Côte d’Azur

“Les beaux paysages ne se captent pas dans des boîtes, ils s’installent dans les sentiments.”

Jean Giono, La Chasse au Bonheur*

It’s dark outside, and a storm is brewing. From the window that I left ajar a crisp breeze is coming in, the first signs of the approaching autumn. But as soon as I think back to my trip to the French Riviera, and look at some photos, I find myself there again exploring those places. Beside my laptop there’s a book by Jean Giono, La Chasse au Bonheur, the quest for happiness, that accompanied my holidays. A collection of short articles and essays about the art of living, travelling, writing, and painting.

Here I am there again, surrounded by the colours, the warmth of the sun, the smells and flavours. I could tell you how the water had thousands shades of blue, and how green the pinewoods were; or how the light in the South makes every color pop out, and how blinding they were sometimes.

What I remember though, is the sense of freedom and awe in front of those landscapes and nature in its multiple forms. I remember the rides on a bike in Porquerolles and the hikes to reach the Calanques of Cassis, the effort, strain and weariness, eventually rewarded by corners of what I would define as heaven on earth.

Hyères, with the old city and the Presqu’ile de Giens, the above mentioned Porquerolles and the Calanques of Cassis, Le Lavandou, Saint-Tropez. A short itinerary, yet rich, a mix of wilderness and touristic cities. The last ones were the least interesting part of the trip, obviously.

Words and photos only tell a part of the story. They are a poor, incomplete and imperfect means compared to the universe of feelings and memories that those places have aroused. To your eyes, then, they will acquire different meanings and arouse different impressions, feelings, and memories.

I guess this is the best part of every story: sharing. Here’s mine through pictures, it’s now your turn to interpret it and make it yours.

*{Beautiful landscapes are not captured in boxes, they settle in feelings.}