My husband and I recently (May/Jun07) returned from a wonderful 2 week vacation in Provence. To get there, we flew from Washington, D.C. Dulles to Paris Charles De Gaulle to Marseille airports and rented a car.
We also rented a Provencal cottage with access to a pool/hot tub/barbecue in Saint-Remy de Provence called Au Moulin Entre Deux Mas (translation: at the mill between two old farm houses) because it was centrally located in Provence—key cities such as Avignon, Aix-en-Provence, Nimes and Arles are all within an hour’s drive. Just as important, the friendly English/French speaking proprietor, William Moore (he’s American), made our stay quite comfortable and memorable. William’s motto is: “You are welcome”, and he and his staff mean it.
On the evening of our Friday night arrival (after a somewhat tiring 11+ hour connecting flight), he had a tasty pan of lasagna, salad, bread and wine in the refrigerator waiting for us. Nearly every morning, William left a bag of fresh croissants, pain au chocolat and baguettes hanging on our door to get us started for our day. William was also readily available to give us suggestions on what cities/towns to visit, restaurants to try and shops to buy the best products in.
In addition to taking in the big city sites including the Palais des Papes in the walled city of Avignon, excellent shopping in and around Aix’s Cours Mirabeau and the ancient Roman amphitheatre in Nimes, we visited a number of the food, flower and general outdoor markets- Aix-en-Provence Tuesday, St. Remy Wednesday and Arles Saturday where we bought food to make lunch or dinners back at the cottage, sift through rows of French styled clothing and house wares, buy souvenirs such as fresh lavender sachets and Provencal dishtowels (as mementos) as well as just be a part of the local Provencal scene.
When we weren’t traipsing around the bigger cities mentioned, we drove around the smaller medieval hilltop towns including Vaison La Romaine, Venasque, Lourmarin and Peter Mayle%26#39;s recommended Menerbes to take in the beautiful, unspoiled French countryside full of vineyards, medieval ruins and small flocks of sheep or goats walking along the road sometimes with no apparent owner in sight. We were very impressed with how people today are able to live in homes carved into the walls of these medieval hilltop villages, but still be able to have modern amenities and enjoy satellite tv!
We also made a point to drive to the nearby Pont Du Gard, a 2000 year old, three tiered aqueduct that looks that same now as it did back when it was first built during the Roman times. We learned that this incredible piece of architecture has withstood storms in the area while modern 20th century bridges have either collapsed or been severely damaged. You have to stand beneath it and on top of it to really appreciate the structure. These are just a handful of the many kinds of activities we enjoyed during our trip.
By the way, the Provencal French were most often helpful (and patient) when we stopped to ask for directions because the roads were not always clearly marked nor necessarily matched the Michelin maps. The only negatives were the incredibly fast drivers since the highways allow speeds of up to 85 mph (and people go even faster) and the public bathrooms (if you’re female)… many consist of just a small room with two platforms to stand on and do your business. Unless you’re buying a drink or eating at a café, the owners don’t allow you to use their facilities… which are not always that much better I might add! However, don’t let these points deter you from going. It’s definitely worth the entire adventure.
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Thanks, do you have any pictures?
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