Paris, Cassis, et Antibes
a conversation between the capital and two villages in southern France
Paris
Corner of Paris’ outskirt, a bit out of city center, at Villa Raspail in Ivry-sur-Seine. Wrote in the garden, surrounded by roses and boxwoods.
Nice long morning in the villa, enjoyed the glamour of the rooms, planned metro rides under the chandelier.
Lunch at Café de Flore with l’eau à la menthe car il faisait très chaud. Strolled around familiar spots, bought two vintage Paris Match magazines with Grace Kelly on the cover.
The bouquinistes along the seine, the statue of St. Michel, shopped for bigger luggages with wheels.
Cassis
Summer solstice and fête de la musique in Cassis, a favorite village in the south of France near the national park, Parc National des Calanques. One morning, we were suprised to have rain, which is rare there this time of year.
The second morning, it was sunny as usual and the market was lively. Market breakfast at the beach.
The château de Cassis on the left, a walk to the parc national on the right to hike the calanques.
Ate our sandwiches while watching the firemen perform drills. Then, the clouds lifted further, the sun came out, and we dipped into the cool water. Mama and I swam (almost!) to the buoys together. We had a lovely afternoon sunbathing in one of my favorite places. I prayed and let the water wash over me just like the first time that I was at this beach.
Antibes
Just east of Cassis, closer to Cannes, we found Antibes, a historic walled-in port city. New to us both, lovely.
Smaller beach, larger village, many restaurants, Aperol spritzs, sunset walks in our beautiful black dresses, both designed by a friend.
A sunset boat ride, the ferris wheel, and perfect tiny french chihuahuas - among the highlights of this visit.
We also loved our stay in Antibes at La Clé de la Porte BnB, with our kind host, Sophia. Such a charming corner of town she has there. Everyone takes photos in front of her bougainvilleas, so we did too!
Enfin, Cassis is still the top of my list because of the national park, but Antibes is a very close second place in my heart.
xoxo et Merci
Merci d'avoir lu Miscellaneous Sophia, c'est vraiment en train de devenir un espace d'écriture de rêve pour moi.
sincèrement,
Beautiful photos. I’d love to be there. 💕
I see no mention of missing a train, but not bad that we only missed one out of 50.