Arles

I decided to not have a Special Feature Friday this Friday. Due to my daytime job, and because we are moving house soon, I do not get to spend as much time on my blog as I would like to, and instead of a Special Feature Friday I would like to write about a memory we made last summer.

Friends were over with their car, and we decided to go for a daytrip. This time we chose Arles, a city in the Provence of which I heard a lot. It is about an hour away from Marseille and makes from a nice drive on a spring day. We arrived in Arles and found an Provencal market very soon.  It is great to see the items sold by the salesmen. Olives, bread, vegetables, nougat, sausages and meat products. It was wonderful to see all these regional grown and made goods together!

Arles is an ancient city, the area was already inhabited at 800 BC. In 123 BC the Romans arrived and worked on the expansion of the city. Roman influences can still be found today in the shape of an amphitheater, built in 90 BC and a Gallo-Roman theater.

The arcades of the amphitheater against the blue sky. The theater is open for visitors and in summertime it is still used for bull fights. It has an whole history for it's own! The Gallo-Roman theatre can also be visited. Just outside of Arles there is a Roman aqueduct and mill. 

The city center breathes the air of the old Provencal streets, with the typical houses. Decorated with their beautiful doorways, practical wooden shutters and statues of Maria and other saints. Every summer traditional festivals are celebrated. Every 1st Sunday of July "les arlesiennes" will dress up in their traditional costumes and parade trough the city. 

The painter Vincent van Gogh lived in Arles some of the last years in his life. Some of his famous works where painted here, like "Starry Night over the Rhone", "Cafe terrace at night" and "Hospital in Arles". The latter two can still be found and viewed in the city. Above you can find a picture I took of the "Hospital in Arles", where van Gogh stayed for a while.

Arles is certainly worth a visit, and I would advise to visit in spring or Autumn. As summers can get very hot. If you don't want to miss the market it is best to go on a Saturday morning, as markets usually stop early in these parts. If you have the time it is advisable to stay a couple of day's to truly discover Arles. A train goes to Arles from Marseille. Close to Arles you can find the Camargues, a natural parc in between to arms of the Rhone. It is a river delta with wild horses and flamingo's roaming around. About this, I will write more next time!   

Îles du Frioul: île Ratonneau

This easter weekend we wanted to go to a new place, I have been curious for a long time about the îles du Frioul, 4 islands close to Marseille. Whenever I leave my front door these are the islands I see first. They look small and insignificant from Marseile, yet there is a lot to discover. One of the islands, île d'if we already visited on our first vistit to Marseille, it is a small island with a big fortress on it. Some of you might know it because it was the inspiration for a book by Alexandre Dumas, named "The Count of Monte Christo". It is a populair place for tourists and fans of mister Dumas. This island is great to visit, but I did not feel the need to go again. so we stayed on the boat to the next stop.

Île de Pomègues and île de Ratonneau are two islands connected by a mole. We chose to start at île de Ratonneau and then head over to île de Pomègues later. The islands are not big, and it should be doable to visit them both in one day. However once we started at Ratonneau we quickly found ourselves in a abandoned fortress. We have often been surprise about how easy it is to enter ruins in France, and this was another example. There was a walking path right trough the fortress, but it was easy to stray off and check out the rest. The fortress was build between 1886 and 1889. In 1944 the Germans started with adding canons to the fortress, but this work was never completed. 

 The fortress is a great place to explore. Because it is on the top of the hill you will get a great view on the bay of Marseille and the surrounding hills, as well as the city itself. We went in via the back, and when we left we went trough a big gate on the front. We had to descent quite a bit to get to sea level again, and when we arrived there we decided to have some of our lunch in a silent spot.

