As inept as Gary and I are in processing or speaking French, we did try to at least greet and say thank you with some confidence. Zoe did very little to help instill us with some basic phrases before we left her in London.

Our journey from London to our landing spot here in Provence, the Benvengudo Hotel located in the Baux de Provence, filled a long day. First we trained (high-speed) from London to Paris under the Chunnel (I slept through that part). Upon arrival in Paris we taxied from one train station to another, and were rather amused by the animated and colorful discourse (arguing?) between the taxi stand attendants, taxi drivers and even some passengers. I know the French are passionate, and we felt very left out not being able to follow the conflicts. One passenger was clearly enraged that a large van would not take him (a single passenger) but wanted to wait until he had a bigger load. He tried to force himself into the car (the driver controls the doors) and there was a lot of shouting and (what I am sure was) cursing. Our driver was also at the end of an argument with the attendees as he only wanted a cash paying passenger, and we were thankful to oblige as he did a fabulous job navigating some rather hairy traffic (I am pretty sure he went down the wrong direction of a one-way street at one point). He was able to just get ahead of a rather large demonstration that was about to take off on foot and would have probably delayed us from meeting our next train. As it was we arrived just in time to board our second high-speed train to Avignon. In Avignon we rented our first car of the trip and made the 30 minute drive to Baux in Provence.

The Benvengudo Hotel did not disappoint. Nestled in an olive grove and under the towering limestone peaks of the Alpilles mountains, it was a restful and beautiful place to retreat after our time in London.

What did Gary talk me into?

An e-bike ride should be no big deal to us, but the route we were guided to took us up and over the summit of Les Baux and back down again. Then in order to return we had to repeat that climb. If I’d had the power of my trusty Pedago bike back home it probably would not have been that big of a deal. But these bikes had about half that power, so it was definitely a challenge for me. But I put my head down (especially for the 2nd round) and didn’t stop pedaling until we reached the top again.

Towns of Provence

Over the course of several days, we visited several towns across the region (Avignon; Maussane-les-Alpilles; Les Baux-de-Provence; Saint-Remy-de-Provence; Uzes; Arles, Aix-en-Provence). I would say Les Baux and Saint-Remy were our favorites! Here’s some favorite shots from our time wandering through these charming towns.

I am a little obsessed with tree-lined streets, which abound across the region. How utterly charming!

We also made a stop at the Carrieres des Lumieres exhibit near Les Baux, an interactive art installation (visual and sound) housed in an abandoned limestone quarry. The focus was on the art and artists from Venice, which was fun as we’ll be back there soon. It made me so ready to be back in Italy!

Wine tasting in Provence

We did devote the good part of a day on a guided wine tasting trip with a fabulous host, Frederick. Frederick went deep…we learned quite a bit both on the drive to the Cote de Rhône wine region, as well as at the vineyards. Frederick quizzed us on our knowledge of the history of wine on the way out…and the next time you are at trivia night…the Mesopotamians (Iran, Iraq, Turkey) were the first to make wine, and the Greeks were responsible for dispersing it across the world. You’re welcome (no one in our group had the answers). We fell in love with a lovely small, family run winery (Domaine de Mourchon) and got a very in-depth look at the wine making process there.

And of course, food!

The region is well known for it’s “gastronomic” and we decide to take advantage of a couple of opportunities to enjoy the best of French dining. First, with the chef at the Benvengudo Hotel, Julie Chaix. We enjoyed a meal of ravioli with shrimps (Jillian) and cooked fig with beetroot (Gary); a lovely poached fish with fennel and bouillabaisse juice; a huge selection of cheeses; and a peach baba soaked in verbena alcohol and mascarpone cream (Jill) and a roasted fig with chestnuts, honey and goat cheese sorbet (Gary). The figs were amazing and are grown on the grounds. We’re going to see about planting one on our property!

We also took part in a delightful, if not overwhelming, meal in Avignon at the Michelin starred restaurant Italie la-bas with another female chef, Italia Palladio. Gary and I indulged in a 9 course meal (small courses, but taken in totality…we had to be rolled out!). This was following our full day of wine tasting, oh my. My favorite courses were the Raviole a la Carbonara; the Riso al salto au safron (cripsy risotto) with butternut and Gorgonzola; and the tiramisu.