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Barge-ing In On Cote d'Azur, Haute Provence and The Alsace..Trip Report, April-May 2006

Barge-ing In On Cote d'Azur, Haute Provence and The Alsace..Trip Report, April-May 2006

Old May 24th, 2006, 03:19 PM
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Barge-ing In On Cote d'Azur, Haute Provence and The Alsace..Trip Report, April-May 2006


We returned last week from three weeks in France, and would like to share the details as follows in this trip report. Usually writing under a mad publisher's chapter deadlines, this will be much a much more pleasant exercise, I'm sure.

To begin with, we had booked a six night barge trip in Alsace, beginning from Strasbourg on the 29th. Since The Alsace was about the only region of France where we hadn't spent any substantial time (other than a brief visit to the aformentioned city 23 years ago), we decided to re-visit Cote d' Azur and western Provence first, and then head to Strasbourg to connect with the barge.

Tuesday, April 18th...left LAX on an AA flight to London, with connection to a BA – Paris flight. Decided to use ff rather than our usual mode of selling our miles and applying the cash to our overseas flight....in this way, we would have gotten to accumulate more miles.
Unfortunately, our best ff buying source had dried up...so off it was. Worked out well, though.

Arrived CDG late afternoon May 19th and had a reservation at the airport Radisson, in anticipation of taking the 11:10 TGV to Avignon next morning. They provide a free shuttle to and from CDG (10-minutes). Rooms are about $140. We had decided weeks before to rent our car in Avignon and take the leisurely ride from there to Cote d'Azur.

Thursday, April 20th...off to Avignon. We had learned to love TGV travel over the years, but still had to face the hassle of getting the luggage on board. The older one gets, the more of a problem this seems to be...but once on board, I'm sure that most of you will agree it is a very relaxing way to travel from Point A to Point B. We had purchased a four-day senior pass, since we planned to use three days of train-ing for this trip (Cost $230 for each pass, plus $11 for each First Class seat reservation).

Note: All costs herein are quoted in approximate US dollars.

Arrived at Avignon's newer and beautiful TGV station at 2:30 and walked over to Budget (I usually rent through AutoEurope and Europcar) but Budget was running a very inviting sale.

It quickly turned out that I had made the wrong choice. Not only did they have zero cars available until later that day, the snippy young agent was not even apologetic, knowing full well that we had reserved months in advance. Not wishing to kill any more time, we sauntered over to National, two doors away , and they, too, had an uexplained shortage. No compacts, which we prefer in France and Italy, but only a full-sized Citroen which they offered us for only $40 more than the $275 for eight days we had with Budget. With it, we took the 1600 kms. rather than the more expensive free unlimited kms, calculating we would beat that with kms to spare. Eagerly, we took it ...for seasoned, world-wide travelers like the two of us, we should have remembered that the reason we always order compacts for certain European countries was precisely the size!! The full size Citroen, with only 1200 kms on it, was a gorgoeus hunk of metal...if only we didn't have to maneuver it through pencil-narrow village streets and parking venues!! But with the day ticking away, we loaded our bags in the massive trunk and merrily sped off to the A-7, leading to the A-8. It was a beautiful, sunny 70-degree day and the scenery, as some of you may know, is quite appealing even on the autostrada which was unusually void of traffic. After some pit stops, and baguette sandwiches, we arrived at Tourrettes sur Loup at 6, and found our way to our resrerved lodgings just 5 kms west of this lovely, well-situated medieval village (just ten minutes west of the substantial town of Vence).

The “Beauvallon” (beautiful little valley) is a meticulously-resotred villa, on a handsome plot of hilly ground, with breathtaking scenic views of the surrounding countryside. Owned by a delightful British couple, Mike and Lesley Barnes, it appealed to me when I brought it up on the internet after deciding we would headquarter in this area for the first part of our trip. The rate, with breakfast on the terrace, $110.(And Mike himself gets up early enough to drive to T-S-L to pick up crispy fresh baguettes and flaky croissants to go with the display of cereals, fruit, Lesley-made jams, yogurt and coffee.