On the island you can find many small beaches to sit and swim. If you go in summertime it is certainly a good idea to bring your swimming clothes and a towel. The water on these shores is beautiful, and there is a lot of fish around, a diving mask might help you discover this world further. Unfortunately the weather for us was not really good enough to swim. After our lunch we decided  to walk on to the Hôpital Caroline. This hospital was build to quarantine people coming to Marseille by boat, when there would be suspicion of diseases like the pest or the yellow flue. It was built between 1823 and 1828. The buildings where destroyed in 1944 when Marseille was under attack by air. It stayed empty until 1971, when the islands where bought by the city of Marseille. Today there is work done to restore the buildings to their old glory. From time to time cultural events are organised. The buildings are not opened for public.

About this time we decided it was slowly time to head back, we had taken a lot of time at the fortress so there was no time to discover île de Pomègues. Instead we rested in the village, there is a little boulevard with restaurants and ice cream shops. It is a nice place to rest. The way back was not easy, it was very busy and there was no place for us on the first boat, so we had to wait for the second boat half an hour later to get back to the mainland. Still, I am happy we went and I hope we can go and visit île de Pomègues soon. 

  

A day in the Calanques

Just outside of Marseille there is a nature park called the Calanques. A Calanque is a steep sided valley that goes down into the sea. The nature park between Marseille and Cassis consist of multiple Calanques. The ground consists mostly of rock, hardly any soil can be found. this makes the vegetation in the Calanques rather particular. A lot of lovely smelling herbs can be found along the paths, including rosemary and thyme, as well as juniper, sage and myrtle. Different animals can be found in the Calanques, like foxes, rabbits and wild boars. In all honesty I have never seen these animals, but I am sure they are there, and you can find them if you head out very early in the day.

The rocky hills rise high above sea level, and you can either rise or descend. Both ways are gorgeous, and to truly discover the Calanques I would suggest anyone to take at least two days to walk around. 

When you decide to descend you will find little beaches and rocky shores, it is possible to swim, but the beaches consist of small rocks. I would suggest you take some shoes that you can use for swimming, because the water is cold and that does not feel nice on the feet in combination with the rocks. Especially in the summer this is a great place to go. I like to go early in the morning, when it is not yet hot, and rest the day on the coast, when the day gets colder again it is time to go home.

For the most beautiful views it is a better idea to rise,  the sea and the hills will give the feeling of greatness and always make me feel humble. There is so much to see, from the small people walking down the hills to the ships in the distance. The Mediterranean is always beautiful, and the rough hills make for an interesting sight. Along the paths you can find signs to follow the right paths, but in stores in Marseille you can also find maps with walking routes. 

We usually take the bus to the Calanques, after that it is another 20 minutes walk to get to the center point.

You can take bus 21 from Castellane or Point du Prado to Luminy. Make sure to bring enough water, and wear a hat in the summer. Sun protective cream is also very important! Keep the environment in mind and do not leave any trash in the park. The paths can be difficult and rocky, so it is best to wear proper shoes.

Une journée en Provence ~ A day in the Provence

Today is "Blue Monday" according to many people the gloomiest day of the year. Now, I do not really believe there is such a thing, but nonetheless my day was not exactly sparkling with happiness.
It is the same old story, looking for a job, sending motivational letters. Finding the job perfect for you, but after the sending of the letter you never hear from the company again. But, enough of this right now.

I would like to go back a couple of months, it was in August 2013 we visited the lavender fields in  a region called Luberon. We had been planning for a long time to go, but of course one has to wait until the lavender blooms. We were told this was in August. So when my parents in law where here we went there in their car. Neither of us drive, so it was very nice my parents in law could take us all there. Once we arrived it was hard to find the fields, it turned out we were to late! Luckily we found 2 or 3 fields, that where no longer in full bloom but still very pretty nonetheless.

I am ever so glad to have a panoramic view option on my camera, it is quite a simple small camera, but this is one function I could not go without. The fields may look silent but they are not, they are full of live. There are many butterflies and bees collecting their honey, and a great amount of other different insects and crickets. The fields where buzzing, and it seemed all quite cozy together. And of course the smell was delicious.

