PROVENCE FRANCE
The Magic of Provence
By Peter Carnes
There’s something about Provence that draws me back,
time after time, year after year. It’s difficult to put my finger
on exactly what it is. Those incredible blue skies, perhaps?
That unique, intense light that so captivated Van Gogh and
Cezanne? The fields of lavender and sunflowers …. the
olive groves …. the vineyards …. the terracotta rooftops ….
the pavement cafes …. that long-anticipated glass of pastis
…. the first dish of little black olives ….?
Whatever it is, it’s irresistible. And very soon, before I know
what I’m doing, I’ve booked yet another holiday in yet
another little gite or appartment or hotel in another charming
town or village in the Var or the Vaucluse or the Bouches-du-
Rhone….
It’s the hinterland that entices me. The trendy, glittering,
sophisticated resorts along the coast hold little attraction. It’s
good to visit them once in a while, but the hype and the
superficiality (and the prices!) soon begin to pall. Inland, the
pace of life is slower. The prancers and posers are fewer.
Tourists are welcomed, but the locals have no intention of
sacrificing either their way of life or their heritage for the
dubious pleasures of accommodating and entertaining them.
If you want to experience the real Provence, here are a few
(highly subjective) suggestions:
Take a short break in Avignon, preferably out of the high
season. After you’ve fulfilled your touristic duties and taken
in the Popes’ Palace and the famous pont, explore the back
streets and little squares off the main tourist trail. Take a
coffee or a glass of wine in the place Crillon. Explore the
wonderful indoor market. Spend an hour or so in the Musée
Angladon, which (astonishingly) houses the only original
Van Gogh in the whole of Provence. If money is no object,
book a table for lunch or dinner at Christian Etienne’s lovely
restaurant overlooking the place des Papes….
Visit the charming little market town of St-Rémy-de-
Provence (barely half an hour’s drive from Avignon) on a
Wednesday or Saturday morning, when the market takes
over the whole of the centre of the town and the sounds and
scents and colours are intoxicating …. Wander through the
quaint labyrinthine backstreets ….Take a look at the house
where the famous prophet Nostradamus was born ….Then
pay a visit to the nearby asylum where the divine Vincent
spent some time immediately following the infamous
mutilated ear incident …
Spend half a day (or more) in the great cultural centre of Aix-
en-Provence. Visit Cézanne’s studio, do the Cézanne tour,
then grab a pavement table at the famous literary café Les
Deux Garcons and watch life go by along the recently
resurfaced Cours Mirabeau…
Drive to the summit of Mont Ventoux (pausing to pay your
respects at the monument to British cycling hero Tommy
Simpson) and marvel at the incredibly clear vistas stretching
out over the whole of the Vaucluse…
Take in some of those incredible Roman monuments: the
majestic amphitheatres at Arles and Orange; the mind-
boggling Pont du Gard; the reconstructed Roman township
at Glanum, just outside St-Rémy….
Get to Les Baux-de-Provence early in the morning or late in
the evening (to avoid the tourist rush) and meander through
the narrow winding streets leading up to the citadel….
Drive to the town of Lourmarin in the Luberon. Wander
through the narrow streets, take a drink at one of the rather
trendy cafés and then, if time permits, spend a few
contemplative moments at the graveside of Albert Camus,
the charismatic, Nobel prize-winning writer and philosopher
who died so suddenly and so absurdly in a car crash nearly
fifty years ago….
Visit the Camargue, that fabulous, untamed area at the
Western edge of Provence: a land of wild bulls, white
horses, pink flamingos and gardians on horseback ….Take
a quick look round the walled town of Aigues Mortes and the
pleasant seaside resort of Saintes Maries de la Mer, famous
for its annual gypsy pilgramage and its Da Vinci Code
connotations ….
Continuing the seaside theme, spend a day in the lovely,
bustling little port of Cassis and enjoy the relaxed, laid-back
atmosphere ….Hop aboard one of the pleasure cruisers in
the harbour and take a tour of the calanques, those
incredible little inlets set into the limestone cliffs between
Cassis and Marseille …. Have lunch or dinner at Nino on the
quayside and try one of the fragrant, fruity local white wines
….
And finally - and perhaps best of all - just turn off the main
road, park up in some shady spot, and simply stroll au
hasard through narrow country lanes, listening to the
constant hum of the cicadas, taking in the scents of wild
herbs or lavender, looking for that perfect sun-dappled spot
to stretch out, unwrap the fresh bread, the local goat’s
cheese, the marinated olives, the ratatouille or tomates
provencales , uncork the bottle of local wine that you picked
up direct from the vineyard that very morning, and let the
pressures and stresses of everyday life just fade away….
Oui, c'est parfait!
