My recent trip to Paris was a bit of a tease. I arrived to a beautiful sunny day, only to wake up to an incredibly cold Saturday filled with pouring rain and snow. Snow! Ever the optimist, I instead focused on other elements that would make my little weekend getaway special – namely the food and drinks. Because, if there is ever a city to savor a leisurely meal in, it’s Paris. Here are a few of my favorites from the weekend.
After a wonderful hike on the Ochre Trail, it was time to explore the town of Roussillon. Earning the designation as one of the most beautiful villages in France (Les Plus Beaux Villages de France), Roussillon is located in Languedoc-Roussillon region and dates back to 600 BC. Today, the village is known for its charming architecture and the colorful buildings in the hues of the ochre pigment famous in the region.
The town of Roussillon
Google Provence and you will be flooded with gorgeous images of lavender fields and historic villages artfully carved into mountains. However, what you might not see unless you scroll back a very long way are the stunning orange and yellow cliffs and quarries found in the Ochres of the Luberon. Inspired by their beauty, I ventured to the lovely town of Roussillon to take a hike on the Ochre Trail, or Le Sentier des Ocres.
The Ochre Trail in Roussillon
Driving down the Oregon coast has been on my travel bucket list for some time now – and for good reason. With a number of beaches and state parks not too far from one another, this beautiful stretch of coastline is filled with incredible scenic vistas, wide stretches of beach and an array of sea stacks (large rocks jutting out of the ocean!).
However, if I am honest, another major inspiration for this trip was to visit and spend time with my dear friend, Ekaterina Walter, who lives near Portland, Oregon. Ekaterina and I co-wrote our book, The Power of Visual Storytelling, together. We are also dear friends with a shared passion for travel and try to meet up for a few trips annually.
For this trip, we decided to take one day on a Thursday in late July and start in early in the morning (arriving around 10-10:30 am?) at Ecola State Park with stops in Cannon Beach, Haystack Rock, Arcadia Beach State Recreation Site and the Neahkahnie Viewpoint in Oswald West State Park, before heading inland through Tillamook State Forest and then back towards Portland.
