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Summer holiday
By Ann | August 23, 2010
All year long, I dream of lavendar, bright sunshine, olive oil, and the juice of a nectarine running down my chin. Happily, my dreams came true this summer, during our vacation in Provence. What did we do?
We walked through lavender fields near Sault, strolling the 5-km “Chemin des lavandes,” each step perfumed by a lovely, clean fragrance.
We shopped the region’s famous open markets, following them to a different village each day of the week.
I fell in love again with these fresh, speckled beans, called cocos rouges in French.
We shelled a kilo for delicious soupe au pistou.
We visited our friends Kristin and Jean-Marc Espinasse, who taught us our French-word-a-Day. Their adorable pups Braise and Smokey were good teachers, too.
We lunched on tapenade made by Kristin’s adorable belle-mère, washed down with fruity rosé from Jean-Marc’s very own Domaine Rouge-Bleu…
Followed by a beautifully fresh fish, garnished with oven-roasted potatoes and tomatoes, and a gleaming thread of green olive oil. It was so fresh and lovely, the perfect summer meal.
We explored the town of Forcalquier, and caught a glimpse of the Alps looming in the distance.
In the afternoons, we’d lounge by the pool and read. (I finished Possession and three volumes of Tintin.) We spent the evenings drinking wine and cooking delicious food like these stuffed eggplant. It was a lovely holiday and I can’t wait to go back next year.
If you visit Provence, here are a few tips…
Where to go: We usually visit an area of Provence called the Luberon, and stay in the village of Bonnieux. But there are many charming and picturesque villages in the area, including Gordes, Roussillon, Lacoste, Ménerbes (made famous by Peter Mayle’s A Year in Provence) and Goult, all of them hill towns. On the south side of the mountain, I love the village of Lourmarin.
What to do: Explore the different villages, each with its own personality. Visit the lavendar fields near Sault, or lunch at a goat farm near Sivergues. Discover local wine at V Comme Vin in Apt. Go antiquing in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. Take a ramble — the region is covered with walking trails that scale and descend the Luberon’s mountainous bulk.
Where to shop: My absolute, number one, favorite Provence activity is to visit the outdoor markets, which move each day from village to village. I love the beautiful produce and different smells of sausage, cheese, roasting chicken, herbs, spices and lavendar. To avoid crowds, I try to arrive early, before 10am. My favorites are:
Sunday: Coustellet
Monday: Forcalquier (an especially huge market)
Tuesday: Gordes
Friday: Bonnieux (my most favorite)
Saturday: Apt
What to eat: I always try to make one batch of ratatouille and one of soupe au pistou, a hearty vegetable soup served with a swirl of pesto (“pistou“) and grated Gruyère cheese. I also love the petits légumes farcis, or hollowed tomatoes and courgettes stuffed with meat and baked with breadcrumbs. The region is famous for its olive oil and salty olive spread of tapenade; I also love the caviar d’aubergine, or eggplant spread, and anchoiade, a intense dip of anchovies, garlic and olive oil. Pissaladière makes an excellent snack; it’s a cross between pizza and a tart: a bread base spread with caramelized onions and dotted with black olives and anchovies.
Where to eat: Stay tuned for Here is a special post on my favorite restaurants!
Do you dream of Provence too, mes amis? What are your favorite things to see/eat/do there?
Topics: Voyages | 7 Comments »
7 Responses to “Summer holiday”
Comments
« August | Home | Provence food notes »
August 23rd, 2010 at 8:24 am
Chère Ann,
Your photos make me remember why I LOVE Provence! And thank you for remembering our lunch together. I thought of you while swatting at guepes at the picnic table earlier (turns out they love Kentucky Fried Chicken, too! So much for our leftovers–carted home from Avignon last night!)
Re tips on what to do: Order artisinal ice cream (how about salty olive flavor? OK, skip that one…) in Nyons, then stroll through the remarkable town while raving about the ice cream — and so much more.
Happy homecoming and come back for a visit soon!
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:05 am
What gorgeous photos! It makes me want to turn back time and go on vacation again… Thanks for sharing.
August 23rd, 2010 at 10:35 am
Gorgeous photos Ann, am very envious! Our single, but admittedly our one foray into Provence made us hunger for more. I had many favorites but overall the markets, the light, the gorgeous fresh produce, and our evening meals of local rose, fresh tomatoes, olives, baguette and cheese dominate.
My highlights include:
– the spectacular weekly market in St.-Remy-de-Provence
– the hauntingly beautiful village of Oppede-le-Vieux
– hiking the Ochre trail in Rousillon
– favorite restaurants: Table de Meunier in Fontvieille, garden restaurant in Eygalieres, Le Petit Cafe in Oppede-le-Vieux (all casual, outdoors, and welcome children but with sophisticated and well-prepared food)
– Exploring the Pont du Gard
– wandering the streets of Arles
So glad you and Chris had a lovely time. