2025 Stevens Calendar: September

An abundance of hilltop villages

September’s calendar section is devoted to the quaint and charming hamlets we visited all across Europe. You’ve already gotten glimpses of most of these towns in other sections because, along with towns, often come churches and vineyards and, sometimes, castles. 

Some that we visited are vibrant functioning villages. Others are abandoned with just a few residents and tourist services. But, they are one of the major reasons one goes driving great distances with camera in hand.

Main Page

The main page features, right on the top middle, one of our very favorite places in France, Gordes in Provence. Even though I had wanted to try to go there, it wasn’t a planned destination. Through a series of planned and unplanned changes, we ended up spending the night there. And, that made for some difficult calendar decisions. 

You’d think this shot from our hotel terrace was a slam-dunk; Photo: Scott Stevens

But, there were so many more to choose from, like these as the sun set; Lower left: Scott Stevens

Or, this closer-in view

We also captured Gordes from a viewpoint on the other side of town: Photos: Scott Stevens

See what I mean? Photo: Scott Stevens

Tough choices

Having anchored the page with Gordes, I tried to capture some of the variety of the charming villages. 

First up is the lovely medieval town on Mont Saint-Michel, France;
the left is on the main page and the right shot is on the calendar page

The upper right photo on the main page, left, here is also from Gordes,
as are the other two shots we didn’t use; Left: Scott Stevens

The bottom of the main page is longer views of two towns, one that we visited and one that we drove through on our route through Provence.

Oppede-le-Vieux is an abandoned medieval town so brimming with charm that it's amazing more people don’t visit; it was virtually empty when we were there; Photo: Scott Stevens

The distant hilltop town of LaCoste from another hilltop town of Bonnieux,
also in Provence; Photo: Scott Stevens

Calendar Page

The calendar page is filled with details – large and small – we saw as we visited small (and not so small) towns. There were so many that we couldn’t put them all here.

Here’s where I crossed some of my own lines. Even though I declared Strasbourg, France, and Luxembourg City, Luxembourg, to be cities, not towns, when designing my June page, some of their charming aspects fit better here. So, forgive me!

First up on the page is a carousel in Gutenberg Square in Strasbourg.

That shot is on the left; we saw an almost identical one in
Saintes-Maries-del-la-Mer, France, that we didn’t use; Right: Scott Stevens

The next, two-lines tall, shot on the calendar page is, indeed, a quiet street and a nattily dressed gentleman in Luxembourg City.

Luxembourg City is on the left; the other two unused photos are of Saint Tropez, France;
Left and middle: Scott Stevens

Saint Tropez was full of charming streets that didn’t fit; Left: Scott Stevens

So was Mont Saint-Michel; Left and left middle: Scott Stevens

When I was designing this calendar page, I tried very hard to use a specific color palette. I had two designs, one with lots of teal and turquoise and one with pops of red. Red won.

The left photo of a Strasbourg pub window, the strawberry tarts in a Saint Tropez bakery
and sausages in Luxembourg City are all on the calendar;
the window in an exclusive hotel in Gordes isn’t

Caty and I didn’t get as many pictures of quaint villages in England and Wales as we had hoped to, primarily because the roads are so narrow there that you can’t stop to take photos no matter how lovely the scene.

This building in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Parkin Wales was an exception;
Photo: Caty Stevens

I featured a photo of Bourton-on-the-water, England, in the opening section;
these two of the same town didn’t make the cut

This was a very difficult section to design because we had so many beautiful photos, especially in Gordes and Oppede-le-Vieux. Both are represented in several place in the calendar and I already showed you most of the rejected Gordes shots.

The last shot on the calendar page is an arched walkway in Oppede-le-View, left;
the other two are some shots or other walkways there we couldn’t use

Unused Photos

Since I just highlighted some Oppede le-View Pictures that did and didn’t make it, let me show you the rest.

The entrance to the semi-abandoned (a few people live there) town; Photo: Scott Stevens

Charming details; Middle: Scott Stevens

A supporting stone arch

Narrow streets; Photos: Scott Stevens

A complex of homes; Photo: Scott Stevens

The top of the hill; Left: Scott Stevens

Pretty teal-colored details from my alternate design

Another look at the dwellings

A ram-shaped door pull

Ruins of the original Oppede-le-Vieux castle 

We had a number of additional photos that we considered ...

Charming details in Gordes

Plus Nighttime in Gordes; Photos: Scott Stevens

Cat-themed artwork in Gordes; Left: Scott Stevens

And a real cat in Lus-la-Croix-Haute, France

Narrow streets below Foix Castle in France and the town from the Castle;
Upper middle and right: Scott Stevens

A gracious mansion in Mont Saint-Michel

The same house from further up

And, the rooftop as we look out from Mont Saint-Michel to the mainland;
Photo: Scott Stevens

As we traveled into the French and Swiss Alps, we saw many charming villages. 

Our cottage in Lus-la-Croix-Haute; Upper right: Scott Stevens

Farms in the foothills of the Alps; Photo: Scott Stevens

Alpine village on the side of a steep mountain; Left: Scott Stevens

Unbelievable charm in Chamonix, France

Flowers and a pink building in Chamonix; Left: Scott Stevens

 So many flowers plus a charming bridge; Left: Scott Stevens

The Arve River running through Chamonix

Montenvers Train Depot, Chamonix; Photo: Scott Stevens

From the vineyards that reach down the mountain to Matigny, Switzerland:
Photo: Scott Stevens

We found beauty in so many places in France.

Skinny building; Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer; stately home, Bazas;
Small town near the Andorran border

Lourdes in the morning; Photo: Scott Stevens

Lourdes at night; Photo: Scott Stevens

Charming gable in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer

Statue in from of the bullring in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer; Right: Scott Stevens

Statue of Michel Paccard, one of the first two men to climb Mont Blanc, in Chamonix;
Right: Scott Stevens

Leeks in a market in Strasbourg

Food markets: paella in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer; pastries in Saint Tropez
and sausages in Luxembourg City; Left: Scott Stevens

So many photos, but that should be enough! Next month, we’ll return to the Americas. 

Tamaulipas Pygmy Owl, El Cielo Biosphere Reserve, Mexico