A Summer Adventure in the South of France

The last few weeks have felt like a bit of a dream if I’m honest.

A life-affirming, truly uplifting (très corny but true) sunny adventure in one of my favourite parts of the world: the South of France with surprisingly good as gold kids and my unsurprising sweetheart of a husband.

I’ve felt like a lucky, lucky lady after quite the busy year.

Let the good times roll (again)!

A place that feels like a home from home for me,  I’ve been lucky enough to holiday in Nice, Grasse, St Tropez, Monico and Cannes and the surrounding areas since my brother and I were small and now a chance to take my own babies, it proved the perfect pick for our recent vacay in the sun.

My bae!

The South of France always feels so shiny and inviting (pristine streets with Hermes on every corner will do that to a region)-but most importantly our trip was a window of time where we all got to truly chill out, eat our body weight in carbs and walk more than we have in years!

We totted up 12 miles one day! And in my wedges too! What do I win?!

Check us out ‘pink wall-posing’ in this insta-ready shot! So many pretty walls, so little time!

And hello carbies!

…Together, hand in hand, we explored cobbled back streets and new towns (Arles is a must-see for Roman architecture, the amphitheatre below is a beauty to behold), played in parks enveloped by postcard-pretty palm trees and swam in clear warm waters in the Cote d’Azur.

We couldn’t have asked for more!

So pour yourself a strong espresso or a glass of fizz (my fave) and let me show you what we got up to!

First off, huge thanks to Eurostar for inviting us to Avignon in the first place- and the Avignon Tourist Board for their generosity.

A fun super fast and relaxed journey on the speedy and oh-so comfortable Eurostar meant it felt more like 4 hours than 7 and the time honestly, flashed by.

As kids, my Dad usually would usually drive us to the South of France and the journey was very much part of the actual holiday. We’d stop off and stay in towns on our way and this mode of transport reminded me of those fun times, a chance for quality time as we sat together and took in the pretty countryside as we went.

The boys also got to play on their beloved computer games and watch their favourite shows making it a real pleasure to take the train to the South of France.

Before we knew it, we’d reached Avignon, an achingly beautiful Medieval city in Provence.

Tranquillity washed over us as we wandered the streets of this historic city for the first time and took in the sights. I joked to my husband I felt I was on a wellness retreat because you can’t help but feel relaxed there. The vacay vibe dial was set to ‘chilled’ and stayed that way throughout our trip.

Me, as chilled as can be!

…We spent 6 leisurely days in total in the truly picturesque Avignon, 5 by the stunning coast in Cannes and then finished up with 4 days in London town- making it one of our most favourite holidays to date!

We’d spend our days in Avignon roaming the sun-streamed streets, catching the sweet riverboat over to the banks of the River Rhone so we could picnic under the trees, before eating under the stars and fun at the fair and listening to buskers outside the town hall, by night.

He loved it honest (he had 3 goes)!

Magical is most definitely the word.

Look at this babe of a place! Avignon you stole my heart!

The gilded Virgin Mary Statue at Avignon Cathedral is spectacular.

Just look…I would move to this street tomorrow…

We adored the heart of Avignon:  the historic centre, a UNESCO World Heritage Site no less, where you’ll find the Palais des Papes (where seven successive popes took residence between 1309 and 1377,  the cathedral, the famous bridge: the Pont d’Avignon and not far off, a ceiling of umbrellas above a street of quaint shops- a blogger’s dream or what?!

Now follow me as I take you round the Palace which moved me to tears.

And just look at the view from the top!

We often hung out in the square in Avignon too, for ice cream, a late lunch, to hit the playground in the shade and it doubled up as the perfect backdrop for a fun fashion shoot with the most vibrant of threads thanks to stunning Swedish brand Me&i.

Xander taking his shoes off! Standard!

These pictures not only capture bold and beautiful clothes and carefree moments but a bond between two brothers that was cemented this summer. Kids who finally got to understand one another and gel. It was pretty special to witness.

‘Cheese’!

My sweet boys!

And Mama wasn’t left out either, look at this 70’s style beaut of a dress!

After all that posing, we popped on the train to nearby Arles and grabbed some more shots in a park we picnicked in!

…Our sons were so well behaved this holiday my husband and I have questioned (several times) if, in fact, these were actually our kids.

Xander with two hats on, as you do!

There’s so much going on day to day, school and nursery to attend, homework to complete, food to eat, routines to follow, deadlines to meet, that holidays are a complete break from all of that, a chance to be a little freer, to feel that little bit more alive, to eat candy floss before bedtime and sleep in until 12……

And in between doing the tourist thang like hopping on to the bridge for snaps, strolling around the Palais and slurping ice cream in every flavour (dark choc for me), we got to breathe again, to release ourselves of the daily grind, we got to feel the sun on our cheeks and just ‘be’… eat watermelon on demand of course (without the worry of the mess)!

And eat watermelon on demand of course (without the worry of the mess)!

It was bliss.

After almost a week of joy in Avi- we took the TGV to Cannes on a 2 hour 20-minute journey that felt like minutes, the perfect place for sand and sea…

Cannes was all about the relaxation as with Avignon-I was there in the spring for the festival and felt excited to return, this time with babes in tow- and the days saw us divide our time between the pool and sea, mostly dining al fresco, with fair and playground visits too and a chance for the kids to make friends with others whilst lapping up that sweet sea air.

We hit the Old Town too and took shade in picturesque cafes and watched the world go by.

Cooling off, later in the day, we would head back to the Croisette at the bottom of the hill and fill up on our daily dose of vitamin sea!

Often staying until sunset as the magic hour unfolded.

Lush…Playgrounds at every turn and most, sea-facing too, Cannes couldn’t be more suited to all the family’s needs.

And the hotels in Cannes are world-renowned.

Je t’aime the Carlton!

#Cargoals can naturally, be found on every street corner. I can strap the kids to the roof right?!

After all that lusting after supercars we needed to refuel!And boy did we eat, huh boys (!) and here are foodie shots snapped throughout the holiday!

And boy did we eat this holiday, huh boys (!) Here are foodie shots snapped throughout!

We just had to pop into Ladurée my favourite patisserie in the world (you can also find them in Covent Garden) for a cake that was (almost) too pretty to eat!

All the yummy feels!

And here’s Cannes by night. It wasn’t dancing until dawn like my usual trips in the city but it was just as fun. Strolls down the Croisette and crepes most nights kept this mama and her brood content!

Miraculously I managed to fit into a UK size 8 skirt from Monoprix, my favourite store in the region I picked up there.  And whilst size does not matter a dot it was a nice surprise as I can be so hard on myself, especially in the summer!

The bag was bought on my last trip to Cannes so had to have an airing!

So there you have it, a sweet, sweet holiday in the South of France. We’re so grateful for the memories, the special times we’ll treasure, not forgetting, arranging the troops (!) for pics below (insert crying with laughter emoji)!

Thanks to House of Fraser for my floral frock!

Et voila!

A mummy blogger’s life huh!

What a hol!

I love this Gif from our travels back!

Have you been to the South of France?

I’d love to read your experiences there in the comments.

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