Here is your solution. Leave him at home and take me instead. I love Provence, know the area, speak the language and I am of course very charming.

Larry J

Llamalady had the best thought. The Mt.Ventoux was one of Tour de France stages and it's very difficult for novices. This would keep your husband for a bit of time.

Also, you can buy some good souveniers (sp?)of jerseys, shorts, or other types of French and Italian team memorabilia.

Or, even better, he could buy a little &quot;Toy&quot; to bring back home. In France the word <b>La Petite Reine</b> is used for a bike, so he should take good care of his little queen. Queens always want new gifts-I know this is correct. I have about seven queens at home now.

Blackduff

HI,
I understand that some people like to move around and get exercise. I was going to suggest that you canoe in the river that goes under the Pont du Gard, but I see someone has already done that. There are other water sports near Uzes. You can canoe, kayak and swim in the river Gardon and Ceze. Also there are walking paths and a golf course near Uzes. Have a wonderful time.

Mont Ventoux!! That is a great idea. In fact one of the hotels we were looking at (Crillon de Brave I think) overlooks it. I had forgotten that was a big stage in the Tour de France.

Hey Jen...if your husband gets bored easily, beware of Crillon le Brave..even with the famed super-luxury hotel smack in the middle of the village, IMHO the village is one of the least charming, attractive and active ones in all of Provence....boring, in a word.
Jen: remember, just my opinion, shared by my DW, and also two friends who have since tried it against our recommendation.
Stu T.

I agree with Tower - the hotel IS the
village!

However, it is used by many bike tours
as a starting point for some great rides. And I'm pretty sure you can
rent a decent bike in Bedoin. In
Malachene for sure.

I identify with your problem! My husband doesn't like to laze around either (and on top of that, he likes to schedule, schedule, schedule and go go go). He tried to learn French for our last trip, but the results were minimal at best. I am not fluent, but can get by...

We went to Provence for our honeymoon last year and both had a wonderful time(not just because it was our HM). We liked it so much, that we went back this year again, adding on more--- Langeudoc (Cevennes) and the Dordogne. I made my husband get more involved with the planning this year and although I had some trepidation towards this, it worked out really well. Last year we spent 10 days, this year just over two weeks and we already started thinking about going back next year for 3 weeks.

On a side note- my husband is a ski fanatic and I don't ski due to an old knee injury (can't afford to be sidelined again due to my profession). His ski trips (sans moi) are a point of contention between the two of us...

Anyway- 4 days into our trip, he was already talking about ditching his ski vacation to be able to spend more time in southern France next year. This is a huge concession for him (especially since I didn't prod him into it!)

In Provence, the pace is slow, but there is so much to do, that you shouldn't get bored.

In Provence, there are some good hikes in the Dentelles.

Visit Pont du Gard.

Near Baux and st Remy- visit Glanum (one of my husbands favorites) and right next door- the monestary where Van Gogh spent his last year.

Spend time in avignon- it's a great little city. There's a great wine bar on Rue des Teintures (sp?) and several good restaurants also.

BTW_ my husband HATES shopping, and I love the thrill of the hunt (not necessarily buying). Just drop your husband off at a cafe, or let him go off on his own. Remarkably, my husband tolerates shopping much better when in France.

I agree that May is a wonderful time to be in Provence. We were there in May last year. This year because of circumstances, we went in July. It was hot, but still extremely enjoyable.

If you want to read my trip report from last year- look up Trip Report- HM in Paris and Provence (long)

......today's NYT Travel has an article
about mountain biking on the Chemin de
Petrarch on Mont Ventoux.

.......I misspelled Malaucene!

I just wanted to post a follow-up to this thread since I am the OP and we went on our trip this past May/June. I laugh when I see this now because... my husband LOVED Provence!! So much so that we are returning there next summer!!

I don't think he enjoyed being dragged around to all the markets, but he was a good sport. He certainly found lots of things to EAT at the markets!!

But what he did love was the scenery... and after a &quot;hectic&quot; (his word) week in Paris, he just loved being able to relax at our charming B &amp; B, either at the pool or in their salon. Plus it didn't hurt that the dinners (30 euro per person) at our B &amp; B were AMAZING!!

Jen, thanks for the update and glad you both enjoyed it!

Could you let me have the name of your B&amp;B? You've awakened my interest in Provence and here in Ireland we are in the lucky position of being able to hop on a cheapo flight to the south of france for a long weekend.

Did you need a car?

Thanks

Jane

Our B &amp; B was Les Carmes in Thor (about 5 min from L'Isle Sur La Sorgue so if you're there on a Sunday, very convenient to get to the market). It was a terrific bargain for how nice it was. We paid 150 euros a night but that was for their most expensive room. They have rooms starting around 80 euros a night.

www.lescarmes.com

Mike and Ann are lovely people and James is an excellent cook. Make sure you have at least one dinner there!

~Jennifer

Glad your husband liked it. We were there for the entire month of June, so we were probably at the l'Isle sur la Sorgue market at the same time you were.

Try a Gite next time. We rented a stand-alone 3 bedroom, 2 bath, Kitchen, Living room, Dining room, large private grounds, and a large private swimming pool. 465E per week in May &amp; 675E per week in June. Walk to town, which has an excellent weekly market.

I won't reveal specifics (our neighbors are renting it in '08 &amp; we want it again in 09 - don't need any more competition), but this is one of the more expensive ones you can rent from Gites-de-France. There are hundreds of others in Provence (60,000 in all of France)

Stu Dudley

You say your husband &quot;is a history buff, an oenophile, and likes cycling and walking.&quot; I can't think of anything that could go wrong with taking him to Provence for a week.

My wife and I just spent <i>three weeks</i> in one small village in Provence, using it as a base, and we had no trouble keeping busy. To see what we did day by day, see our report at:

&quot;Trip report: 3 weeks in Bonnieux (Provence)&quot;
http://www.fodors.com/forums/pgMessa...p;tid=35087107

Provence is crawling with Roman ruins, and vineyards where you can do wine tastings. The markets have something to interest everyone (L'Isle-sur-la-Sorge on Sunday and Carpentras on Friday are particularly large).

As always, I recommend that anyone visiting France read &quot;French or Foe&quot;, by Polly Platt, to tune in to social expectations. It will improve your experience greatly, especially if you don't speak the language.

My wife and I have similar compromises to yours. At three in the afternoon, she'd just as soon start back to our home base to relax a bit, and I'm looking for another activity. But if keeping busy with interesting things is what you want, you won't have any problem in Provence.

- Larry

I am with your husband.

Provence is not my cup of tea; &quot;exploring&quot; every little town is a bore . One day in Aix was enough for me. I would rather be on the Riviera any time.

I'm already back guys - but thanks for your thoughts.

Jane I forgot to mention - YES I feel a car is very much needed in Provence. We rented one in Avignon at the TGV station and returned it 5 days later in Nice on Rue Massena.

aargh. I often forget to look closely at the date of the original posting.

So: How did your husband like it?

- Larry