Well, my most recent trip (12 May to 19 May) had a bit of both. The beauty was the scenery of Provence and the various towns and the beast was 2 things actually: the mistral and an incident in Arles.

This will be posted in segments (under the same header of course).

Day 1: US to England
Flew out of Boston Logan on British Airways. I left on the morning flight and arrived at the airport at 4:55 a.m. and beat even the staff of British Airways! We didn't get checked in until 5:35 a.m. The flight over was uneventful - which is great. They were showing "Something's Gotta Give" with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton. Got me in the mood for France.

Landed at Heathrow at 19:45 that night and then proceeded to figure out how to get to Gatwick. I took the NatExpress to Gatwick. Cost me 19,50 GBP. Traffic wasn't too bad that late in the evening. Thanks Ira and others who recommended the Belmont Hotel at Gatwick. Very convenient and quite clean. The staff were very nice.

Day 2: England to France
Woke up at 4:30 a.m. to get to Gatwick on time for a 6:50 a.m. flight to Marseille. Had enough time to grab a quick bite in the breakfast room. I had a moment that I chalk up to being sleep deprived. I put 2 slices of bread in the toaster but the bread wouldn't go down once I pushed on the lever (not really, but the name escapes me). I looked and saw that the toaster was plugged in; however, I discovered, thanks to the staff, that the power was not on. I didn't flip the switch to start the electricity flowing through the power cord. Egads!
I flew easyjet to Marseille. I had a bit of a panic since I had forgotten that one has to wait in the lounge until the airlines post the gate you need to go to! It got closer and closer to departure time and easyJet had not posted our gate. Never fear, they posted and boarding was a breeze. Not a full-I-can-barely-move flight, but a comfortably full flight. The crew were funny (especially at that hour!) and nice. Arrived in Marseille on time (or possibly a bit early). Again, a non-eventful flight.

More later . . .

Arrived in Marseille and took the Navette to Marseille-St Charles (8,50 euro). Purchased train ticket to Avignon. Arrived at Avignon TGV and took the Navette to Avignon Centre (1,05 euro). Went straight to tourism office to get a map of the city. I got a bit lost going to my hotel - mainly because I forgot to provide the entire street name! There are 2 streets in Avignon - rue Agricol. I stayed at Hotel Le Splendid on rue Agricol Perdiguier. One star hotel, no lift, but extremely charming. I had a room with a shower and WC so the price per night was 43 euro. Not too bad. Stayed at this place for my entire stay in Provence.

Dropped off the luggage and went exploring. I think I caught the tail end of the mistral. It was sooo windy! I live in the Northeast so I'm used to Nor'easters, but this mistral was way different. There were times when I could barely walk. I went to the Palais des Papes and saw this magnificent structure. Unfortunately, no tapesteries nor luxurious trinkets remain. You have to use your imagination to picture what it looked like when the popes resided here. With the ticket price, you get an audio guide. This helps out a lot.

Visited the gardens and was awed. Simply gorgeous. Very neat gardens - especially the design. Again, the mistral was playing havoc with my picture taking ability.

Toured the Pont St. Benezet. Wanted to walk out to the very end, but I was a bit afraid the wind would blow me over the railing. However, I was able to get an amazing view of the Palais des Papes from the bridge. Wow.

One thing I will note is that when you go to Avignon's tourist office, they have this "passport" that you can get (it's free) that will give you reduced entry fees to certain museums and monuments. You have to pay full price at the first place you visit, but you receive a stamp and from that point onward, you pay a reduced fare. It does include Villeneuve les Avignon museums and monuments, boat rides/cruises on the Rhone, and other excursions. I didn't see everything that the passport could be used for so I can't say 100% that this was a good deal. I mean, the passport itself is free so what do you have to lose?

Had dinner near the hotel. Nothing to rave or rant about. It got really cool and windier at night than it was during the day. Crashed after dinner.

Day 3: St. Remy de Provence
I absolutely loved this town! Very compact and oh so gorgeous. Had a bit of trouble finding the tourist office since the old one had moved. Each vendor I spoke to wasn't sure where the new one was located. I did find it, but it was closed when I arrived. Oh well. So, toured this town without a map.

It was a gorgeous day - I started to get a tan! I walked and walked around and found myself going around in circles! There isn't a lot "must sees" here but the pace and the design of the city were simply a nice breath of fresh air.

