This post is less about photos and more about the serious part of the girls weekend when we talk about our goals and objectives.  This always happens at our last main meal together.

All three of us have some big goals to work on and even though we won’t see each other for another six months we are constantly sharing updates, advice and support, while cheering each other on (even during the crappy weeks) via email.

My goals include securing steady income from my consulting, being able to afford health care coverage and continuing to grow my photography skills for potential income.

This week the NYTimes.com’s second most emailed article is “But Will It Make You Happy?”.  In the past twelve months I’ve happily given up almost all the extras and instant gratifiers in my life to save everywhere and anywhere I can for travel. I prefer risks to regrets.

Photographer and blogger Karen Walrond posted in February “100+ Things I’d Like to Do Before I Go”.  Her list is wonderful and it made me stop and feel grateful for the goals I’ve already accomplished like  #6. Scuba dive in Bali – (I’ll never scuba diving but I’ve been to Bali), #9. Visit Tokyo – (two trips and hopefully more in the future) #19.  Visit the very top of the Eiffel Tower – (many times, just not recently) and the ones on my list still waiting to be checked.

Travel may not be on your list but what goals do you want to accomplish before you go?  The girls and I have gotten started on ours, have you started on yours?

Merci les filles!!!  See you in six months!!

Leslie

One of Mapie’s friends gave us a list of restaurant options for dinner. I don’t know how the girls selected it but they chose a small local seafood restaurant tucked into a hidden corner of Marseille.

It was a typical seaside restaurant, overlooking a scenic cove filled with leisure and fishing boats.

It was perfect and the food delicious.   The girls and I are very lucky when we are together.

I hope you’re lucky enough to find and visit the restaurant Au Bord de L’Eau too, but if not take a minute to enjoy a visit right here.

Enjoy!

Leslie

The owner of our B&B highly recommended Marseille’s tourist train (he was very excited about it).   We weren’t convinced as we are not the guided tour kind of group.

But Marseille is a sprawling city and outside of Le Vieux-Port (The Old Port) the main attraction is Notre-Dame de la Garde (Our Lady of the Guard), a Neo-Byzantine church that sits on the city’s highest peak at 162 m (532 ft) high.

Given the distance and the incline, we took the owners advice and got on the tourist train.

The basilica is known as the city’s guardian and protector and although it has not always protected the city properly, it’s incredibly beautiful.

What surprised me most about Marseille is the plague of stereotypes that often overshadows the city’s beauty and history.

Similar to tourist trains the city often gets a bad rap yet it is really worth a visit… At the minimum for the tourist train ride, it was excellent.

Enjoy!

Leslie

The original goal was for me to discover new regions of France but now it’s really about finding a place where we will enjoy our time together.

Each year is completely different and this year I had another incredible discovery… On the coastline between Cassis and Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône département of France is the area of Les Calanques.

A calanque is a formation of limestone inlets in the form of a valley, with hair raising-cliffs, that are partly submerged in the sea.

Between Cassis and Marseille there are thirteen different calanques varying in difficulty to reach and enjoy the Mediterranean Sea down below.

We visited one of the easier calanques to hike, picnic, and swim.

You won’t see all the photos (the girls would throw me to the guillotine) and given the rocky terrain the pictures with no watermark were taken with my Point and Shoot.

Last year we visited the village of Cassis but I never would have imagined that just beyond its port would be one of the most beautiful regions in France.

Physically speaking, hiking Les Calanques is not for everyone (there are also boat tours) but if you don’t mind working up a sweat on rocky terrain (where foot trails are not always well marked) the stunning landscape and clear blue water will definitely reward your efforts.

If you decide to hike be sure to bring a picnic, a lot of water and avoid the week-end crowds (My French team knows how to prepare, thanks girls!).

If you haven’t gotten away this Summer, I hope this gives you a quick visual getaway or maybe an idea for your next vacation.

Enjoy!

Leslie

Our picnics are about relaxing, gossiping, horoscopes and of course good food…but the relaxing is the key.

Each year the location may change but, the slow relaxing ambiance of the south is always the same.

As we enjoy our time together…Claudine will always say “On est bien les filles.” (Girls, we are good here)…which I translate as “How lucky are we!”.

As you can see, there is nothing difficult about our French picnic.

And it’s true “On est bien.” (We are very lucky!).

The last three images on the post were taken by Mapie with my Point and Shoot and the film below by Claudine with the same camera!  They are beautiful!!!  Thanks girls!

