Faded blue window shutters never fail to transport me back to Provence. To those quaint, sleepy villages perched atop sun drenched hillsides. Their narrow cobbled streets flanked by ivy covered stone walls and those weathered shutters painted that unique shade of blue.
Roussillon
Blue shutters, Gordes – Provence, France
Street in Brantes, Provence, France
Street corner, Gordes – Provence, France
Aah, to wander down these streets again on a summer afternoon and linger over a slow lunch with a chilled glass of Chateauneuf-du-Pape…..
The Urge To Wander 
J’adore la France!!!
Me too 🙂 Would return in a heartbeat!
LOVE it! Look forward to visiting Provence.
Thanks and hope you do 🙂 And welcome to my blog!
I love Provence!! Beautiful pictures, Madhu!!
The problem with you and me is that we love too many places 🙂 Thanks for dropping by.
Haha, yes, you’re right. Too bad we can’t be in zillions of places at one time!
Lovely!
Thanks Vlad 🙂
Beautiful photos. It looks cool and peaceful.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
Thanks Francine! These villages aren’t always peaceful, they do get overrun by tourists during the season.
belle, beautiful
Absolutely! Provence deserves all its hype!
Oh, that second shot is lovely! Wish I could take a stroll down that path today (it’s pouring rain over here!)
That is my favourite too! Hope the sun has graced you with his presence by now 🙂
Hi,
Very nice photos, looks like a lovely place to walk around.
Fabulous place to walk around Mags! Thank you for dropping by.
Oh – I so want to go wander through those little streets and take pictures, like you did! Yours are beautiful!
Thank you Carol!
Aahhh yes, indeed! If I had to pick one place outside of my own country it would be southern France.
Me too 🙂
I’ve never been to Provence…but may have to purchase a plane ticket soon….such beautiful scenes.
Oh yes you should! And don’t rush, Provence is about slowing down – slow meals, looong coffee breaks, even longer strolls on those beautiful streets…heaven!
Aah Indeed, Madhu! It is an extraordinary blue, isn’t it, and perfect with the stone buildings? Always looks a little chalky to me, with a touch of the sky and the sea mixed in too! Loely:)
I particularly love their bleached, weathered textures. That is what I love about the French, their ability to make ‘old’ seem so elegant!
Even old men and women! How elegant of them:)
🙂
Very Cool
DarkJade-
Thanks Darkjade!
Magical shots!
Thank you TBM 🙂
Especially love the perspective and color of that top shot!
Thank you Lily 🙂
Beautiful collection. Love the second the most.
So Provence is a name of place, not a province? Wow…
Provence IS a region! If you notice, these images are of streets from three different villages in Provence! Glad you liked them Albadr 🙂
What a lovely shade of blue they are, Madhu. Beautiful photos. I love them. 😉
Extraordinary shade isn’t it? I fell in love with them as you can see 🙂 Thanks for dropping by AD
Lovely! Gorgeous alleys & houses. Love the photos. & the blue 🙂
Thank you Mtlawleyshire 🙂
Love the first one! Very nice!
Thank you!
Oh Mahdu, these are gorgeous! I’ve gone all wistful.
Thank you Jo! That means it is time to return 🙂
Ah, Provence. Never been, hehe. Peter Mayle made me want to go there and these side streets are just how I pictured them in my mind. 🙂
Peter Mayle’s book is kind of a bible for Provence lovers I guess! My images do not begin to do it justice!
Just beautiful Madhu! Did you know I was a French major in college and spent time living in Paris and the South of France? I would love to go back and revisit it. I never made it to these areas in your post. Ahhh thanks for continually giving me the urge to wander!!!!
Oh, thank you! Passing on the urge to wander is the intention of this blog 🙂
Well Madhu….you are doing a FABULOUS job at it!!!! 🙂
Your beautiful photos reminded how sunny and colorful Provence is… A great place to take a vacation!
One of those places that we never tire of right? Thanks for dropping by Amy!
Hi Madhu, what a great series of shots!
Thank you Naomi!
I always love it when a town or little part of a town are in-tune with each other! It makes it so interesting.
