museum (shucks...just more carbs for next time!), we did make it to the18th-century chapel at the bottom of the village, the market, found a lively little grocery store, and grabbed our daily croissants and baguettes from the local paâtiserie and salon de thé. We antiqued with some locals and met a lovely artist couple, Carole Sebton and Laurent Vauxion, who own Sous les toiles de Provence Atelier-Galerie who make some of the most unique impressionistic and mixed media work I've ever seen in person.We stayed in an old Provencal home that had been modernized, but still kept its old world charm in way of its stone sink, worn stairs, thick stone walls, and its lack of windows facing the street (cool fact: the French were taxed for the number of windows on a home that faced the street...so they wouldn't put windows on the side of that house!).

This house was our sanctuary to everything that weighed heavy on our shoulders at home. It was one of the best escapes I can remember and easily one of the most photogenic, too! It was so photogenic, we could not pass up a 30th anniversary and family portrait shoot for Jerry's parents. With a view fromBonnieux, across the valley all the way toLacoste, one could sit for hours gazing off past the horizon. When I wasn't daydreaming my life away, I was playing badminton with Jerry and Tess, dipping my toes in the pool while glued to my newKinfolk and sipping sparkling lavender lemonade, I spent my mornings noshing on pastries, butter, and honey, and drinking endless amounts of espresso while sitting in the kitchen window. Tess and I also had a lovely time photographing (and eating) ALL THE FOOD (wait for the next post!), enjoying our time together with family, and occasionally dodging a scorpion. I even raced snails (escargot on the go!) and admired the beauty of spiders and their webs, rather than screaming and running away. This house had so much natural beauty and history with it's towering trees, terraced garden full of lavender, pears, figs, blackberries, olive trees, and all the pretty flowers that overlooked the vineyards of Les Chapelins. And all the history is tied up with the key to this home... it's so big, you could never lose it!

Go! Go! Go! Escargot!

OMG PASTRIES + ESPRESSO!

I spent probably 30 minutes in awe of this florist as she whipped up the most beautiful bouquets in merely seconds. If there was an olympic racing event for creating stunning fresh-flower bouquets, I'm certain she'd win.

On one of our slugfest days (days where you do nothing but slug around), we went out to Les Agnels Distillerie de Lavande to see how lavender was farmed, harvested, distilled, and turned into the finest essential oil. We learned about the health benefits of lavender, too. I'll give you a quick description...it heals everything with 1 drop. We even finished up by watching lavender get stuffed by a tractor tire into the still while sipping on lavender water (not to my taste, hence why I took photos instead). This was a very interesting and informational visit. I had no idea there were three different species of lavender that grew at three different altitudes: traditional lavender (high altitudes), spike lavender (low altitudes), and lavandin, a hybrid of the first two where they meet in a middle altitude. Most of what we use in oils, perfumes, lotions, and other aromatherapy forms are lavandin, rather than lavender, because it is easier to genetically reproduce. They all have their own different medicinal qualities too, but it seemed that lavande officianale, true lavender, had the best and most healing qualities. It also yields some of the BEST honey I've ever had, besides of course, the local honey from Eastern NC.

Thanks for stopping by--I hope you enjoyed our photos from Bonnieux of our epic slugfest (massive key below)!

Some really not-so-awesome-but-can’t-live-without-them instax shots of our tablescape and view from the kitchen window.

And again, our trip was, of course, chronicled in instagram posts. Below are some from this part of our trip. To see them all, and unfortunately see the nsfw spam that made it’s way into our beautiful hashtag, search #bonnieuxmonsieur.

