Serendipitous Traveler: Day 10, A Good Year

I am sucker for movies about people who have the courage to reinvent themselves, especially people who shirk the shackles of modern life in favor of a simpler existence in some charming European town.  Under the Tuscan Sun.  A Good Year.  These are films that have lifted my spirit and emboldened me to dream because they feature main characters who reinvent their lives. 

So, when Stephanie came up with the idea to spend a day visiting the places featured in A Good Year, I had a fan girl moment.  I imagined myself following in Russell Crowe's gorgeous footsteps, driving down the roads lined with plane trees, sipping wine in a quaint Provencal cafe.

For those of you who have not yet seen A Good Year, it is a romantic comedy directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe.  The screenplay was adapted from the Peter Mayle novel by the same name.  It tells the story of a cynical investment banker who inherits a chateau and vineyard in Provence.  He gives up his fast-paced, money-based life in London for a slower, happier life in the South of France.

Lavender Fields
by Leah Marie Brown
Rows of lavender stretch for miles
in a field in Provence.  Although these
fields had already been harvested,
the powdery scent of lavender still
permeated the air.

 

Lavandes Angelvin
by Leah Marie Brown
A warehouse in Provence stores bundles of
recently harvested lavender.

 

On the Road
by Stephanie Mounts
The author standing on a sun dappled road
deep in the heart of Provence, the same road
Russell Crowe traversed in the movie,
A Good Year.

 

Château la Canorgue
This slightly dillapitated chateau, located
about a mile from Bonnieux, was the
primary setting for the movie, A Good Year.
It is a privately owned home situated amidst
a working vineyard. 

 

A bundle of grapevines leans against
the door of the winery at 
Château la Canorgue, setting
for the movie, A Good Year.
Photo by Leah Marie Brown

 

Waiting for Wine
by Leah Marie Brown
These empty bottles make a pretty
window display, but are, in fact, waiting
to be filled with wine.
Château la Canorgue, Provence
 

 

Prop
by Leah Marie Brown
This bottle was a prop in the movie, A Good Year,
starring Russell Crowe. 

 

 

Fanny's Cafe
by Leah Marie Brown
This terrace cafe was the setting for Fanny's
fictional cafe in the movie, A Good Year.  I
looked for Russell Crowe but, sadly, did not find him.

 

Make a Wish
by Leah Marie Brown
The author sitting on a fountain featured in the
film, A Good Year. 

Dinner Companions
by Leah Marie Brown
Here, Stephanie feeds a mangy Westie
some of our dinner.  We sat on a terrace
outside our room at the B&B, listening
to the wind whisper through
the plane trees, munching on fresh
bread and cheese.  A perfect moment
with charming companions.

 

 

Chien
by Leah Marie Brown
This scruffy, old Westie ambled up to our
terrace and fixed us with his soulful
brown eyes.  We feed him cheese and
salami and he kept us company during
our stay in that corner of Provence.