Since it was early in the season, we were the only guests for the first three days of the five we stayed. Our room, with balcony, was pleasingly large, queen-sized bed and a bathroom larger than we've ever experienced in France. Above all, Mike was a fountain of local knowledge and shared it generously, advising us on local shortcuts and scenic off-map routes we would never had found without his handdrawn maps.

The loose schedule we had pre-set would take us to Nice and East-of-Nice (Cap Ferrat and Eze)on the first day. We previously decided to skip Monaco/Monte Carlo where we had visited severel years ago.

So off to Nice, through Cagnes sur Mer and Nice's famed Promenade Anglais. We remembered well how to get to the Saleya market and its huge parking garage. This would be our first experience in maneuvering the large Citroen around traffic-choked Nice and the narrow-spaced garage. Whew! White knuckles. Oh, for a neat little Compact. So happy that the more unflappable Roz (dear wife) took the wheel while I navigated.

Nice's Saleya market is something to behold no matter how many marketplaces you've been to in France, Italy and other countries. Sarlat, Aix and St. Remy remain our French favorites, but Nice is a not-to-miss also. The brightly colored striped canvas overheads, the plush flower stands, the fruits and veggies, the melodious hawking, and the many cafes allured us into constant stops. Spotting a couple eating huge portions of moules and frites at one of the inviting outdoor cafes with an open table just for us, we sat down for our lunch break...delicious, nutritious and at $22 total including splitting a large green salad and one glass of wine, a veritable bargain with the unstoppable Euro inching up each day.*

*(I find that most Fodorites like to know the cost of lodgings,food, etc. so I'm complying...I know I appreciate this information).


After strolling the Old Town, catching our daily gelato fix, we squeezed the car out of the garage (with difficulty) and headed for close-by Cap Ferrat and the magnificent Ephrussi-Rothschild Villa.

Are you still with me?...more to come.....very soon

Stu T.


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Old May 24th, 2006, 03:55 PM
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I'm with Ya Stu..Please go on. I have to say I went to Monte Carlo for the first time this past March, and I had to call My Husband in Detroit from My cellphone to tell Him I just found the most Beautiful water in the World. He asked better than Cancun? Almost.
Also had the chance to go to Avignon and the surrounding area. Loved It.
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Old May 24th, 2006, 03:58 PM
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Stu, I'm hooked. Beautiful. Keep it coming.

Anselm
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Old May 24th, 2006, 04:00 PM
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tower! (sigh!!!!)
Welcome home to share more.
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Old May 24th, 2006, 05:05 PM
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(mea culpa...my title's report should not have read “Haute Provence”...we switched gears and decided to skip the Castellane area, Digne le Bains, etc. and head straight for Western Provence).

We reached Cap Ferrat just about twenty minutes after leaving Nice, skirting the yacht harbor and finding the villa. Parking was tighter than a phone booth, especially with so many tour busses (and our white elephant Citroen)...but the villa is truly beautiful in every sense. We strolled the lovely grounds and spent a few hours admiring the views, the gardens and the home.

Reminded me of the time some acquaintances of ours moved into a Brentwood estate..for their open house, the eminent architect was there holding court. I blithely approached him (a big name in L.A. building circles) and said that the 22 room home reminded me so much of my grandmother's place.....once hooked by this remark he excitedly asked...”where was that?”....I coyly whispered, “Just outside of Kiev.” His jaw dropped and I sauntered out into the crowd. Nasty, wot?

Leaving Cap Ferrat, we headed for Eze. Parking here was somewhat jammed, but we managed after twenty minutes or so. My bad knee (I walk with a cane for support) prevented me from walking to the top, but Roz did and I spent some time chatting with an English-speaking cop, before I headed up half way to meet Roz coming down. She was surprised that the town had become a bit commercially shlocky since our last visit..something the cop had mentioned to me, also. There is no denying that the setting is a stunning one, though.