I ate lunch at Jardin de Frederic Mistral. Had the prix fixe menu for 11 euros (?). Simply wonderful. It took me almost 2 hours. This was astounding to me because I'm the type that inhales food in about 1/2 hour. The main course was pork filets with fresh pasta. I hate to admit that I was expecting pork chops but what I got instead was pork medallions. Oh my goodness! Yummy! The dessert was pomme au four - again, yummy. I was afraid I wouldn't have room for the dessert because I was unable to finish the main course. Since I had already gone past my normal "eating" 1/2 hour , I had a cup of tea. Ahh, it was soo nice.

I then planted myself on a bench and did some serious people watching. OH- forgot to mention I took the bus to St. Remy. About 45 minutes and it drops you off in the center of town. While watching the town and its people go by, I witnessed a car accident - my first in all of my travels! It wasn't anything too serious, more like a fender bender. It was interesting to watch the interaction between the drivers and the police. Different from witnessing an American traffic accident.

Purchased some unique souvenirs in St. Remy. Visited a cool museum that had the most unique exhibit. The downstairs housed prints/photographs of Van Gogh's paintings he did while in the region and the upstairs had another artist's work. It was his take on Van Gogh's work. Very unique. Once I understood his technique, I was more intrigued and was able to look at his work from a different perspective. For example, this artist took Van Gogh's "Starry Night" piece and painted it from the the reflection off the water. I apologize for the weak description.

I totally enjoyed this town because I felt like I didn't have to be somewhere at a certain time nor did I feel like I had to go and see a "must see." I felt like I was relaxing on vacation - go figure.

Returned to Avignon.

Arles is next.

Love your title Stacey, keep it coming.
St Remy is great for people watching I agree.

Day 4: Arles
As some of you may remember (or not), I was debating what to do for my 31st birthday - go to Paris or stay in the Provence region. Thanks to the advice of seasoned travellers, I decided to stay in the Provence region. I chose to visit Arles to celebrate the big 31.

On the train ride to Arles, I sat with a couple from Washington who had been travelling for 2 weeks all around Europe. We discussed our various adventures so far. The man told me about the bull fights that Arles had in the amphitheatre and how they were different from those in Spain. Meaning, as I understand, they don't kill the bull in Arles but it's more like a challenge for them to pick a thing (not sure what) off their head. Correct me if I'm wrong because I may have totally misunderstood him!

Anyway, arrived in Arles and having read about the billet global in my guide book, I decided to get one. This was a pass that allowed free entry into 7 monuments/museums. The cost (in mid-May) was 13,50 euro. Not too bad. I don't have the list of sights that are on the ticket but some I do remember are: the amphitheatre, the ancient theatre, and the roman bath. I didn't go to 2 of them because they were quite far from the center and I was tired and heavy laden with packages.

After purchasing the pass, I overheard a couple in front of me discussing the market that was happening. I followed them and found this amazing market. It had flowers, food, and trinkets. I purchased lavendar sachets for gifts and an amazing painting from a local artist. It was so cool. I even passed crates of live chickens for sale! Go figure. The market is only around until 13:00 on Saturdays - not sure how long it's there on Wednesdays. It's located on Blvd. des Lices.

I visited the various sights on my pass and was amazed to see a bit of Rome in France. The amphitheatre and ancient theatre were amazing. While at the ancient theatre, there was a school group in the stands. One group of either girls or boys would get up and sing a French song. Very precious.

The incident I mentioned in the first post happened here in Arles. 3 teen age boys (probably aged 12-14) violated my personal space. They posed as marchands and tried to get you to look at a book that talked about the region. They spoke English but it wasn't perfect. While you were looking at the book, one (at least in my case) started grabbing certain body parts. So, beware.

Day 5: Nice
I had made a tentative itinerary before leaving and wound up following it to a T. I didn't have anything specifically planned for Sunday so I went to the TGV station and debated whether to go to Nice or to Paris. Nice won out because it was closer and I would have more time to spend there. After the incident in Arles, I needed to do something and not stay in my hotel room thinking about it. So, I went to the beach. It was a gorgeous day! Perfect for laying out and getting a tan!

I had visited Nice in 2001 so I didn't feel as if I needed to rush around seeing the major sights. I did, however, want to go to the flower market, but by the time I got to Cours Saleya, workers were tearing things down. Boo hoo

It seemed everyone was out at the beach that day! Old and young alike were getting some sun on their skin. Tons of people and way different from the last time I had visited Nice (it was in March - not exactly beach weather!)

It was very relaxing and a nice way to get away from the normal stuff. Again, I was able to fully relax and enjoy the beach without feeling rushed.

Took the last train from Nice back to Avignon.