The Magic of Provence
By Peter Carnes
There’s something about Provence that draws me back,
time after time, year after year. It’s difficult to put my finger
on exactly what it is. Those incredible blue skies, perhaps?
That unique, intense light that so captivated Van Gogh and
Cezanne? The fields of lavender and sunflowers …. the
olive groves …. the vineyards …. the terracotta rooftops ….
the pavement cafes …. that long-anticipated glass of pastis
…. the first dish of little black olives ….?
Whatever it is, it’s irresistible. And very soon, before I know
what I’m doing, I’ve booked yet another holiday in yet
another little gite or appartment or hotel in another charming
town or village in the Var or the Vaucluse or the Bouches-du-
Rhone….
It’s the hinterland that entices me. The trendy, glittering,
sophisticated resorts along the coast hold little attraction. It’s
good to visit them once in a while, but the hype and the
superficiality (and the prices!) soon begin to pall. Inland, the
pace of life is slower. The prancers and posers are fewer.
Tourists are welcomed, but the locals have no intention of
sacrificing either their way of life or their heritage for the
dubious pleasures of accommodating and entertaining them.
If you want to experience the real Provence, here are a few
(highly subjective) suggestions:
Take a short break in Avignon, preferably out of the high
season. After you’ve fulfilled your touristic duties and taken
in the Popes’ Palace and the famous pont, explore the back
streets and little squares off the main tourist trail. Take a
coffee or a glass of wine in the place Crillon. Explore the
wonderful indoor market. Spend an hour or so in the Musée
Angladon, which (astonishingly) houses the only original
Van Gogh in the whole of Provence. If money is no object,
book a table for lunch or dinner at Christian Etienne’s lovely
restaurant overlooking the place des Papes….
Visit the charming little market town of St-Rémy-de-
Provence (barely half an hour’s drive from Avignon) on a
Wednesday or Saturday morning, when the market takes
over the whole of the centre of the town and the sounds and
scents and colours are intoxicating …. Wander through the
quaint labyrinthine backstreets ….Take a look at the house
where the famous prophet Nostradamus was born ….Then
pay a visit to the nearby asylum where the divine Vincent
spent some time immediately following the infamous
mutilated ear incident …
Spend half a day (or more) in the great cultural centre of Aix-
en-Provence. Visit Cézanne’s studio, do the Cézanne tour,
then grab a pavement table at the famous literary café Les
Deux Garcons and watch life go by along the recently
resurfaced Cours Mirabeau…
Drive to the summit of Mont Ventoux (pausing to pay your
respects at the monument to British cycling hero Tommy
Simpson) and marvel at the incredibly clear vistas stretching
out over the whole of the Vaucluse…
Take in some of those incredible Roman monuments: the
majestic amphitheatres at Arles and Orange; the mind-
boggling Pont du Gard; the reconstructed Roman township
at Glanum, just outside St-Rémy….
Get to Les Baux-de-Provence early in the morning or late in
the evening (to avoid the tourist rush) and meander through
the narrow winding streets leading up to the citadel….
Drive to the town of Lourmarin in the Luberon. Wander
through the narrow streets, take a drink at one of the rather
trendy cafés and then, if time permits, spend a few
contemplative moments at the graveside of Albert Camus,
the charismatic, Nobel prize-winning writer and philosopher
who died so suddenly and so absurdly in a car crash nearly
fifty years ago….
Visit the Camargue, that fabulous, untamed area at the
Western edge of Provence: a land of wild bulls, white
horses, pink flamingos and gardians on horseback ….Take
a quick look round the walled town of Aigues Mortes and the
pleasant seaside resort of Saintes Maries de la Mer, famous
for its annual gypsy pilgramage and its Da Vinci Code
connotations ….
Continuing the seaside theme, spend a day in the lovely,
bustling little port of Cassis and enjoy the relaxed, laid-back
atmosphere ….Hop aboard one of the pleasure cruisers in
the harbour and take a tour of the calanques, those
incredible little inlets set into the limestone cliffs between
Cassis and Marseille …. Have lunch or dinner at Nino on the
quayside and try one of the fragrant, fruity local white wines
….
And finally - and perhaps best of all - just turn off the main
road, park up in some shady spot, and simply stroll au
hasard through narrow country lanes, listening to the
constant hum of the cicadas, taking in the scents of wild
herbs or lavender, looking for that perfect sun-dappled spot
to stretch out, unwrap the fresh bread, the local goat’s
cheese, the marinated olives, the ratatouille or tomates
provencales , uncork the bottle of local wine that you picked
up direct from the vineyard that very morning, and let the
pressures and stresses of everyday life just fade away….
Oui, c'est parfait!
PROVENCE FRANCE
PROVENCE FRANCE HOTEL
PROVENCE HOTEL
PROVENCE FRANCE HOTEL
PROVENCE HOTEL
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FAMILY TRAVEL FUN.COM
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