I always love September for the golden sunlight that makes everything look so much warmer in its mellow light.
So the chance for a holiday in my favourite part of France, makes it even more so. We caught the ferry at Newhaven and crossed the English channel over to France to Dieppe, then drove the length of France arriving in Cap d’Agde on the Mediterranean coast in glorious sunshine, clear blue sky but a very strong wind (as is sometimes typical there)….
Everything looks so much different when the sun is shining, there’s a clear sky but the wind is strong, there was a haziness in the air from the sea so it gave everywhere a lovely soft lighting effect, gorgeous!
We had a very pleasant stay in that area for a few days and then went on to explore further along the coast the Herault river on a lovely clear day full of warm sunshine. We’d never properly visited the river so it was intriguing to see it and all the small pleasure boats moored there along the bank.
We followed the river towards the sea where it widened in the area of Le Grau d’Agde, the houses on the far bank reached by river taxi, and lots of fish and shellfish restaurants overhanging the bank on pontoons, selling delicious looking food. The bank followed the river Herault on one side, and had a small sandy beach on the other, and the deep bluey green calm Mediterranean stretching off to the horizon. And two white lighthouses on each side of the bank. green for starboard, red for port, so the sailors could tell which side they were as they entered the river.
I walked to the end of the stone harbour wall on the starboard side, and then back to the little town, with pretty little inlets chanelling the streams into the river, so many photos to take in every direction!
Then we left the Mediterranean sea behind and headed north driving the length of France again, until the next body of sea we saw was the English channel at Dieppe, the sea was calm there as well, which is a joy to look at at sunset, again in that golden sunlight that I love so much, and clear skies there too, as people walked along the promenade or sat having drinks looking at that gorgeous view.
And even more astonishing, the sea remained calm the next day for the whole crossing from Dieppe to Newhaven, so English coasts can look as beautiful as French coasts, given the chance!! Even Newhaven and Seaford looked beautiful.
So now I’ve had a top up of relaxing French holiday, and of course, taken lots of photos for inspiration for creating new artwork now in the winter months.
Happy artist!!!