Next stop: Aix-en-Provence

What a wonderful trip report! We're making the same trip as you come September, so I'm taking notes as I read. Keep it coming--I want to hear about Aix!

S-what a great trip-sorry about those boys in Arles, that was my favorite stop on our trip-isn't the market just wonderful! I want to go back NOW!

fabulous report! I love that part of France. (and that part, and that part, and that part... and so on)

the bullfight of which he spoke is called la Course Camarguaise..

however, in early September they have a Feria du Riz in which they actually have la Corrida right in that arena. trust me, the bull was quite dead when they were done! ick.

there are annual ferias, bullfighting festivals. The traditional one of Provence is course a la cocarde, the bulls are chased through the town to the local arena.the bull in the ring wears a red cocarde(rosette) tied to its horns and the matadors try to snatch it, a goreless entertainment. At the end of the season, the bullfighter with the most rosettes snatched gets fame as well as cash. Only latele have bullfights end in death in the Spanish-style corrida, but this is usually in the main arenas like arles and Nimes.
If you see the words on the posters advertising the events,Mise A Mort, it means to the death. I avoid those.

You seem to have packed plenty into your visit here. You did miss a few things in St Remy.... Glanum and the Mausole de St Paul, the sanitorium where Van Gogh painted many of his most famous paintings, but now you'll just have to come back !

The markets all end around 12:30 / 1 PM.
The Saturday market in Arles is the largest in Provence...

As to the bullfights, there are many where the bull isn't put to death. But
there has always been a strong Spanish influence here; they even raise bulls for the bullfights in Spain in this area.

<< the bull in the ring wears a red cocarde(rosette) tied to its horns and the matadors try to snatch it, a goreless entertainment>>

Hardly totally goreless... the "razeteurs" (not matadors) wear a sort of brass knuckles on their hands that have razor sharp blades to cut off the cocarde. They often miss and it can get pretty bloody.

Patricia

I thank God, I didn't see a bloody one!!! The one death I saw in Mexico City was enough for me!

PBProvence:
Thanks for the things I missed in St. Remy. I'm definitely coming back to the region - next time, I'm renting a car and driving around!

Thanks to those who clarified the bull fights in Arles.

Day 6: Aix-en-Provence

Ah, a most beautiful town. I can't decide which is my favorite - Aix or St. Remy. Hmmm.

Took the train to Aix - quick ride. Took the shuttle to the gare routiere from the TGV station. Can't remember the cost, but I think it was around 3 euro (or something like that). Once I arrived at the gare routiere, I found my way to the tourism office where I promptly picked up a map. I need to find an internet cafe to secure a room for my overnight stay near Heathrow.

After taking care of the not so fun stuff, I hit the streets of Aix. The fountain in the middle of town was amazing! It's so huge. Traffic was swirling around it like normal.

I walked down (and up!) Cours Mirabeau. My guide book stated that it is one of the most beautiful streets in Europe and I have to agree. Amazing. Even in the mid-day, the trees kept the hot sun from warming us tourists too much. Saw the various fountains that are placed in the street. At the end (or depending on how you look at it), the fountain that has the statue of the man holding a wreath (not sure if this is Roi Rene or Mirabeau himself - again, I don't have the map that gives me this information! It's at home) had a huge dog walking around in it! He was cooling himself off, I guess.

Walked to the Palais de Justice and a small market was going on there. Mostly food and a small area for flowers. Visited the Hotel de Ville and the place de L'Hotel de Ville. People were sitting at the cafe tables hanging out and doing people watching.

On my way to finding a place to eat for lunch, I noticed a open air food market. They had the most lucious looking strawberries. Yummy!

Ate lunch at an Irish pub - I think it was called the Red Leprechaun. Had ravioli. However, the most interesting thing that happened during lunch was 2 dogs fighting and one owner admonishing the other dog's owner. Very interesting to behold.

I didn't go into any of the museums in Aix (another reason to return), but I did venture into the Cathedrale St. Sauveur (located across from the university in Aix). Very beautiful design on the exterior and quite beautiful inside. Very peaceful.

I visited the Musee des Tapisseries and saw the great tapestries. Very neat. They were in the process of getting the stage next door ready for summer plays (?). This Musee had an amazing staircase. Wow.

After doing some damage to my wallet, I decided to people watch. I got an amazing dessert at Haagen Dazs - panna cotta and rasberry. I think the Panna cotta was the ice cream and the rasberry was the sauce. It also had chocolate ice cream and chocolate sauce as well. They were out of whipped cream so I got extra chocolate sauce - fine by me!! OK, soooo yummy. I don't know if the panna cotta flavor will come to the US market or not. Kind of expensive (5, 80 euro), but oh so worth it.