It was getting on to 4 p.m. and we reached the upper corniche, following all signs to the A-8...I figured this would be the best way back to Vence and Tourrettes...wrong! The traffic accumulated before the tunnel system and we inched along for miles before getting off the A-8 and heading north along the Var to the D-2210 , Gattieres and Vence. While on this very scenic road, we stopped at the Matisse Chapel just east of Vence..a most engaging place, with great views of the Riviera miles to the south. You must stop there if in the vicinity...a brilliant study of spiritual simplicity and warmth.

Dinner that evening in TSL (very convenient large parking lot at the town's entrance-free most evenings of the week) and a fine meal at Chez Grand Mere. Featuring an open-pit roasting fire smack in the dining room, the menu was quite eclectic. I'm a couscous freak and marvelled at the wonderfully-flavored vegetable dish I ordered. Roz favored her favorite steak and frites...two happy diners. Dessert of a fluffy chocolate mousse “wrapped” the evening.(Total: a very fair $40..with only a small carafe of wine). Followed by a very solid night's sleep at Beauvallon...so-o-o quiet!

**Forgot to mention that the previous evening we decided to beat the jet lag by eating light with some chicken salads at a place called Chez Guy also in Tourrettes.

(Goin' out for dinner tonight,L.A. American food... so will continue later.....)

Stu T.







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Old May 24th, 2006, 05:11 PM
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For those of you who don't know, Tower writes Historical books. His Wayfarers will be a movie soon.
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Old May 24th, 2006, 05:27 PM
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ttt
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Old May 24th, 2006, 08:13 PM
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Saturday, April 22nd...ah, Cannes is target for this morning. After the usual peaceful breakfast sitting on the terrace looking out over the valley, Mike gives us a handdrawn map on the best way to get to Cannes without going back through Vence, Cagnes sur Mer and the A-8...sounds good to me, as he promises a picturesque back country route. (Also gives me an excuse to ask Roz to do the driving while I decipher the little map, ahem!)

The route took us through Le Bar sur Loup which we peer at every day from the terrace, and then on to the Braque Valley, and Opio and Valbonne, two charming-looking villages, skirting Mougins and ending up on the northern perimeter of Cannes. From there, we find the popular Boulevard de la Croisette, and we're in movieland!

Luckily, it's two weeks ahead of the Festival, and the town is not very crowded (yet!). A parking garage even has super large spaces, no less..and we're off to explore Cannes with a slow walk along the seaside promenade. The sun and warm weather (75F) is welcome of course, but it's no more than we expect every day in our much maligned L.A.(no slings and arrows, please!)

Our digital snap-snap has been busy since arriving on Cote d'Azur and we've been very pleased with the results.
While Roz scouts out the shopping blocks(all the boys are here...Fred the Joallier from Beverly Hills, Louis Vuiton, Dolce Gabanna, Armenegildo Zenga, the late Versace, etc.) I sit on a promenade bench and have a satisfying session of people watching. My, the sights are interesting....Struck up a conversation with a classic, veddy British gentleman, straw hat, ascot, the works. Turns out he's in the PR business and he proceeded to give me a rundown of what he expected when the big gang arrives in two weeks. Yep, his dance card of meetings was filled with names, some that I even recognized.

Lunchtime in Cannes and we find a very pleasant place called "Notre", an upstairs restaurant a few blocks inland rather than the overhyped, overpriced beach emporia. We both ordered the one thing that appealed to us on the brief menu... unique scallop dishes, over salmon mousse, on a rectangular glass plate with little sections just for the size of a typical scallop..utterly delicious (Total $24)and we forego the ice cream dessert ...we had other plans. The latest Conde Nast touted "the best gelato" on the Riviera at a place called La Tellini, about a block away (across from Galleries Lafayette. Not disappointed...La Tellini I would recomend for any and all gelato aficionados. The Pistache is the creamiest I ever had..

