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Village Streets

I am warning you up front, this will be a long post.  Why?  Because the streets of St. Paul de Vence are beyond picturesque and I want to share as many of them with you as I can.  Besides, it was just too hard to decide which ones to eliminate!

Charming Home

At one time, I’m guessing this was a home.  Now, I think it may be some sort of hotel or B&B, but as we walked along, I looked down over a sort of half-wall, and there it was.  I don’t think it was any sort of shop or restaurant because it was rather off any sort of busy street.

Store Front

Isn’t this magnificent?  One of the joys of visiting Europe in October or November is the fall color that’s still around.  The red of the vines climbing along the wall of this shop (or gallery, but I’m calling everything a shop) just sort of pops out of the image, doesn’t it?

Climbing Street

Yes, this is a street in the village.  And, clearly no cars (or even bikes) can drive down this street.  Not only isn’t it wide enough for any car except perhaps a Smart Car (called “pillboxes” by the locals),  the long steps would make for a very bumpy downhill ride and probably impossible going uphill!

Arched Street

If you look closely at the shop on the left side of the image, you can see the shop sign that I highlighted in my other blog.  This gives you some perspective about where the shop was located – on this wonderfully charming street with an arch over it. 

Lovely Side Street

As we walked along a more “major” street in the village, I looked down a smaller side street and saw another arched street.  And, check out the lovely view of the countryside at the end of this little street.

Side Square

Just off the main street we walked down, there was this small square, with a drinking fountain in front.  This area seemed to be sort of a courtyard that I’m guessing led to a hotel of some sort.  What a warm and welcoming area!

Bistro

This little tapas café was a virtual feast for the eyes!  Look at the vivid fall vines draped on the walls of the building, with the seats on the chairs matching the color of the vines perfectly.  The warmth of the wood of the doors and windows truly complements the stone of the walls.  The delicacy of the tables and chairs in front of the bold stone face of the building are a wonderful study of opposites.  In short, I love just about everything about this image.

Picturesque Shop

As I looked in another direction, I saw this picture waiting to be taken.  The lovely arched entryway of the shop and the stone steps leading up to perhaps the shop owner’s home (in my imagination, it is). 

Village Back Street

One of the back streets we waked past presented a very peaceful scene.  The streets along some of these streets are rather uneven and rough, due to the cobblestone nature of them.  Still, it’s another arched street with greenery adding some softness to the stone.

Past Some Homes

This was a small side street that we did walk down.  We slowly walked up the steps of the street, walking out from the trees overhead, and past doors of what appeared to be private homes.  I had to laugh at myself.  At first, I was concerned that we had no map of this village and that we’d end up lost and miss the time our tour bus.  Well, the streets just sort of wound around and we would always end up on the one main or major street. 

Roofline Texture

Ok, this isn’t a street, but I noticed the wonderful texture of a roofline and wanted to share the rich warm and colors of the walls and roof tiles of some of the buildings.  I felt like there wasn’t even an average looking area within this entire village!

Home Front Door

As we walked down another side street, we came across this raised front door with some steps with some fabulous character.  The steps are very solid and safe, but they couldn’t stand as is in a more modern town.  Certainly, some ordinance would require handrails that would completely ruin the look!

Front Steps

Here’s another home entrance, this time with handrails!  Altho I doubt these date back to medieval times, they are at least in character with the building!  And, I love the pot with the greenery at the top of the steps.  What a welcome to that home!

Street Art

On the main street, in one location, there was this lovely street art!  It was one of the few places where the stones on the street were small!  What a lovely treat for the eyes!

Enjoy!