Provence

Even the cattle and flamingos wallowing in the salty coastal marshes of the Camargue enjoy the sun-drenched good life that Provence provides so generously. In this smiling landscape and in soft-hue, elegant cities, where life still proceeds at an old-fashioned pace, you'll find no end of pleasures. Favored hangout of the French café-squatting, people-watching, and boutique-shopping yuppie, elegant Aix-en-Provence has museums, fountains, and the gracious Cours Mirabeau boulevard. Charming and laid-back Arles and crowded Avignon (get off the main streets to see Avignonnais leading their daily lives) have bewitched Roman legionnaires, popes, and Vincent van Gogh. The tarnished, exotic, and newly chic port of Marseille continues to intrigue sailors and travelers with its hint of mystery (note: you should have some big-city smarts to cope with its colorful, almost defiant spirit). And dusty Nîmes headlines the ancient Roman splendors of the Pont du Gard aqueduct and the Maison Carrée temple. More »