A stroll down the Croisette took us to the enormous outdoor daily antique market...interesting browsing.

Headed straight back to Vence and Tourettes so that we could take a rest by the pool before going out to dinner
in TSL...Mike recommended La Medieval..run by two brothers, one in the kitchen, the other the only waiter. Quite good...I had an eggplant appetizer with sort of a hollandaise sauce, Roz had a green salad with a zingy vinaigrette, and ordered a veal dish. I chose a very tasty oyster stew. Pear tartin for dessert topped it off...with one carafe of wine, total $41 (!)

End of a lovely day in the South of France...how nice! Ain't traveling grand?!(This is called "preaching to the choir")

Stu T. (see ya tomorrow)



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Old May 25th, 2006, 09:15 AM
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(continuing)
Journal: I keep an extensive journal on every trip, both domestic and foreign.. filled up 54 pages on this one)...sure makes it easier to write this report (trying to do it from memory would be a major challenge, and the details would be nigh impossible)

Sunday, April 23rd:

Bouillabaisse Rules!

We planned to go back to Nice for one reason today...Roz had to have her "fish stew" for Sunday lunch and Nice was the place she remembered from about 20 years ago, on an all-girls Riviera visit. Couldn't recall the name of the place, but it was the best, says she..and it was in Old Town a few streets Saleya...she had mentioned it when we were in Nice on Friday, but wanted to return today. I'm game, and we headed for Nice after breakfast, figuring that after lunch we would either do Antibes or Biot or both. Good plan, right? Wrong!

The Sunday traffic was almost non existent going through Vence and Ganes..stopped for a fill up at the first opened petrol station (two had been closed)...yeah, we're getting close to European prices at $3.30 a gallon here in L.A...but it cost $80
to fill the Citroen at 1.45 E's per liter. Yikes!
When we reach the ocean and continue on the Promenande Anglais, the traffic jams to a stop just a few kms before the airport...well how-de-do...it's the annual Nice Marathon! and only one lane is opened for traffic...cars began peeling off over the grassy median strip...we decided to wait it out. Bad decision! Nearly one hour later, we were forced off the Promenade onto side streets that were at a standstill..after another hour of creeping through some of the less desirable parts of the city, hoping to get to Saleya, we were finally shunted onto the Promenade..going west!! That did it....we decided, no bouillabaisse in Nice for us today...and continued on to Antibes through very heavy, bumper-to-bumper traffic...I could just imagine how it woudl be during high season..the reason we never travel in summer anywhere ..never (except Scandinavia).

Reached Antibes at 1 pm , and a big annual antique fair was going on...finally found a parking spot in one of the lots, at the yacht marina...
helluva display of conspicuous comsumption...saw Bill Gate's grey monstrosity in Copenhagen a few years ago...it would have been dwarfed by some of these babies.

Inside the walls, we came across a restaurant that featured bouillabaisse...La Gravette....without reservations we were seated outside almost immediately...I had a gigantic seafood salad, Roz her cherished "fish stew", (excellent, says she and I agree))with constant tasting both ways..a carafe of vin and Sunday lunch was very satisfying...(total for two: $33...by the way, all totals are for two)..left room for a gelato later on.
Antibes was at its best..thorughly enjoyed strolling the entire town..also drove a little further down the peninsula, and finally headed back to
TSL...rested up at Beauvallon, reading The Tribune (which I pilfered from a hotel in Antibes) at the poolside terrace.

Went back into TSL where many eateries were closed for Sunday evening, but we found "Cocon" open...green salads, delicious onion-cheese ravioli for me, entrecote and frites for Roz, with our usual small carafe of wine (we are not notable drinkers...and many times I pass on the wine)...in fact I don't consider myself as a major foodie, but Roz could possibly, at times, be classified as such.
(Total: $27...notice that most of the places we favor are the "mom and pops", not the bigger brassier, or starred establishments...same as in Italy, Spain, etc. where the "mom and pops" rule our choice...we do "splurge-stray" from this on occasion as you will see for tomorrow's lunch)

Stu T.
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Old May 25th, 2006, 09:35 AM
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Loving this... thank you.
Got pictures later on?
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Old May 25th, 2006, 12:35 PM
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suzie...yep!