Up next, FOOD. ALL THE FOOD. Please eat before you view! :)

Finally, after months of working, being caught up in life, and editing my heart out, I bring you the first installment of our summer trip to Provence. I have been dying (quite literally, Jerry might think) to publish these photos for your pleasure and to start working them into my own portfolio (more on that in a future blog post if it doesn't kill me first). For the last few years, I've been blessed to travel with my husband's family abroad for a few weeks every summer. Two and a half years ago, they fell in love with Provence (but really, how could you not?) and decided to travel back this year to explore the Luberon region, a bit further East than our last trip. This region is full of rolling mountains, lavender, golden-stoned architecture, and spectacular views through a crystal-clear sky. So clear that you can see the village from one mountaintop all the way across the valley to another mountaintop. We stayed in the lively village of Bonnieux and mainly focused on exploring smaller villages, making friends with locals, and just enjoying life...and food. Always food...and Côtes du Rhône wine. These small communities are full of artisans and antique dealers which made for delightful conversations throughout markets and brocantes. I now understand why artists love this region so much; the sky and light are so pure and the culture so warm, refreshing, and hospitable. It makes sense why Vincent Van Gogh explored this region of Provence in search of the purest of light resulting in his Starry Night. I could spend hours dazing out across the valley watching life happen below and clouds wisp around above me or days noshing on pain au chocolat while drinking an espresso at the patisserie and salon de thé while locals come in for their daily baguettes.

In this first post, I will show you some explorations in Goult and Gordes, two small villages with stunning sites, astounding food, and such a humble unspoken beauty about them. Goult is a very quiet, and arguably one of the least-known towns in the Luberon region. It is a romanesque town with a quaint square, a few shops, and a few cafés for drinking an dining. We didn't venture all the way up to the top to see the town's well-known windmill, however, we found the most peculiar, out of Alice in Wonderland cemetery. One of the prettiest cemeteries I've ever seen and we have a knack for finding beautiful ones (check out this one in Ireland, and this one, this one in Texas). After exploring the shrines and altars of deceased loved ones, we stopped at La Carillon, a restaurant for a delicious du Jour lunch of brandade de cabillaud en tartlette, vinaigrette aux fleurs de jasmin séchées, et mousse line de brocoli de parmesan...basically a delicious and highly photogenic fish and potato tart with creamed broccoli. This was then followed by a tartelette crème citron et mangue fraîche, râpé de citron combava...or a really delectable and tangy citrus cream and mango tart with syrup and lime zest. Oh, I'm drooling just remembering this meal. You can see a preview of these below in my instagram compilation.

When we landed in Marseille at the beginning of our trip, it was lavender harvesting season (literally, the day the French start harvesting this stunning, and scorpion-friendly flower). We quickly set off to find a field after we got some food in our hungry traveling tummies. Alas, we couldn't find many accessible fields, but we did make our way to Gordes to see the lavender at the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque. We greeted Gordes with howling winds, known as LeMistral, and survived taking a poorly focused selfie.These winds and bad selfies, however, did not stop us from exploring the food at the market and the local chapel, St. Eloi, which was a nice sanctuary from Le Mistral.

The next day, I begged Jerry to wake up before dawn and go with me to the Abbaye, which is just outside Gordes in the Vacluse region, down a series of very steep and tightly wound roads (that are so thin and windy you might plummet to your death if you drive like I do). I couldn't resist the morning light that graced the sacred Cistercian abbey and illuminated its lavender fields. The monks who live here farm lavender and raise honeybees as their source of income. While we stood in awe, I came across a lovely Spanish woman who was filming a self-portrait and a painter who also, loved the morning light. It was so quiet and peaceful, until of course, my shutter would click, and virtually echo off the walls of this tranquil hidden ravine. Later that evening, I returned with all of Jerry's family...proof of this in the goofy, and probably looked-down upon group selfie below. I couldn't resist getting some snaps of Mrs. Donna as she was overjoyed with the sight these rolling hills of lavender. We managed to escape the blooms free of scorpion stings or snakebites, however, we did meet a very friendly fox (François, if you fancy his name) who just wanted a piece of baguette and to wish us a safe trip back to Bonnieux.

Our trip was, of course, chronicled in instagram posts. Below are some from this first leg of our trip. To see them all, and unfortunately see the nsfw spam that made it's way into our beautiful hashtag, search #bonnieuxmonsieur.

Stay tuned for my next post on Lacoste and L'Isle Sur La Sorgue! À bientôt!