Pam, John and the South (West)

June 3

Although we were invited for an early dog walk along the nearby river, we had trouble getting up after such a late night. John walked to buy fresh bread, then the Naylor Band B offered a filling breakfast. Meanwhile they packed a picquet nique lunch for our outing. We hoped in the car and Pam, the driver, skillfully maneuvered around dozens of roundabouts all along the coast through seaside vacation spots, already starting to fill with tourists from all over the world. We headed for the very southwestern corner of France, just west of the bottom of the Pyrenees mountains, the area called Pyrenees Orientates. The mountain tops are snow covered and imposing, and starkly beautiful snugged up near the blue sea. The destination was Collioure, a historic harbor of gaily painted fishing boats, cobbled streets, a giant chateau fortification, and now numerous inviting open air lounges and cafes lined up one beside the other all along the harbor and beaches.  This is a place Matisse lived and in the perfect light experimented with his wild, bright colors (wild beasts) in the early 1900's. Although high season is July and August, the town was busy, as it is one of the more popular destinations.  A seaside coffee stop and a walk through the delightful winding streets ended our visit before heading to a nearby Banyuls. On the beach we had the packed picnic of cheeses, ham, fresh baguette, home-made lemonade and cherries. We watched a man who fished on the edge of the sand and added to a constant supply of caught fish in his bucket much to our amazement.  The sun got too hot, so we drove to find the workshop of Malliol, the French sculptor, supposedly in the next village. After a windy hunt, we found it and parked in a deserted parking lot and hiked the almost half mile entrance. The door was closed and we were 20 minutes too early, forgetting France closes down in the middle of the day for a few hours so people can lunch. We waited while taking silly pictures, then realized after the 4 pm opening time that it was Monday and it was not open at all. Oh well. Back to Banuyls for a drink stop and a view of Malliol copies on the promenade.

Dinner was planned in nearby Perpignan. They selected a restaurant with many typical French offerings and we each enjoyed something different.  Pam wore the charm bracelet I gave her for her 16th birthday.  She has updated it with numerous charms from her travels, including a "lovely" palm plant from her visit to Australia. Imagine her daughter's surprise when she saw the plant! Rich and John supported the local wine industry of Cotes de Roussillon with great enthusiasm.

June 4  Goodbye to Pam, Her Paintings and Picq nique

The time we spent with Pam and John was so precious.  I remember mom told me when she first met her around 1965 that if we knew each other we would be great friends.  How true!
Another breakfast with lots of laughing, and a final goodbye sent us on our way to Sabran and the hotel, Chateau Montchaud. It is just west of the town of Bagnols north of Nimes and the Pont du Gard aqueduct. We had seen the Roman wonder last trip so we did not stop this time. Just as we approached the hotel a huge field of red poppies greeted us, this one a few acres. The hotel is on an eleven acre estate, once the grand home of a silk baron, built in the 1860's. Abandoned for many years, it was purchased and brought into this century by a gentleman who greeted us upon arriving. The rooms are palatial and the common areas, fashioned from a barn, elegant. Tired from driving, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool. It was warm enough to eat outside on the patio, and we entered a fanciful area between two ivy and rose covered walls populated by pink, orange and yellow Provence style tablecloths under yellow umbrellas and twinkling lights.

Wednesday, June 5  Two Perfect Towns: Uzes and Orange

Today was a tour day.  We took the advice of our travel agent and found the small town of Uzes, a half hour from the chateau.  Our luck, as Wednesday  is market day.

 

This is a market right out of a movie. A town square filled with tents and awnings hovered over fresh meats, vegetables and specialty products from the area. Of course cafes lined the outer perimeter, and on some of the street corners musicians entertained shoppers. There was even a gypsy or two thrown in for color.  On to Orange, our destination for viewing a large, still used Roman amphitheater from the 1st century. It has perfect acoustics and is only one of three left in the world of its kind. We took the audio tour which included educational 3D films. A museum of artifacts and a 1st century arch were also a part of the Orange experience. In the museum there was a section about making "Indian" cloth. Traders had brought back cloth from India, which was wildly popular. the French started to manufacture their own cloth to compete . The complete process was chronicled in interesting wall sized paintings. They used the same kinds of wood blocks I have collected.
We took an early dinner in the town of salad and pizza, keeping with the Roman theme for the day.

June 6  Frogs 

The Chateau Montchad has special guest entertainers that come every June to serenade the guests. Unfortunately the singing sounds like wild honking geese, which is what we thought they were through the first night. We googled "animal sounds heard in Provence in summer" and discovered they were frogs; males croaking so females would find them and visa versa. So, the beautiful formal pond on the lawn below the chateau became an amphitheater. It was hard to get mad, even though the sounds were extremely loud. The owner says it stops in a few weeks after they have found each other!
Back on the road again. Like travel in the US, if you need a reliable rest stop in France, McDonalds are strategically positioned near exits, and they have free wifi (pronounced "wee-fee" Ashamed to say, we found them convenient, and even partook.  All in the spirit of research, however. Did the FRENCH French fries measure up to the US fries? Conclusion: they are the same at McD's.
Today's destination was Aix-en-Provence.  We had been here 4 years ago briefly.  On that visit we had a market experience and cooking lesson with a chef.  He met us in town then we followed him to his family's chateau in the countryside to cook for the day, so we did not get a feel for the town. We were booked into another Relaix and Chateau (chain) hotel. They have all been outstanding, bit this one is even more so.  It was hard to find through twisty narrow streets in the heart of the old section of town , but our trusty Android navigation on the phone got us here. It is in an old building, Italian in design, with a breathtaking balcony for dining outside, a gem of a pool , rose gardens, and beautifully appointed rooms.  I could stay forever. A few blocks away is the atelier of Paul Cezanne, which we enjoyed being in.  we had seen a film about his life, and there we were in the room we had seen. Later we took a leisurely walk into the center of town and back.  Typical of busy French tourist areas, there were many cafes in the numerous plazas and little streets.  We were tired, so after a dip in the pool we had dinner on the balcony. This time we knew about the meals between the meals at fine restaurants and only ordered a main course, which meant we really had many courses anyway.  It was one of the most beautiful dinners I can remember.

June 7  Aix Outdoors

We got a late start because the breakfast on the balcony was so beckoning that we didn't want to move. As all museums and most shops shut down between noon and two pm, all we could do was set out for a walk again. Our stroll was leisurely, and we discovered a new plaza full of outdoor restaurants which we will aim for tonight.  Then we did succumb to another outdoor cafe and it ended up being the perfect spot to listen to an enterprising keyboard and saxophone player. By the time we finished lunch it was 2 pm which was the green light to head out. The chosen museum was the Vaserely Foundation. Beth, we know you would have enjoyed seeing the 25foot recreations of some of his works.

It was such a perfect day, and still being in recovery from the cold and rain of the first two weeks, the decision to spend a couple of hours at the pool wasn't slothful at all. Returning to the outdoor restaurant plaza to our delight we found a Turkish/Lebanese restaurant and enjoyed the usual middle eastern fare we love.  That area was even more crowded than at lunchtime, with pop-up restaurants filling the middle of the plaza. A warm night, hundreds or thousands of people having a good time, and at 10:30 the party was in full swing. Life is good.