Where are you having lunch in St Tropez???

La Ponche is our favorite.

Stu Dudley

We had a nice lunch in Aix yesterday ...let me see if I can find the name. Reasonably priced and very good.

Cafe du Palais
Place de Précheurs
2 Rue Manuel
13100 Aix-en-Provence
France

http://www.yelp.com/biz/café-du-palais-aix-en-provence

Our favorite in Aix, and the best meal we had during our 5 weeks in France in 2010 was at the Michelin 1 star Pierre Reboul. Nice 52E fixed price menu.

Deb - try Le Carillon in Goult. Better than Bartaville, IMO. It's new this year, so you might not find many reviews - except from Ellen & I.

http://www.restaurant-goult.com/

Stu Dudley

Thanks, Stu. Will make a note of it.

We had an amazing dinner the other night at

Le Sanglier Paresseux
84750 Caseneuve

http://www.sanglierparesseux.com/en/

Stu -we are having lunch with my host's friends at their house outside of st Tropez in a small town I don't know the name of it We will be around the area for dinner though.
and the next day we will go into St Tropez. I will look up your restaurant there :)

This is the 2nd night in a row I've been up with a huge amount of energy at 3am. This happened last time in France as well. Will be picking up a sleeping pill today!

We've visited the Aven d'Orgnac, and its Michelin 3-star rating is well deserved. It really merits the term "awesome."

As for Cannes, yes, we've been there. It's pretty, and seeing the yachts in the marina is always fun. But it's not high on my list of places to return to, unlike Nice and Antibes. If you do go to Cannes, however, have a meal at La Pizza, right at the end of the Croisette and the marina. While there's a full menu, pizza is the thing, and it's wonderful. There's a branch in Nice as well.

We are thinking about Aven d'Orgnac but they close this week and tours are only in French at this time of year. My French is decent, hubby's still learning. But my French vocabulary isn't heavy into geology. Do you think it's worth the drive (probably close to 2 hours each way) if we won't understand the tour?

Coincidence how many people were around Aix this month. We spent a week Oct 28-Nov 4 at a great rental in La Barben, just W of Aix and 10 minutes from Salon de Provence.

Sorry that the weather has turned crummy. I heard it was 12 C one day this week. But it's still Provence and it's still wonderful.

Best thing we saw this trip: the Gorges de la Nesque, N of the Luberon.

I've seen most of the great gorges: G. du Tarn, du Verdon, G de l'Ardeche, G de l'Herault, G de la Sioule.

This was my favourite -- for great views, convenience of access, duration and lack of crowds (despite being a holiday weekend)

Agree, Gorge de la Nesque is wonderful.

You should see the weather here today! Cold, rainy, dreary, but it's Provence!

Deb

Aven d'Orgnac is mostly a feast for the eyes. I don't think the commentary adds much. GO!!!

If you don't have my Provence itinerary, here are some other things to visit in the area, in addition to the Gorge de l'Ardeche.

Here are some very interesting non-touristy villages at the west end of the Gorges de l'Ardeche.
Labeaume*
Balazuc*
Roums (a little touristy)

On the way up the west side of the Rhone, just south of Montelimar , visit St Montan. It is mis-labeled St Montant on some Michelin maps. Several years ago a group of families looking for a nice place to live where they could buy crumbling houses & put in some sweat-equity, started to restore this crumbled medieval village. Soon others joined, and they now have a real gem.


Stu Dudley