Last week, I blogged about our first week in Southern France to celebrate our 30th anniversary with Hubby. We’d gotten a deal on a riverboat cruise in the South of France, Provence to Burgundy.
Our second week began September 8 as we disembarked from the S.S. Catherine in Lyon. Our French-trained chef friend, Justin Ward, and his wife Caroline graciously took a week of vacation to accompany us to the Riviera and Provence. Since they reside near Paris, the area was a new experience for them as well!
Day 8, Sept 8 Saint Saturnin lès Apt, Montélimar, Gordes, Moustiers
The plan was to get as close to the Verdon Gorge for an adventure on Monday morning. Travel blogs warned of big crowds, so we hoped to be at a boat dock by 9 a.m.
First, we needed to make our way to Justin’s friends’ restaurant, Le Saint Hubert, in Saint Saturnin lès Apt, where we had a 1:30 reservation—the last one before closing time! Since we thought we had plenty of time, we stopped and explored the little town of Montélimar on the way. It was Sunday morning, so all was quiet. We moved on rather quickly.
Saint Saturnin lès Apt is a quaint little medieval town in the Luberon valley with a lovely church and wild castle ruins with a chapel at the tip top above it all. We decided to explore it after lunch. We felt all alone in the ruins until we suddenly came upon another couple; as we carefully came down the steep side of the mountain from the chapel at the top, we were overtaken by a risk-taking tween boy on a bike!
We’d passed Gordes, one of Provence’s famed “prettiest” towns, on our way to our lunch reservation. It was close by, and Justin volunteered to backtrack.
Gordes was very touristy overall, but we did enjoy a visit to an underground museum of sorts that showed how inhabitants of long ago hid within the limestone hill, making and storing olive oil and tanning leathers. It was like an underground village with archways and vats, continually filled water troughs, and room for animals to work.
We checked into our B&B at the base of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie after dark and trudged up the steep mountain using our phones as flashlights to find some really tasty pizza at Restaurant le Clérissy. We could hear water rushing by us as we traversed the mountaintop village in the dark, so we determined to check it out again the following morning before heading to the Gorge. We’d need a walk after breakfast after all!
Day 9, Sept 9 Moustiers & the Verdon Gorge
Our hostess reassured us that there was no rush to get to the Gorge now that summer had passed. After a very hearty breakfast (but maybe a little unsatisfactory cappuccino), we ventured up the mountain path to the village above us.
Sure enough there was a gorgeous waterfall coming from the main part of town. It was so enormous that I couldn’t capture it all with one shot from my camera.
We decided we liked Moustiers and wanted to see more of it. We saw a chapel in the distance and started walking/climbing.
Hubby’s phone recorded that we’d ascended 500 ft in our short 40-minute walk to the chapel. The views were glorious!
We stopped in town and grabbed a picnic lunch from the boulangerie, checked out of the B&B, and headed to the Verdon Gorge, 30 minutes away.
The mistral winds were beginning to act up in the gorge, and the boat keepers would only allow an hour-and-a-half rental as they intended to pack up shop by 1 p.m. when the winds were predicted to grow even stronger. We agreed and rented a four-person pedal boat.
The men did the work and peddled us from the lake under the bridge to the Gorge. We got a little way into it and realized that the winds coming through the gorge were no match for our little boat. Other boaters ahead of us were discovering that too and communicating the same message as they turned around.
We spent the rest of our time pedaling around the lake with Caroline taking a turn at the pedals for a while.
Lunch was so tasty on a bench next to the water though the wind would’ve carried it away if we’d not been diligent.
We walked to the bridge over the Gorge and enjoyed watching other boaters try to go against the wind. We stayed until one boat, which tried multiple times to come back to the lake from behind a tall rock wall, had to be rescued.
Back in the car, we resolved to make our way to the Petit Palais in Nice. The guys both had some pressing business from work to which they needed to attend via reliable wifi, so Caroline and I took off on foot to visit Musee National Marc Chagall. It was late in the day and some exhibits were closed, so we were allowed free entrance. She and I both were delighted with the deal!
That evening Justin picked a creperie for us to try along the busy pedestrian street of Jean Medecin. Afterwards, we aimed our walk for the Promenade des Anglais, with an eye on the map for another gelateria.
Day 10, Sept 10 Nice
After a lovely breakfast at the Petite Palais, we walked to our next adventure: Nice Car, a.k.a. 3-wheeled motorcycle built for two. Hubby was the only man in the group who’d never driven a motorcycle. It’s a good thing that he’s a quick learner!