As some of you know the cours mirabeau does allow cars on it so you have to be careful when you cross. As I sat on the street, I watched all sorts of people and cars pass me by. It was peaceful.

There's something about Aix that was calming to me. I can't quite put my finger on it but it was there. Oh, as my souvenir from Aix, I found a cool shop that had pottery from the Provence region done by local artists. The store is A summer in Provence. I got the coolest tea cup and saucer. Unfortunately, they don't have a website so I can order more! Oh well! Guess that means I have to go back! hee, hee

Took the train back to Avignon.

Day 7: Last day in France

My flight out of Marseille back to the UK was scheduled for 21:30 so I had a lot of time left in France. Originally I had opted to leave Avignon about mid-day and head over to Marseille and explore the city. However, realizing that I would have my luggage with me as well as the carrier bags full of souvenirs, I nixed that plan. I didn't want to walk down the street and into cathedrals, museums, etc. with all of that stuff. So, I stayed in Avignon and finished some shopping. Walked around the town and saw other things that I had missed when I first arrived.

I had selected the non-stop train from Avignon to Marseille St. Charles. It was supposed to get at Marseille in 30 minutes. However, while on the train, I heard a bell chime 5 times and noticed that we were slowing down as we approached Aix (we weren't suppose to stop in Aix). The conductor came on and told us that we were stopping in Aix and would stay there for 15 minutes due to a bomb at the Marseille train station! I thought I understood him but checked with another passenger to make sure I didn't have to get off the train. As soon as the conductor finished, the people around me were on their cell phones alerting friends and family who were meeting them at the train station that they would be delayed. I think they were more peturbed that the train would be late instead of the possibilty that a bomb was at the train station. Hmm.

When we finally arrived at Marseille-St. Charles, I did notice that security was very visible. They were even stopping empty shuttle buses from going too far! Comforting in a way.

Returned to the airport the same way - via Navette (same price - 8,50 euro). Oh - the airport was undergoing some construction at the time so it was a bit crowded in the waiting area.

Flight back to Gatwick was smooth and quick. Remember the craziness when I first landed in the UK? Well, I had to do that again, just in reverse. This one was a doozy! It was late, we actually landed early at Gatwick (22:00 instead of 22:30 english time) and I was a bit panicked because I couldn't find the NatExpress stand to get me back to Heathrow. I did find it thanks to another couple wandering around at the same time. Got to Heathrow and then took a cab to my hotel. I found a room at the Thistle London Heathrow. It was the only one that accepted my bid (I was in a rush due to poor planning on my part). It's located on Bath Road in West Drayton. It caters more towards the business traveller. The room I had was huge! It was midnight and I was snapping pictures of my room instead of getting sleep!

Day 8: Got up early to catch shuttle to airport. Cost 3 GBP and since I was flying out of terminal 4, I had to get off at Terminal 3 and walk to Terminal 4. Not too bad, but a bit inconvenient I must say. The shuttle driver must not have had his morning coffee yet (it was early - as in 6:30 -6:45 or so). Checked in and then did a bit of last minute shopping in the terminal. Ate breakfast at Weatherspoons - bacon and tomato sandwich. I forgot that bacon to the British is actually fried ham. Don't get me wrong, it was great!

The flight back to Logan was a bit bumpy at times - at one point I felt like I was on a roller coaster. There was one woman who was sick the entire way back to the US. Landed at Logan, went through customs (although they delayed letting us off the plane until the lines at customs/immigrations had shrunk at bit), and picked up bags to head home.

So, that's it. All in all, it was a great trip. Busy but fun. The weather was amazing. I know I didn't see half of the charms the Provence has to offer, but that gives me great incentive to head back!

Thanks for taking the time to read.

We thank You for your report. As Patricia says, you must go back to see more. there will always be something for us to see who are not fortunate to live there like her. Her village Maussane-les-Alpilles is worth a visit because it has two good olive mills to buy olive oil and confitures, some wonderful boutiques for gift buying, several very good restaurant a few local bars and I love fountains. It has a beautiful one, and I like Lavoirs and they have one. Like St Remy, alot of celebrities live there, that you might spot on the street like the chef/owner of Les Baux 's L'Ousteau and Francoiçe Fabian, the wonderful actress. And there's a beautiful bed and Breakfast there.

Thanks for the report, SL, and especially for the description of Aix. Now it's on my list of places to spend time. I wonder if there is a lovely two-star hotel on a shady street there with my name on it. J.