The last France post, promise.
That also means the last time you have to see me in my trusty denim shirt (yeah!). Our trip ended with a long stretch through some incredible villages, built into the sides of mountains and a random dinner with our Air bnb hosts that spoke zero english but that served us kick ass wine and foie gras from her stash, it was probably the best meal of our trip. Our last afternoon in Bordeaux we ate our last bistro mean and far too much rose, roaming the streets of Bordeaux in complete denial we were leaving. That next morning we set off for the long journey home, kilos heavier but completely in love with what we were lucky enough to experience. The trip of a lifetime.
I was thrilled to jump on plane and head to Melbourne the other week to host another sold out calligraphy workshop with Lulu Lucky. The Melbourne weather shocked me but the windy day did nothing to dampen our spirits and we were cozy inside the awesome Pop & Scott studio with their wood burning stove and incredible, warehouse style. I was in love with this venue and can't wait to go back. Also have to thank Poppy herself for the beautiful flowers, Santa Vittoria and Ed Dixon Food design for keeping us well hydrated and fed - those brownies were to die for. Another whirlwind day trip but I'm beginning to get used to this crazy yet wonderful pace.
How could I forget to post these? In the craziness that has been our lives the past few weeks, two France posts fell off my radar only to be discovered last night! Just looking through them brought back happy memories from the road of little cottages we stayed at, wearing the same clothes everyday as you do when you pack light which only matters when you look at photos and realise you wore the same thing in every one, eating the best chocolate tart of my life, beautiful golden sunsets and happy times with the best travel partner a girl could ask for.
I have always wanted to hit the road and explore the south of France so when we finally did it, we made it a priority to try and stop in as many little villages as possible. True, at times it did feel like we were jumping out of the car more often than not and racing through empty yet stunning lane ways and cobblestone streets, admiring window boxes, beautiful doors and shoving baguettes under our arm as we raced off to the next destination. That's the thing about a road trip with limited time and that while you are taking time to enjoy the scenery there is just so much to take in, and I have a tendency to want to see it all.
My favourite memories from the road are the fields of sunflowers that went on for miles, the French pop music, the changing landscape, the castles seen in the far off distance and the medieval towns dotted all over the landscape. If i could I would have explored them all but I'm pretty dame happy with some of the gems we did discover, tucked into hillsides or standing perched on a hill, all with a story of their own and far more history than I can write here.
I've been having a lot of pinch me moments lately. Like when hard work and good news seem to arrive hand in hand and you have to stop and think, is this really happening? They are good moments to savour and I'm finally get a chance to post some photos above that completely encapsulate this feeling.
When Maya Vidulich agreed to come photograph the first calligraphy class I hosted with Lulu Lucky, I was over the moon. I’ve been so lucky this year to team up with some amazing photographers and Maya was certainly on my wish list of people to collaborate with. I’ve rambled many times here on this blog about my appreciation for photography but seeing how some of these photos continue to turn out astounds me – especially when I’ve tried to take the same shot.
A true pro makes it look easy, even though it isn’t. Maya falls into this category and to top it all off she arrived early, stayed later than she needed too, was professional, gorgeous, fun and lovely to be around. Having her there to capture our calligraphy class was amazing and I'm so grateful for her generosity and time. As a result I’m so happy to be able to have photos to treasure that are actually in focus - unlike my own :)
And the trip continued through the Cote D'Azur.
Salty air, sun, sea. It was the perfect combination and would have been so easy to stay forever...I miss it now.
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