View more images from the French picnic on my Flickr homepage.

Enjoy!

Leslie

Whenever I take pictures of food, the number of images quickly multiplies.

And the amount of images to cull through can be overwhelming.

And it obviously was overwhelming because I completely overlooked sharing one of my favorite images from the market.

The cheese! I forgot the cheese!  My pictures don’t do it justice but I promise it was beautiful.

And although the aroma was slightly potent, the cheese itself was not only beautiful it was delicious… Have you ever seen moldy cheese look so beautiful?

See more market photos on Flickr!

Enjoy!

Leslie

Our pique-niques are fun, relaxing, and delicious.

And just as nice as the pique-nique is the search for the pique-nique…at bakeries, road-side stands, butcher shops and small epiceries (grocers).

But in France there is no better place to shop for fresh fruit, cheese, saucisson (sausage), and bread than at the weekly market

And the weekly Saturday market in Aix is the place to shop for local goods.

It’s one of the best markets in the south, servicing locals and tourists, with quality produce from the region.

Well to be honest the girls do the shopping, my job is to wander behind, enjoy the action and try to focus on taking pictures.

When we cross paths the conversation goes like this… “Les t’as vu les saucissons? Il faut que tu le prennes en photo!” (Les did you see the saussage?  You have to a picture of them!)… “Et le pain?  C’est superb!” (And the bread?  It’s incredible)…

The team is always watching out for me (merci les filles!)

And as every year, when the shopping is done we wrap up the morning with a coffee on the terrace of a cafe to talk, rest and take in the ambience.

I love this post, it makes me feel like I’m back in Aix with the girls.

If you have never been to Aix I hope these close-ups help inspire a visit. Visit my Flickr page to see more images from the market.

Enjoy!

Leslie

Even though finding a chambre d’hote (bed & breakfast) has become easier with technology, we still hold our breath on the last mile (which is typically a dirt road in the middle of nowhere that can barely fit a compact car) praying our choice is okay.

We have rarely been disappointed and this year was no exception.  But after inspecting and approving the room, the views, the pool, the grounds and yes even the owner, I’m still wondering about breakfast.

It’s no secret that le petit dejeuner (breakfast) is my favorite meal of the day in France…

Bread, butter, jam, buttery croissants, sweet brioche, a large cup of fresh coffee…or two, a few chocolate croissants and if there is room maybe some fresh fruit and yoghurt.

This year our chambre d’hote offered a design oriented presentation, so le petit dejeuner not only tasted good it looked good too.

Ready for a French breakfast?  I am.  Visit my flickr page for more breakfast images.

Enjoy!

Leslie

But this year there was a slight change in my program and Mapie and Claudine didn’t understood why I was arriving in Paris on a Saturday night from New York, not too tired to go out.

Opps…did I forget to mention I wasn’t arriving from New York, I would be arriving from Italy?

The girls loved this because it meant the Italians would have to deal with my jet lag and I would have no excuse to be tired in France.

The girls were right, Italy followed by France was a better plan.  It made a huge difference especially during the drive south with Claudine.  I stayed awake the entire ride and we stopped in one of my favorite places in France, Le Pont du Millau (also known as Le Viaduc de Millau).

Le Viaduc de Millau is the highest bridge tower in the world peaking at 343 metres (1,125 ft) and the views are stunning!   This enormous cable-stayed road-bridge crosses the valley of the river Tarn and is a high speed route between Paris and the South of France for vacationers.

For me it’s a sign the girls weekend has officially started and that we are halfway to our destination.  Yeah!

Enjoy!

Leslie

PS:  Credit and thanks to Claudine for the photos of me!

Happily…here are a few more highlights for you to enjoy with a big thank you to Mapi and Claudine for another great girls weekend.

…And a very special thank you to Richard, who helped save my photos so I could continue posting.  Merci Richard!!!!!

Aix en Provence…culture, food and yes a little shopping…

Another Village Inconnu… no restaurant, 2 bars, 1 boulangerie (bakery), 1 epicerie (small supermarket), 1 newstand and a lot of beautiful homes all link together in a winding hilltop town in the shape of a snail.

Our Chambre D’Hote (Bed & Breakfast), a refuge for rest and relaxation…

The seaside Village of Cassis – I think the pictures say it all…

The Team!

Bye Girls!!!  See you next year!!!

Bises (Kisses)

Leslie