After we were all done with the lavender we moved on to a little village, I could not remember the name unfortunately. But it was one of these old Provence villages, with wonderful little streets and fountains. We found a place on a terrace and ordered food, after all this lavender-visiting we were quite hungry. The restaurant was very divers, and everything we ordered was absolutely delicious! Again, if I could remember the name of the restaurant and village I would recommend it. But right now I can't remember. Probably I wake up in the middle of the night knowing the answer though, and then I will be back to tell you!
It softly started raining when we were nearly finished, but we sitting under big umbrella's it did not bother us at all. By the time we were done eating the rain had stopped.On the way back to Marseille we found a lot of sunflower fields, and a little antique market on a town square! Exactly what you would expect on a Sunday day out in the Provence.

Even though the lavender was not in full bloom anymore, and there were only a few small fields to be spotted this was a memorable day. The Provence is beautiful in this time of year, and absolutely worth a visit.
We only drove about an hour and a half from Marseille to get there. So it is doable in a day, even with a rental car. I would suggest that you find out when the fields are in bloom beforehand to be sure. Also, bring a hat and sun protection, it can get really hot in the summer.

Vacation shopping

A better-late-then-never update about all the items I bought on my holiday!

As I said before, this year we went to the Netherlands and England on our holiday. Mostly to see family but there was plenty of time to do other things, for example, shop for my shop. In the Netherlands we went to this little quilt shop in Schagen, Aljona's stoffen. There I found some fabric in a peachy orange color, there where 3 types in one series, one had a tree and different kind of animals, it spelled "les amis de la forét" in the same series there was a fabric with foxes and one with branches and birds. The fabric came in a color I usually do not feel attracted to but this print was so cute, so I decided to get a fat quarter of each. However once I came home I felt like I should have bought more. I also bought 2 fabrics with a flower pattern.

We also went to Amsterdam where I got to go to 2 quilt shops, the first one, birdblocks, I have been there many times and often found a lot to buy, but unfortunately this time I only bought 2 Christmas fabrics. The other shop is called Dutchquilts, this shop is really quite special because they sell antique prints, Dutch but also others. It is really a nice shop to find some different kind of fabrics. Both shops are right next to each other, so if you visit Amsterdam it is really easy to visit them both!

The last quilting shop I visited was in England in Canterbury. I have been in Canterbury a few times before, and walked by the shop, The sewing shop , but I never went in. Well this time I did, and the shop is really cute. I was thrilled to find the fabric "Les amis de la forét" because at that time I really regretted that I did not buy more, so I took another fat quarter. I was especially happy with this shops selecion of Christmas fabric's, they already had a great selection, something I missed in the shops in the Netherlands.

As I would like to build a nice inventory with Christmas items this year, I need the fabric's early to get it done in time. So I was very happy to find a great selecion of winter fabric's in this shop. As well as some floral fabrics and a fabric called paint by numbers, this reminded me a lot of my childhood so I just had to take some. (but again, I should have bought more because it is a great print to work with!)

And then at last I found a shop in Weymouth where they sell wonderful beads, mostly semi precious stone.

I had a hard time finding semi precious stones in the shops, and it was great to find some here, I only took a little selection though because at this point there was not a single free spot left in the suitcase.

So, the holiday was a success, I am extremely happy with everything I bought. It was great to visit all these shops and I hope to be able to return to them again!

Vallon des Trésors

Shopping on holiday

Our holiday is going splendidly! I got to see my family and meet up with everyone. My darling nephew grew so fast, he is absolutely adorable. I was really glad to see him, and see all the new things he has learned. He just learned how to walk, whilst holding something or someone. It is adorable to see him wave, and it took a while but he got the hang of how to clap his hands as well. All very simple things but it is so much fun to watch a baby figure these things out. I am so glad to be up to date again!

And as planned, I got to go shopping for the shop, I visited about 3 quilt shops and the damage was substantial. I could not be more happy though, I just love shopping for fabrics and with the shop these experiences are only getting better.

