Planet Darcy

Movies are a fun way to get inspired for your next journey’s destination or to get further excited about your already planned upcoming excursion. I have a list of movies that absolutely do both.  Some of the movies are better than others, but this list is not about great story lines or acting. These movies have great settings, inspired cinematography, and a positive vibe that just make me want to go there!

This photo of Positano was taken on our 2nd trip to Italy.  Our visit to Positano was entirely inspired by the movie, Only You.

So, sit back, enjoy a movie, and prepare to travel! I recommend starting with A Good Year-it will set the tone.

ENGLAND:

The Holiday
starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black
(Surrey)

FRANCE:

A Good Year
starring Russell Crowe, Abbie Cornish, Albert Finney
(Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur)

French Kiss
starring Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline
(Cannes, Paris, Vaucluse)

Paris, Je T’Aime
starring Juliette Binoche, Leonor Watling
(Paris)

Something’s Gotta Give
starring Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Keanu Reeves
(Paris)

To Catch A Thief
starring Cray Grant, Grace Kelly
(Cannes, French Riviera/Côte d’Azur, Monaco)

GREECE:

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
starring Nicolas Cage, Penélope Cruz
(Kefalonia island)

Mamma Mia!
starring Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan
(Skopelos Island, Skiathos in the Sporades Islands)

IRELAND:

Leap Year
starring Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Adam Scott
(County Dublin, County Wicklow, County Galway)

P.S. I Love You
starring Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Harry Connick Jr.
(County Wicklow, Dublin)

ITALY:

Eat, Pray, Love
starring Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem
(Rome)

Letters to Juliet
starring Amanda Seyfried, Gael Garcia Bernal, Vanessa Redgrave
(Tuscany and Veneto Region, Verona, Siena)

Only You
starring Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr, Bonnie Hunt
(Venice, Positano, Rome)

Roman Holiday
starring Audrey Hepburn, Gregory Peck
(Rome)

AFRICA:

Out Of Africa
starring Meryl Streep, Robert Redford
(Kenya)

INDONESIA:

Eat, Pray, Love
starring Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem
(Bali)

CALIFORNIA:

It’s Complicated
starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, Steve Martin
(Santa Barbara)

Sideways
starring Paul Giamatti, Thomas Hayden Church, Virginia Madsen
(Santa Barbara Wine Country: Los Olivos, Santa Ynez Valley)

Bottle Shock
starring Chris Pine, Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman
(Sonoma, Napa Valley)

The Holiday
starring Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jude Law, Jack Black
(Brentwood in Los Angeles)

COLORADO:

Catch and Release
starring Jennifer Garner, Timothy Olyphant, Kevin Smith
(Boulder)

GEORGIA:

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
starring John Cusack and Kevin Spacey, Jack Thompson
(Savannah)

HAWAII:

50 First Dates
starring Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore
(O’ahu)

ILLINOIS:

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
starring Matthew Broderick, Alan Ruck, Mia Sara
(Chicago)

MARYLAND:

He’s Just Not That Into You
starring Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Connelly, Ben Afleck, Drew Barrymore
(Baltimore)

Sleepless in Seattle
starring Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks
(Baltimore)

Wedding Crashers
starring Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Rachel McAdams
(St. Michaels)

NEW YORK:

Something’s Gotta Give
starring Diane Keaton, Jack Nicholson, Keanu Reeves
(New York City; The Hamptons, Long Island)

When Harry Met Sally
starring Billy Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher
(New York City)

You’ve Got Mail
starring Meg Ryan, Tom Hanks
(New York City)

The Midi-Pyrénées region was the fourth destination of our 2 week trip in France.  We had begun our journey in Paris, then journeyed to Burgundy and Poitou-Charentes. The drive from the Poitou-Charentes region down to the Midi-Pyrénées region was beautiful.  Along the way, we drove through the Aquitaine Region and stopped at a beautiful ancient village called Saint-Émilion.  Saint-Émilion is an UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it is easy to see why. The beautiful village is filled with history, art, restaurants and wine bars.  It is near Bordeaux, and the wines are superb.  We enjoyed a long lunch dining al fresco with delicious wines of the region, followed by a leisurely stroll though the village to explore the shops and galleries.

After our afternoon in Saint-Émilion, we drove to the small village of Garrevaques, located about an hour west of Toulouse. We stayed in Garrevaques at Le Pavillon du Chateau (aka Le Domaine du Château de Garrevaques) at the Château de Garrevaques.  The property has a castle with 5 guest rooms and a small hotel with 15 guest rooms.  The castle can be rented out for functions such as wedding and when we arrived there were two weddings taking place and there was bustle of activity.

We were told when booking that the hotel had the nicer guest rooms, and though I did not see the guest rooms in the castle, I am inclined to believe it.  Our room in the hotel was extraordinary! The bed was the largest I have seen and the room was elegantly furnished and quite beautiful.

After arriving, we were told that dinner would be served in a half hour.  We dressed and went down for an exquisite dinner. Courses just kept coming out, each one as delicious as the previous-or more so.  After dinner we toured the premises and the proprietor found us to extend an invitation to the fireworks celebration that was to be held by the pool in front of the castle, in honor of one of the weddings.

My husband and I found a bar in one of the rooms and ordered glasses of champagne to bring to the fireworks display. We walked over to the pool at the castle and found a very intimate gathering of wedding guests and a few hotel guests, but the fireworks show seemed meant for a tremendous crowd! It was a spectacular sight and a truly memorable evening.

Unfortunately, our stay was a short one, and we headed out the next morning.  Our host gave us directions to the nearby town of Carcassonne. This was another gorgeous drive. We stopped at a couple of villages along the way, most notably, Montolieu, which is know as “The Village of Books” (Village du Livre). This tiny little village is surrounded by 2 rivers, and has small cafes and lovely views. It was worth the stop.  We then moved on to Carcassonne, a medieval castle city.

Our destination was the medieval Walled City within Carcassonne. The Walled City is a beautiful, but very touristy pedestrian village.  There are many strange museums and haunted and torture exhibits due to the fact, I suppose, that the movie The Name of the Rose was filmed there. We stayed in the village for lunch and then headed off to our destination of Les Baux.

Along the way, we stopped at Fontveille for dinner and then continued on to our next hotel, Mas de l’Oulivié, in Les Baux de Provence.

Follow me in my next posts as I journey to Provence.