Large mountains and big hips

Provence is full of many wonderful villages and markets as well as magical landscapes. Before departing Provence on Thursday, we visited Les Baux-de-Provence, a village that was once a fortress, with one of the most amazing views I have seen so far. A brilliant view of Arles, the Camargue and the Alpilles can be seen from the look-out points. This immense stone fortress is without doubt a "must-see". Unfortunately, as great as the camera is on my iPad, it was difficult to capture the view. So I focused on shots of the village.



While much of the southern part of the Alpilles is exposed rock, the northern slopes, where the road zig-zags down to (or up from) St. Rémy, is thickly forested. The road up to Les Baux from the southeast passes through olive groves and vineyards, and passes the Cave Vignoble Sainte Berthe where you can stop and taste the local wines. The rock formations are incredible. Just inside the entrance to the village are narrow cobblestone streets, terrace cafés, and souvenir shops. The only downside - a lot of tourists. It was the first time during our visit to Provence when I really felt like I was in a tourist area. Even so, given the beauty of the mountain and fortress, it was definitely worth the visit.







We also made one last market stop, visiting the Thursday morning market in St. Rémy. It was a good chance to pick up some last minute souvenirs. When I planned the visit to Provence, I knew that I wanted to bring home some artwork -- nothing elaborate or expensive – just a small watercolor or oil painting of the landscape. I was fortunate enough to meet Franck, a local painter, who had some great pieces. So I was able to get two small watercolors highlighting the Luberon and Alpilles. Very exciting. Susan purchased a beautiful tablecloth from a woman selling linens. As we were leaving the market, I stopped at a vendor with great cotton garments as well as some beautiful crepe de chine. One dress caught my eye immediately and I told Susan, “I have to have it”. There were 3 sizes available. Now, I am not always the Queen of Diplomacy, but I do know good marketing. This lady clearly needed some brushing up on her people skills and sales techniques. I chose the size I thought most appropriate. As I was holding it against myself, thinking of the places I would wear it and the perfect shoes to wear with it, the woman approached me loudly exclaiming, “NON”. She grabbed me, placed her hands on my hips, shook me a little as if taking a mental measurement, and handed me the larger size!! It goes without saying -- I left without buying the dress. Those of you who are female understand perfectly.






As any self-respecting female knows, when you strike out on shopping, you eat. Susan and I spent the remainder of the afternoon sipping Kir Royale on the terrace of the hotel and enjoying our lunch of vegetable salad and dessert of fresh fruit with one last scoop of the delicious cacao sorbet. As we headed for the train station, the mistral was out in full force. This made lugging baggage to an elevated train platform a bit tedious (and my hair was quite the sight), but it was a welcome relief to the hot day and prepared us for the cooler temperatures in Paris.

So, I left Provence sans the silk dress, but full of good food, good memories with Susan, and some great pictures of a region I have wanted to visit for many years.