Bormes Les Mimosa

Have you ever been to a place that smells like honey and oranges?  I’m not talking a trip to the orange aisle of the grocery store here…I’m talking about a place where the air smells so sweet it almost tastes like sugar.  Bormes les Mimosa is such a place.  Tucked away in the south of France, it is picturesque and lovely.  Underneath the tiffany blue sky are terra cotta roofs and a deep blue ocean dotted with sailboats for miles.  Grape vines and orange trees frame the porch, which creates a symphony of color in every direction. 

We spent the morning gardening in a private garden that should seriously consider charging admission.  There are flowers for days here, and just about every kind of herb you can imagine.  The mint is a bushy wonder, just waiting to be harvested and turned into a mojito.  And did you know bay leaves grow to be the size of your head? 

We’re staying in a converted greenhouse for the next two weeks.  The walls are glass, but it’s been turned into a fully functional space.  We’ve got a bathroom complete with a composting toilet (Alex is not a fan), a double bed, a kitchen, and only a few garden worms to deal with inside.  

Steps from the greenhouse sits a garden…and we’re allowed to take snips of spinach, snap peas, potatoes, onions, tomatoes, eggplant…all to our heart’s content.  Just this afternoon I grabbed some fresh green lettuce for a sandwich.  Could this be Heaven?  Three kilometers from Bormes les Mimosa is Lavandou, a beach town that smells like salt, water, and moules frites.

I’m amazed that after having spent just one day here, it is my absolute favorite part of France.  That being said, I already miss the puppies Pushkin and Pavlova!!  While I contemplated stealing them, I decided that customs might prove to be problematic….

Have you ever been to the south of France?  If so, send over some tips – this is completely new to me!!