There's always a secret & tiny fear when you return to the same place every year that you may have somehow outgrown it....plus when you look forward all year with increasing
But yet again, this summer in Villefranche sur Mer in the south of France, was completely wonderful.
There is so much of the world that I still want to see but I truly feel that I could visit Villefranche every year for the rest of my life & never get fed up of it....it is a magical, beautiful & special place, our happy place.Some of my best family memories are always going to be of this gorgeous French seaside home.
This year, I realised we've actually been going there for 10 years, we've holidayed there almost every summer. We fall into a routine almost as soon as we arrive & I love how everything feels so familiar....but on the other hand, every year my children are a year older & so that makes a difference. some years more than others.
This year I traveled there with my children by train....London to Paris & then Paris to Nice on the night train, I had booked a couchette. This was fantastic, my children loved it, it was comfortable (much more so than I thought it might be) & something that we will definitely do it again.
On our return home, we took the fast TGV train from Nice to Paris before returning to London via Eurostar....all a great success, no hanging around at airports, a big thumbs up from all of us for the French trains!
Our four weeks in France was spent on the beach, walking, eating, reading, exploring some old & some new places....we spent quality time together & enjoyed long days full of warmth & sunshine.
I had interesting moments with my teenager, a few challenging moments....but we mostly regrouped (as I had hoped we would), she & my 8 year old son played on the beach together happily most of the time....and some thought-provoking, fun & confusing conversations were had ;)
We ate delicious baguettes & pain aux raisins each morning....we loved French strawberry jam, French butter, ice cream, seafood, escargots, we drank Diabolos (lemonade+fruit syrup) & we never wanted to leave the dairy aisle in the local supermarket with its hundreds of cheese, yogurts & dairy-based desserts in the world!!
We enjoyed early evening swims, bus trips along the beautiful Riviera coastline, walks to Cap Ferrat, discovering the stunning town of Menton & plenty of fireworks across the harbor in Monte Carlo & Villefranche.
The weather was amazing, hours & hours of sunshine & the light was extraordinary....it's no wonder so many artists lived in this area of France, the light does have a particular quality, it's incredibly beautiful.
We were away for longer than ever this summer, I had booked four weeks, partly because I had thought we would be up to our ears in work on the house....unfortunately, work has not even started but it was fantastic to be away for so long.It has meant though that it has really so hard to get back into my daily routine!Part of me - as always - is excited & so ready - for autumn but part of me is still somewhere else....
I took many many photos this summer & anyone who follows me on Instagram will have seen many of these already....but here are some of my favourites, hopefully you will see why I love this part of France so much. Some of these photos have filters but actually the sea & the sky really are this blue & this clear.
Hope you have had a great summer too!