A week in Provence

Provence was everything Peter Mayle said it would be. We visited little villages nestled into hills, tasted wine at various cellars, ate multi-course meals that lasted for hours, visited lots of ancient Roman ruins, and enjoyed the relaxed pace of life. Our first day was full of fun activities. We spent the morning at the Pont du Gard - a Roman aqueduct that is still standing 2000 years later. We drove to Chateauneuf-du-Pape for lunch, which was incredible. I ate a goat cheese tartine with thinly sliced apples and an onion marmelade, pesto pasta, and saffron infused creme brulee. Then we had fun walking around the village and popping into the cellars to taste the wine. We bought a few bottles from various merchants, who were all very friendly and very proud of their family's history in their specific vineyard. Some of the vineyards had been in their family for over one hundred years. We made a quick visit to Orange as well, to see the enormous Roman amphitheater. The acoustics were perfect - Uncle Dave sat on the top row while I stood at center stage and sang a song. He said he could hear me perfectly.

The next day was spent visiting hilltop villages like Gordes and Roussillon. Gordes was a bit touristy, with a couple of tacky stores selling gimmicks like plastic cicadas that make noise. But it still had stunning views and well preserved buildings. Roussillon is famous for ochre, which is on the hillside cliffs and painted on the outside of all the houses. We think there must be a code for how the residents are allowed to decorate the outside of their houses. We ate a picnic lunch on top of the hill overlooking the valley, with wine we had bought in Chateauneuf-du-Pape, fresh goat cheese and sausage made at a nearby farm, strawberries bought on the side of the road, and macarons from a bakery in Orange.

We visited a lavender museum, which was fairly interesting. It had a large number of antique machines that were used to extract lavender oil from the flowers. In Arles, where we spent one night, we enjoyed yet another elegant meal that lasted for three hours. My pork was perfectly cooked in a spiced honey sauce with roasted potatoes, with creme caramel for dessert and a goat cheese tartine for a starter. The menu was full of classic bad English translations, the best of which was "Melon wrapped in Believed Ham" (Jambon Cru). They also served Cremated Goat Cheese.
Marseille was a large port city with an interesting harbor, but it was crowded and happened to be very rainy on the day we were there, so it didn't leave a very strong impression on me. There was an obvious North African influence in one neighborhood, which was very interesting to see. We took a boat ride out toward the Chateau d'If, which is where the Count of Monte Cristo was filmed. We didn't go to the Chateau, because it was closed, but we did go to the nearby island to walk around in the rain. It was very pretty and I loved the views of the sea. We had dinner at a seafood restaurant in Marseille's harbor, where I ate a huge platter of lobster, scallops, shrimp, calamari, and mussels. We had a nice tapenade for a starter and more creme brulee for dessert. (When in Rome...)