Andy Rodker's photos with the keyword: France

That enormous converted farmhouse seen under the Roman bridge over the river Toulourenc, had 12 bedrooms. It was the summer retreat of the family of my school French-exchange partner. I came here most summers from the age of 14 until my early twenties. How lucky was I??!!! It was a very formative experience! I'm still in contact with him by the way, so that's 51 years and my first visit there seems like yesterday! I did use black and white for my first holiday there so this must have been taken in 1972. A bit of Led Zep and why not? Sight and Sound www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaVFvWk3VZE

Seen here is my school French-exchange partner and his beloved Terrot 125 (an ex-army bike). Very heavy to ride (much more so than the 1972 Ducatti 750 I was riding in 1979!). We were riding this in the mountains, along unclassified country lanes (hence perfectly legal), aged 14 and 15! Happy memories! From a photo of an old print.

Friends made during the grape-picking, Shamefully, I now only remember the name of the dog (La Truffe)! Well, it was over 41 years ago! (Maybe the man with the beard was called Bruno, but I couldn't swear to it!). From a scanned slide.

Saint-Léger-du-Ventoux

Where I used to stay in the summer as a teenager. I was very fortunate with my school French exchange partner!!! This was his family's summer holiday home here in Provence. (We are still in contact!). Look on the satellite map for an idea of its size

I stayed here one summer. No electricitiy, except I could get music from a cassette player running off the car battery. Food cooked on the open hearth and water from a well a few hundred metres away. Idyllic then. It wouldn't suit me now of course! The map shows houses all around now but this little cabin is still there, I'm pleased to see.

Where I used to stay in the summer as a teenager. My school French exchange partner's family converted this huge farmhouse into their holiday home. I was very fortunate! They told me that the whole family (it was a large one) camped in the fields here every holiday in the 50s and 60s and gradually transformed it from a ruin into what you see here. They were still working on it in 1972 but they finished during the 70s and I last saw it in 1983. This is near St-Léger-du-Ventoux, in the valley of the Toulourenc and just in the département of Vaucluse, on the border with La Drôme. From a slide

Scanned and edited from a slide. 1979, Sunday - a day off from grape-picking. We went down the Gironde to the Blayais nuclear power station near Bordeaux. I can't for the life of me remember why but it inspired this edit many moons ago!

We went down the Gironde to the Blayais nuclear power station near Bordeaux. I can't for the life of me remember why but it inspired this edit many moons ago!

We had to get up early for the ferry . This was taken outside our hotel.

Taken with my trusty old Russian 35mm on my very first day of rock climbing aged 14! A scanned slide. Down below are the famed vineyards of Gigondas.

I had lost this in a folder that I had forgotten had a few old photos in it!. I was doing some computer housework and came across this and one or two others. I knew I had it somewhere!! Taken in 1972 on a Russian Kosmic 35, 35mm camera, which I used in the early 70s as a teenager. Just out of site but below the rock window are the famous vineyards of Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages, Gigondas.

I stayed here in this converted Provencal farmhouse in my teenage summer holidays (a very fortunate school exchange programme!). I was very lucky! Summer 1972.