A Week in Provence

Only a few pages of Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence, and I was sold. It was a quick read, but one that implanted dreams in my head that won't soon go away. The idea of taking a break from it all and moving to the middle of the French countryside is incredibly appealing. Jenn and I have often discussed the idea of taking a year off to travel, but since we both have different ideas of what that means, it usually turns into two years: one to do what she wants to (which is an around the world cruise) and then another to do what I want (drive around and across the United States). If we were not going to be moving around and could be content staying put in one place, Provence would certainly be a nice place to be.

We've found that rather than take our vacation days sporadically, it's always easier to take them in larger blocks, so after not much debate, we landed on Provence as our destination for a week long trip in May. Because Provence has so many different towns, restaurants, wineries, and markets, we could not see everything and was nearly impossible to narrow it down because there were so many different recommendations from different travel guides. We did end up covering quite a bit of ground, which was exhausting at times, but definitely worth it.

I've broken up the posts by the places we stayed because it's too much to put in one.

WIA:
Based on the recommendation of Veronique, the owner of the B&B at which we were staying in Avignon, we dined at Numero 75. The interior was ornate, filled with marble and bright red glass chandeliers. It wasn't the French country feel we expected. The cold pea soup already waiting at our table was also not what we expected, but it was actually kind of refreshing. It's hard to get too excited about pea soup. I started then with their version of a ceviche and Jenn had zucchini flowers with goat cheese. We had never seen zucchini flowers before, but they were cool looking and delicious. Jenn's main dish of risotto with seafood (like paella) was good and my cod with a side of an unidentified gelatin thing was uninspiring. You'll notice a running theme throughout this trip that we know nothing about wine, so for the most part, we went with the house's local suggestion. Jenn had a rose and I had a red. The molten chocolate cake was good. Even though Jenn will disagree with me, I think it's such a lazy dessert. Restaurants offer it because it's easy to make and it's incredibly popular. I much prefer something unique and/or creative, but at the same time, molten chocolate cake is usually very good, so it's hard to complain (though I realize I am in fact complaining).

After strolling through the market in Isle sur-la-Sorgue on Sunday, we had a really nice meal in the garden at Jardin du Quai. The weather was gorgeous and we had a perfect spot sitting out in the sun. The trio of tomatoes starter was outstanding. The small red, green, and orange tomatoes each were served with a different filling: one with cheese, one with peas and carrots, and chicken or fish. We weren't certain which. It wasn't a revelation for us, but Jenn and I both have an appreciate for fresh ingredients. Much of the food we ate during the week was very simple, but when you have excellent local ingredients at your disposal, you don't need to do much. I had cod for the second time in two days and swore then and there I wouldn't eat it again for the entire trip. It was cooked well, but cod just doesn't have enough flavor to it to interest or excite me. The reason I ordered it again is that it wasn't a choice since it was their daily market menu. The dessert may have been the best we had the entire week. It was a moist chocolate cake topped with caramel popcorn served with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. The combination of the sweet, salty, and crunchy was perfect.

We sat outside in a small plaza and had a light dinner at Ginette and Marcel. We shared tartines - one with pesto, tomato, and mozzarella and the other with goat cheese and honey. It was all simple, yet very tasty. I wasn't crazy about my Fischer beer (blonde, very light, not much taste to it), so was kind of happy the waiter heard me wrong and brought me the smaller size. Jenn enjoyed her lemon meringue pie and I surprisingly enjoyed my chocolate and pear tart. I say surprisingly because it's not what I meant to order, but it all worked out.

WID:
We mostly just walked around in Avignon, which was a nice, little French town. They are all nice, little French towns. We walked up to and around the Palais de Papes, but didn't go inside. We briefly walked through the Les Halles food hall and lamented the fact that Bratislava doesn't have a good market. I realize I'm not the simplest person in the world (at least I don't think I'm high maintenance), but I do think I'd be perfectly happy living in a small town with a nice market where I can go get good, fresh food whenever I want. The market at Isle sur la sorgue is very famous and was very crowded, but we got there early enough that it wasn't too bad. We walked passed tables selling all sorts of things like jams, housewares, linens, and antiques. We stopped in on an excellent chocolate store called La Cour aux Saveurs and tried several different pieces including mint, strawberry, and fleur de sel.

After lunch in Isle sur-la-Sorgue, we drove to Gordes and walked through the picturesque town that overlooks the valley below. We also stopped in Rousillon, which also boasts beautiful views, red rocks, and red roofs.

WIS:
We stayed at a bed and breakfast named Cote Square, run by Veronique and Frederik. It was small, comfortable, and well decorated. The garage was crazy tight, but we maneuvered our rental car in and out without too much difficulty. We were lucky because most places in the center of Avignon don't have parking. The breakfast of breads, jams, yogurt, and strawberries was simple, but perfect. I don't understand why more hotels don't offer a simple breakfast. It costs next to nothing and it always makes the customer feel like he or she is getting a little something extra for the amount paid to stay there. Veronique, the owner, was also exceptionally nice and helpful both before our stay suggesting restaurants by email, and during the time we were there.

WAM:
The drive from Nice, where we flew into, and Avignon was easy, 2 and a half hours, almost all on highway. Once we were in the city though, the GPS was worthless. The streets are barely big enough for three people standing side to side, so maneuvering an automobile, even if not that large of an automobile, was challenging. There were several instances where we had to stop, reverse, and change course, and even a 10 minute interval where Jenn had to get out of the car and help me do a complete 180 because we had hit a dead end. Throughout the week though, we were very grateful to have the GPS and wondered how anyone could navigate this region without one. There are a couple of highways, which makes it easier, but the back country roads are very difficult to figure out. In a way, it probably wouldn't be bad to just let yourself get lost in Provence and see where the roads would take you.

WTF:
We have lived in Europe for two years and I still don't know how to drive a car with standard transmission. As always, we paid twice as much to rent a car with automatic. I know I could do it if I just put the time in and practiced a little. I'm fairly intelligent and have decent coordination. I'm disappointed in myself.

For more pictures, click here.