We drove to three scenic overlooks behind a tour guide on a motorcycle. It was a fun 2-hour tour, with a view of the most expensive peninsula in the world. The tour also included a stop at beach. Hubby wanted so badly to touch the Mediterranean that he charged right past a nude woman coming out of the water. He claims that he never saw her.
Even though it was as hot as Houston, we had to find some cappuccino and a pastry–or four– after our tour.
Our next stop was nearby Èze and the Exotic Garden. It was so crowded! Supposedly, one can see 360 degrees from the top of the garden, but I wouldn’t know. My co-adventurers professed a profound need of sustenance about half-way through the garden, so we left before getting to the top.
That evening, we met another missionary couple from Nice at Influence. Their son is a favorite teacher at Urshan University where my daughter is a student. Everyone ordered the 5-course meal except me. I opted for the 3-course meal; I still felt full from the previous week on the boat!
Day 11, Sept 11 Nice, Antibes, and Aix-en-Provence
The morning dawned so clear and pretty. Justin and Caroline were game for following a walking tour led by “Uncle Rick” (Steves). We visited the candy shop that Queen Victoria loved across from the Opera and strolled through the open-air market along with lots of other stops.
Then we headed to Antibes.
Antibes was crowded but beautiful. We walked through its food market, wandered the streets of the old town, and admired the spectacular views of the marina and sea for about an hour. Then we entered the chaos of a boulangerie and had Justin order food for a picnic.
On the roadway, Hubby located a little lake where we stopped to enjoy lunch at a picnic table.
At 4:30, we arrived at our final destination—Aix-en-Provence, and specifically, a lovely chateau B&B, run by Clemont, Chateau de Saint Girons. It was so restful after the busy-ness of the Riviera.
We ventured into town for food and….gelato. We found Lebanese food in a dark alley with outside seating and a glimpse of an ancient church playing peek-a-boo between the tightly situated buildings. We enjoyed every healthy bite!
Day 12, Sept 12 Aix-en-Provence
It was Market Day in Aix! I was so excited! The goods are fun to peruse, but I noticed that most came from Italy. We were entertained by an opera singer while we purchased snacks in front of the Palais de Justice.
The Market shuts down at 1 p.m. We pulled out our walking tour guidebook and retraced a lot of our steps, learning some historical and hysterical details of the town again from Uncle Rick.
Justin had noticed a busy Corsican restaurant in the alley next to the Lebanese place the night before. We decided to try it out for lunch. It was really good. Justin was happy to see only 6 choices for entrees. He explained that anything more than that means the food is not fresh.
Justin and Caroline had train tickets back to Paris. We were going to be cutting it close, but we needed gelato. In addition, Justin had decided that he and Caroline needed sandwiches from a certain boulangerie for the train ride. We made haste.
He had no way to anticipate the traffic jam we found ourselves in while trying to leave the city center. We raced back to the chateau for their bags and then on to the train station. They made their train with two minutes to spare!
With Hubby now behind the wheel of the rented car, we felt some trepidation, but we gathered our guts and resolved to carry on, knowledge of the language or not!
Day 13, Sept 13
It was our last day in France. We struck out to find some markets!
Lourmarin was a really fun place to shop. I found more inside the permanent shops than in the market.
Bonnieux was our next stop. The whole town is built into terrace-like roadways. We enjoyed a pizza and fantastic views at La Terrazzo di Bonnieux.
Hubby and I had listened to A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle in preparation for our trip. Therefore, Ménerbes, the site of the book, was a must-see. It was a beautiful walled town, but the mistral winds just about stole my breath at every turn.
We had time for one more little town on my bucket list—L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. It’s called the little Venice of Provence because it’s build on so many canals and the Sorgue River, and it is lovely.
We grabbed sandwiches and a pastry from a “Vice-Champion” boulangerie in town and made our way back to the Chateau. I spent the rest of the evening packing for our trip home.
The South of France is so beautiful and begs to be explored. There are so many quaint villages and towns seeped in history with regal castle ruins and majestic cathedrals! I hope to go back one day soon and just paint and shop a little more.
Even so, I love coming home to my own little chateau here in central Mississippi. My bed and pillow are probably the most luxurious ones I’ve ever experienced!
I feel blessed in so many ways today. I hope you do, too!
