Cucuron, south Luberon

Yesterday I went to the village of Cucuron, nestled under the south face of the Luberon mountains. I even took part in a guided tour of the village (turning the tables for once), heading above the rooftops, and exploring the nooks and crannies of a village that remains authentic, and lives year-round.

hike around the village of Bedoin

Mimosa...

Every winter, along the Côte d'Azur and in the back country, the landscapes light up with delicate yellow mimosa and its subtle but sweet perfume.

I spent some of my recent holiday time in the village of Tanneron, perched 400m above the Riviera town of Cannes, and the mimosas were spectacular:

On the night of Sunday, February 10th Tanneron was hit with 5cm of snow, which is quite rare at such low altitudes. I went out on Monday morning for a bit of a stroll:  

Hiking with the Boss

 Yann Delord, our company director, accompanied me on my last reconnaissance hike for our new self-guided holiday in the Calanques of Marseille and Cassis.

We began our walk in the centre of Cassis, climbing high above the coastline to Cap Canaille, which at 400m is the highest sea-cliff in France...

Once above the cliffs a magnificent cliff-edge path hovers above the coastline:

 Yann is ahead of me along the path, as always, and although he's blown out a few more candles than me he's difficult to keep up with:

The path remains high above the coastline before beginning a descent atop a rounded crest, to the village of La Ciotat, seen below:

Entering the outskirts of La Ciotat, with the fragrance of mimosa intense in a warm winter's sun.

A few specimens in the old port of La Ciotat:

Returning to Avignon's magnificent TGV station at the end of the day.