Stu T.
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Old May 25th, 2006, 02:09 PM
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Stu,

Thanks for the wonderful report, especially the restaurant bits. They're in my "Provence to See and Eat" file for next October, and we'll look forward to following in your footsteps.
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Old May 25th, 2006, 02:12 PM
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Stu T - this is wonderful, one quick question how do you sell your AA ff?
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Old May 25th, 2006, 02:30 PM
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Our last day in Cote d'azur area...and we have 1:00 reservations for lunch at L'Colombe d'Or in nearby St. Paul. One of the few reservations that we made in advance...having been disappointed by trying too late during past visits.

We decide to get into St. Paul earlier so we can visit "The graeght Maeght Foundation".
You don't want to miss this if anywhere in the vicinty...superb! Thoroughly enjoy our few hours at Maeght, encompassed by Miros, Chagalls, Matisses, etc. Marvelous galleries, inside and outside.

L'Colombe d'Or, world renowned (made our reservation three months in advance just to be sure), has a prime setting in this charming town. The hostess immediately recognized our name without looking at her list...my, oh my..along with our request for a terrace table, and everything goes off with precision...the day is sunny and comfortably warm, ambience and the service impeccable and the food tastefully presented and flavored. What more can one ask?

The featured appetizer was white asparagus, best we've ever tasted anywhere. Roz ordered the fricassee of chicken and I had a delicious sole so artfully stripped at tableside (no, not me, the sole). Dessert began with a sampler cheese dish and ended with a crispy-lidded creme brulee and chocolate sticks... a carafe of chardonnay. (Total: $110)

Leaving St. Paul, we had previously decided this would be a good afternoon to visit Gourdon, which was only 20 minutes from Beauvallon...and this was certainly the beautiful day to do it...after a pit stop back at Beauvallon, we continued on through Pont du Loup and up the mountain to Gourdon. Road is well engineered and easy to drive considering the steep climb.

We enjoyed this visit and the majestic views from the highly perched village.
Obviously, the town has become a magnet for tourism, but it has the product to demand it..no complaints.

Tomorrow we're off to the west! Hope I'm not boring you...just giving you the details.

Stu T.
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Old May 25th, 2006, 02:37 PM
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wombat...we had two outlets here in the L.A. area who bought a total of hundreds of thousands of miles from us over the past ten years or so. It's done all the time, not with the blessing of the airlines..but they've turned their heads on this practice years ago...but as I said, these sources have dried up for a number of plausible reasons, not the least of which is the plight of most airlines today...the fear of bankruptcy and eventually possibly rendering ff miles null and void. I dunno if this will happen, but you'll notice there are fewer ff seats on each flight, harder to book them. Check with USA Today in their classifieds and you'll still see a call for ff miles.
Stu T.
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Old May 25th, 2006, 02:40 PM
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Stu,
Really enjoying your wonderful report, keep it coming. Beauvallon looks gorgeous, always great to have a recommendation, have put into our 'where to stay file' for the next trip.
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Old May 25th, 2006, 07:08 PM
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Tues. Apr. 25th

After a fond farewell to our hosts at Beauvallon, we were onto the A-8 within a half hour, with little traffic mid-week. As I mentioned we had decided not to take the longer route (Route Napoleaon, etc) through Haute Provence, but rather go through Aix (for a quick re-visit) and then on to St. Remy.

Ran into our first threat of rain about 50 kms from Aix but the sprinkles dissipated before we exited, and the trusty sun popped out.

We had fond memories of some nice past sopovers in Aix and after depositing the big bus in a garage, we bumped into the marketplace in full swing. From
there the obligatory walk down Cours Mirabeau (the plane trees were just budding, but mostly bare)...Stopped for lunch at Deaux Garcons, for some salmon and shrimp salads, while watching the passing parade of citizens. (Total: $18).