So, a little preview of the fabrics, they are not yet washed or ironed since they are still in the suitcase for the second part of the trip, so please excuse me for the pictures being a bit messy.

It is August and time to start thinking of Christmas items, so I kept an eye out for Christmas themed fabrics and I have found quite a few nice ones, some very obviously Chrismassy (as we like to call something that looks like Christmas), and some a bit more subtle. I have a few more Christmas themed fabrics at home, and I think all together this can become a nice collection!

I fell in love with these fox and forest themed fabrics right away, they are so adorable, I now wonder why I have not bought more than a fat quarter of each. at first I was doubtful about the print because it is not a color I am usually attracted to, but the longer I look at it the more it starts to grow on me. Right now it is my favorite combination of all the fabrics I bought this week.

Owls, I love them, and I am so glad they are in the fashion, there are wonderful fabrics available with owls on them. this week I bought this fabric the owls look great and the color combination makes it appropriate for a baby room as well.

And at last the flowers, I always keep an eye out for flower fabrics, especially these are very detailed and very pretty, I went for blue and brown, mostly because it was very difficult to find another fabric in the right colors blue, but also because I thought the blue and brown looked like quite a match, and the colors in the raspberries are the same as the colors in the rose. 

So, my first week of holiday has been very fruitful! Thursday we will get on our way to the UK and I hope to find a couple more quilt shops there, I would still like some more Christmas fabrics and I really hope to walk into the fox and forest fabric's again. I also hope to find one or two bead shops, I checked out one bead shop in Amsterdam but was not greatly impressed by the assortment, so I did not buy much.

The last thing I would like to let you know that this week there will not be a Special Feature Friday. But I will make that up with you the week after, and take extra care of finding an extra nice Etsy shop to share!

Special Feature Friday: Millionbells

Edition 5

Earlier this week we finally went on our holiday, it is wonderful to meet up with family again!

However I nearly forgot about the Special Feature Friday, but luckily I remembered right in time.

Lately I have been looking at a lot of crochet patterns, at this moment I have not yet learned how to crochet but the patterns available are so incredibly cute! It is just a matter of time before my first try.
I hope to find a knitting and crochet shop this holiday so I can buy some supplies.

So this week I will feature Millionbells I have seen her a couple of times before on Etsy, this shop owner designs crochet patterns and after payment you will receive a PDF with instructions on how to make them.
The patterns are really cute, there are patterns for plush toy's but also for hot water bottles and egg cozy's.
(because the only thing to make a Sunday morning breakfast better is a cute egg cozy on you fresh warm egg)

The patterns are available in Dutch and English!

A day off

Today is my day off, our French teacher is on a holiday so no school on Tuesday.
Luckily there is enough to do! This weekend my parents in law are visiting so I will need to take some time to make the house a bit cleaner.

But then I will have an afternoon of me time!
At this moment I am working on Mars his new pants, it only needs the zipper, waistband and then it will be done. I will put the zipper in today for sure. Somehow I always like putting in the zipper, it gives me the feeling I am nearly done!

There are also 2 pillow fronts I have that need to be sewn into pillows, I am quite sure I can finish those today as well. Hopefully I will have time to take pictures of them right away!

The weather has cooled down quite a lot, it was about 36°C before the weekend. right now it is only 22°C  it is very refreshing, and it will make me more inclined to actually do some hard work, including ironing the fabrics.

In August we will be visiting family in the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, I am making a list with shops where I can go to buy supplies, for every city I know we are going to I have some addresses  and I hope to be able to buy a lot of nice fabrics, lace, ribbon beads and metal findings!

Certainly looking forward to the trip, it has been 3 months since I have seen my nephew and I bet he changed a lot, another 2 months and he will turn 1. It is also grandma's birthday and I am happy we can be there. In England we will be visiting Mars his family, and Stonehenge, a place I wanted to see for a while now.
All in all, a lot of things to look forward too, but now it is time to get some actual work done!