Gordes in particular had more number of these blue shutters! Oh those villages are truly beautiful!
A wonderful part of the world. Especially with a glass of Chateauneuf!
Absolutely! Its the Chateanuef which makes it all the more appealing 🙂 Nice to meet Thomas!
Reminds me of my stay there that now feels like so long ago…Lovely pictures.
Happy to have stirred fond memories 🙂
I envy you your travels and always look forward to your photos. 🙂
Thanks Jeff! Just armed myself with an entry lvl DSLR. It better make a difference….cost me one plane fare to Europe 😦
It should, though the most important tool you have is right between your ears. A dslr only give you more freedom and flexibility to be creative. Based on your photos, I’d say you will put it to good use.
By the way, what did you get? Something nice and “Canon-y” and not that other N word I hope 😉
The other N I am afraid 😦
That’s great! I just had to show my Canon fan-boy status! 😉 Some people do take the N vs. C thing too far if you ask me. Regardless the brand, most cameras are better than the people holding them anyway, my trusty 7D included 😀
Beautiful blues madhu, thanks for the trip to Provence 🙂
You are most welcome Dadirri 🙂
I love to see how small and narrow the streets of St Remy de Provence are! It looks so nice to get lost there!
There are so many beautiful villages around there Bama! All of them worth getting lost in.
So unique, simple and beautiful old world charm.
Thanks Charlie!
Oh this is just dreamy, I may just join you in a chilled glass of Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Mind if I pull up a chair? Gorgeous, gorgeous post! xxx Ailsa
You are most welcome Ailsa 🙂
I really have to make time to go through your blog…looks fabulous!
Yours too, Madhu, you’ve seen so many gorgeous places and I love your photography! So glad to have found you on WordPress. Isn’t the blog world great? 🙂
Really great 🙂
Looks like we will need a couple of bottles at least to fill all your friends’ glasses! Love this.
Please join us Rufina….the more the merrier 🙂
You took me on vacation with these photo’s.
Beautiful …
Isadora http://insidethemindofisadora.wordpress.com/2012/05/17/blue-reflections-a-time-to-say-good-bye/
Happy I did Isadora 🙂 Thank you so much for the lovely comment.
Great pictures Madhu! Love the mix of shadowy narrow streets and a blue sky. I could so live behind those blue shutters.
So could I Anette 🙂
You captured them well… 😉
Thank you Eliz 🙂
I adore narrow niche streets. I always want to duck down them to see what treasures lie beyond.
Me too! But there never is enough time is there?
😦 That’s too bad. But then that means more for a the next visit!
Really like the photos here .. it’s something very special about Provence. Big fan of France in overall, so long as I can stay out side Paris – don’t like Paris even if it has become a lot better in my eyes.
Glad you do Viveka 🙂 I am a fan of France too, including Paris 🙂
I’m not … very beautiful city, but Paris don’t like their visitors – have done a post about my relationship with Paris. http://wp.me/p293Pw-1mm
I haven’t been but your photos make me want to!
Oh, you should Gilly! I would go back in a heartbeat!
Would I be wrong if I call this a “heart-warming” piece? Indeed, it was for me. May eyes which sees such beauty be always blessed.
Oh, that is so sweet! Thank you so much!
I am in Provence, twice a year for a period of 1-2 months. I always notice the colors of the shutters. One reason they are painted blue is to keep the mosquitos away. I really don’t think it works but I love the effect.
I had no idea! Thank you for enlightening me. And welcome to my blog Judy. Appreciate the follow 🙂
You stopped by my blog, Rockin’ the Purple, and I thank you! Oh a traveler! Me, too, but only armchair for now! Can’t wait to wander around your pictures. Thank you for sharing.
–Laurel
You sure have captured the soul of the place in these beautiful, true-to-life photos… well done!
So beautiful! I love these travel snippets.
Dreaming of a trip to this region especially during the lavender season. Pictures look so inviting! Also read your other post where you mentioned about Amorino, so glad we have an outlet in Boston 🙂
Bharath and Supriya, hope you get to go soon. Provence is such a beautiful part of the world. We went long before I started blogging, so my images do not really do the region justice.