Instead of getting back onto the A-8 we followed the N-7 all the way to the D-99 and were soon in St. Remy for the first time in ten years...my, how it has grown into a very bustling, traffic clogged city!

Last time we were there was on a winter trip and we stayed at the Chateau duRousson...since have heard on this board that it has become quite run down...so we had booked a room at The Villa Glanum, next to the Roman Ruinsand Van Gogh's sanitarium. Nice grounds, olive grove, pool and main house...fair, smallish rooms in the attached cottages...rates $90+. Breakfasts extra 10E's..but quite substantial.

We postponed scouting the town for a place to eat, mainly becase we had bought some wonderfully tasty chicken kebobs at the Aix market for this very purpose..and we were tired and ready for an early-to-bed.

Wed, April 26th

Market day in St. Remy..not the small weekly, but the twice a year biggie...covering a good part of the town..enormous market..enjoyed lurking about. We had big plans for lunch which weree soon to be dashed...I mentioned on another thread (The Peter Mayle thread)that we follwed the Peter Mayle Trail back in '95 while in Provence...and among the recommendations , the best one was Bistrot du Paradou in nearby Paradou, sort of between St. Remy and Les Baux...
Off we went in order to get there in time for lunch opening at 12(no need of a reservation last time, so why now??)....a little after 12, we walked in and found no one there outside of a mother and young son. Seems like the fame bestowed by Mayle on this classically great place has made it into a very expensive establishment, pricing out and turning away most of the local color for which it was so endeared in Mayle's book...now, a prix fixe $50 for lunch...say what?? No thanks....

On to nearby Le Baux where we recovered with a lovely lunch at Reine Jeanne...marvelous garlicky fish soup for me, trout for Roz...with green salads, and wine for Roz (Total: $22)

Since we covered Les Baux so well on our last visit , we didn't hang around very long..too jammed with tour bus visitors..and our goal became Pont du Gard and Uze.

The drive from Les Baux is a very easy and pleasant one, through Tarascon/Beaucaire...and we arrived at PdG in an hour...this was a far better sighting than we had on our winter visit..bright sun bouncing off the aqueduct for good photo ops.

Spent the rest of the afternoon in busy Uze and enjoyed the town very much. Back to St. Remy where we found a delightful little mom and pop on a side alley for an early light dinner...I had a hankering for an omelette and they made me a great one with cheese, onions and ham...Roz had a salmon salad, with a carafe of wine and we split a creme carmel for dessert (topped with a with a boule of ice cream, of course). (Total: $24)

Tomorrow, selected Luberon visits and the Abbey at Senanque.

Stu T.
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Old May 25th, 2006, 07:51 PM
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oops..forgot to name the restaurant in St. Remy...it's Le Gaulois..tinybplace with about eight tables...
Stu T.
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Old May 26th, 2006, 10:24 AM
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On the way back to St. Remy we stopped in at our old haunt (and I do mean haunt by the looks of the place today!), The Chateau du Roussan..still an incredible driveway lined with plane trees, and grounds that intrigue one...but we stepped inside, still very dark and now musty...one of the employees let us look at a room. The entire chateau does not look like anything much has been done. What a shame...it was a great place to stay back then ('95).

Also saw a surprising reference to a 15th century Jewish Cemetery in St. Remy in one of the booming town's new brochures. It, too, was on the way to our hotel and we easily found it, locked iron gates emblazoned with two Stars of David (and no graffiti!)...I was able to peer through the openings and took a photo of perhaps a half dozen remaining monuments. On the wall encompasing the very large plot (100 yards x 50 yards) was a sign signifying: "Cimitiere des Juifs, monument historique, depuis le XV Siecle"...(the fact that there was once a community here had never shown up in any research I've done in the past).

