Two weeks in Provence

After a quick stop in Munich to collect Homer we spent the weekend in Basel with Justine and Arjen; then we left for the warmer weather of the South of France with Justine, Arjen and their boys. It’s a full day of driving for us from Switzerland to Provence. Homer is a plodder!

The campsite, near the Gorge du Verdon was quiet and well appointed, but a bit far from the touristy bits of Provence .It’s near the lavender capital of Provence and we had some great days out in Moustiers St Marie and Avignon.

On 30^th June we collected Renee from Aix – en – Provence and Dave from the train station a few hours later; for a great drive through Provence via Silvane Abbey and the town of Lourmarin to spend the night in Isle sur le Sorge. By Sunday morning it was raining! This is not supposed to happen in July in the south of France! We still enjoyed the Sunday market in le Sorge; famous for its antiques. By the time we got to Gordes (World Heritage hilltop town) and Senaque Abbey the rain seemed to have set in. The bus loads of soggy Japanese tourists still snapping away to get all the obligatory shots, did add some humour to our wet visit. By the time we got to Avignon all we could do was stay at the campsite and drink loads of wine. We did brave the weather to go into town to watch the UEFA football final in a dodgy bar.

On Monday the sun returned and we had a great day in Avignon roaming the streets and visiting the Popes Palace. We drove to Chateau Neuf du Pape (summer palace of the Popes) but now of course, known for its red wine. We tasted at quite a few places and bought wine too. Wednesday was dedicated to Van Gogh in St. Remy and Arles and Thursday we spent in the Camargue. Friday we went to Montpellier and Saturday we dropped Dave and Renee off in Marseilles. We headed back to St Remy for a few more days; now my new favourite town in all of Provence. It has loads of good restaurants, a wonderful old town with a great market and a great campsite a five minute walk away. We watched the Wimbledon final in a French pub, while the local men drank Pastis and played poker at the table next to us. How different a "local" can be from one country to the next.