What's on my mind
We went out to check email messages at an internet café, or to see the sights, and rather than go home for lunch would often stop at a pizzeria, café, bistro, or restaurant. At this one, we saw a number of bicyclists. We have rented bicycles for casual tours in France - but not like these… Continue reading Pizza at Le Vieux Vaison, and Cathedral Notre Dame de Nazareth
Seguret is officially one of the most beautiful villages in France. Our gite was on a hillside that looked West over vineyards toward the mountains called Les Dentelles de Montmirail. Mont Ventoux was located a little to the east, but we did not go to see it. We did not drive to Les Dentelles either,… Continue reading Les Dentelles de Montmirail
An ancient custom that is experiencing a revival in the USA, the weekly farmer's market, is well preserved in Europe, and we were able to appreciate this in Vaison. A feast for all the senses: Booths were set up on both sides of the principal streets, and throughout the main square. Professionals provision themselves in markets… Continue reading Le Marché, Vaison
Vaison is noted for the persistence of elements from Roman times, through the first millennium and the middle ages, to the present, a record of continuous habitation that spans 2000 years. One of the first things we saw at Vaison was the excavation of part of the ancient Roman city of Vasio, which has some extremely… Continue reading The Roman Heritage, Vaison
Being right on the edge of a vineyard in Seguret was an opportunity. Cooking at home is an option in a gite or apartment that one does not get when staying in B&Bs or hotels. Our first evening in the gite, we enjoyed a homecooked meal with a bottle of Domaine La Machotte Gigondas, a full bodied… Continue reading In the Heart of Wine Country
Sur Le Pont d'Avignon, On y danse, on y danse" Avignon was the home of several French Popes in the 14th and early 15th centuries. Our first morning in the gite we drove to that city to pick up our friend Carol and do a little sightseeing. The day was sunny. We had lunch outdoors here in the Plaza… Continue reading Trip to Avignon
Although we thought we had a reservation for a gite in Sablet, we found on arriving that our reservation had not gone through! This was before the days of smart phones and fast internet searching, so we went to the nearest city, Vaison La Romaine, and asked for help at the tourist office. We quickly got a reservation at… Continue reading Finding Places to Stay on Short Notice
From Moustiers we drove to the famous city of Aix, and stayed at a 3 star hotel, Le Manoir, a long-established place, now closed, in the old city. We parked in the courtyard and moved in. Our room was well furnished in an old-fashioned style. We walked along the famous Cours Mirabeau, full of shops, boutiques,… Continue reading A Short Stay in Aix
After emerging from the Gorge de Verdon we arrived in the afternoon of May 30, 2007 at this mountainside town with a history dating from before the fifth century. There is a legend that a crusading knight named Bozon de Blacas, captured by Saracens, vowed that he would place a chain at the feet of… Continue reading Moustiers Ste Marie
Our train ride to Monaco was very short, and we descended from the station to the Hertz rental agency. This was a lot of work, even with wheels on the suitcases. When we got to the bottom of the stairs, we had a view of the cliff behind us: We had to think about… Continue reading From Monaco through The Gorge du Verdon by Car and by Drone
