dripping with passion

when i saw a friend's pictures of verdon gorge, i was sure i had to go there. and it totally lived up to my high expectations of grandeur. we drove inland from villefranche into the parc naturel régional des préalpes d'azur. the "pre-alps" mountains, just minutes away from the coast, are stunning ... our drive provided some truly spectacular scenery. we stayed overnight in a super random and tiny french village, where there happened to be a medieval fair going on...! in the morning we drove past verdon gorge to spend a bit of time exploring the darling  town of moustiers-sainte-marie, set right into the waterfall-bedazzled mountainside. then we drove back to the gorge and rented a little motorboat to cruise up the outrageously coloured water. (we were thrilled that there was a good alternative to the pedal boats - that would have been a bit tricky with two wiggly boys along for the ride!) i don't think i'll ever get over that verdon gorge water!! ^^ ^^...

to begin our time along the south coast of france, we spent a couple of days in and around the beach town of cassis. we had heard about the "fjords of france" and wanted to experience that natural wonder. we were thoroughly charmed by cassis and totally stunned by the fjords, which are known as "les calanques" ("the creeks"). our first taste of the cote d'azur was pretty exhilarating!       ^^ we explored les calanques on a boat like this one. ^^ it was the most beautiful blue-skied day!  ^^ can you spot the sunbathers on that platform of rock?? ^^   ^^ i mean ... the colour of that water!! incredible. ^^   ^^ to get to this beach, you have to complete a kind of gnarly hike (at least gnarly if you have two small kids with you :) ). we were glad we opted for the boat tour instead of the hike last minute. ^^     ^^ had to snap a couple of selfies with that water and those cliffs! ^^   ^^ i snapped a photo that included thes...