Thursday, April 27th:

The plan for this day was a loop drive, skipping most of those towns we had visited in depth before (Menerbes, Bonnieux, La Coste, Buoux, Roussillon, Gordes, L'Isle sur Sorgue, Lourmarin, Ansouis, etc.)

We started out toward Oppede-le-Vieux and were not disappointed...not only a lovely, unspoilt spot but the walk from the parking area into town was one of the neatest we've seen anywhere in Provence...sort of a wooded lane, stone steps, surrounded by wild flowers and plants and a view around every corner.

There were no more than a half-dozen tourists in town at the early hour of 9:30 and we stopped for coffee and croissants at the town cafe (this, after a satisfying breakfast back at the Villa Glanum..bad, bad!)...photo ops are everywhere in Oppede (ain't digitals fun...snap, snap, snap!)

Our next stop was to be the Abbey at Senanque, just north of Gordes..knowing full well that the Abbey's famed lavendar plants would not be in bloom..but I figured they would be nearly full grown at that time...right.
On another thread, I warned a poster who is heading to the Abbey this summer about the one lane downhill road leading into the Abbey...there are a few pulloffs and traffic seems to cooperate...the view of the Abbey is a stunning one from up above.

No doubt the Abbey and its plants when they are in full bloom become one of the most photographed sights in all of France (right behind MSM, Eiffel tower, and Pont du Gard). We dutifully photographed the plants sans flowers, visited the abbey itself and continued on our way.

The road is wider going north toward venasque along a dramatic, scenic gorge ....Venasque is dubbed "one of the beautiful villages of France" "a village fleuri"...absolutely charming in very respect..standing alone.

Our goal for lunch was Fontaine de Vaucluse...again, a place we visited during winter, when it was almost deserted though very scenic...found good parking and a beautifully situated outdoor restaurant on the riverside..."La Marel"..Roz had moules au gratin, I had a poached salmon and we shared a pear tartin with ice cream...quite good....no wine...(total: $32). Strolled along the rushing River Sorgue with lush embankments, and went further upstream to see the famed whirlpool..good, brisk cardio walk.

We returned to St. Remy, shopping time for Roz, while I went on to visit the Roman ruins...picked her up later and we ate our dinner at the hotel's Italian restaurant...quite good...Roz, steak and frites, me, excellent baked canneloni, carafe of vin ...and skipped dessert. (Total: $38)

Heading north to Strasbourg tomorrow....it's barge-ing time in Alsace!!

Stu T.
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Old May 26th, 2006, 03:46 PM
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Hello again, to anyone reading this Trip Report..I apologize for the length, but a three week trip does take time to report. properly, as Stu D. can tell you!


Friday, April 28th...

Checked out early to get to Avignon for the TGV to Lyon and then on to Strasbourg...so we have about 6 hours of leisurely train rides ahead. Actually, it was a pleasure giving up the car..train was right on time for the first leg, a quick ride to Lyon..then an hour and a half wait for the Strasbourg train (non TGV, but nevertheless, very fast)

Train was delayed half hour due to a rockslide near Besancon..arrived Strasbourg at 6:30, cabbed to Hotel Cathedrale in famed Cathedrale Square. I had a brief viit here in 1983...for half a day.

The Cathedrale Hotel at $90 (incl. massive buffet for bkfst.) for weekend rate was more than adequate and perfectly located> We immediately got out to stroll the area...mostly pedestrian streets and upscale shops around the Cathedrale Square...wanted an early dinner, so we found a lively place a few blocks away...and a most interesting French-German-Italian-Russian dinner...not so unusual in Alsace... family style for two, starting with a chicken-sausage-bacon salad on a bed of sauerkraut (choucrote style), a Russian egg salad (great taste...to this day we don't know what the hell was in it!), fettucini in butter sauce side dish and a fluffy-lite chocolate-lemon mousse (!)..no wine. (Total: can you believe $28)

NEXT:

BARGE-ING IN ON ALSACE!!
(tomorrow we board da barge!)

Stu T.

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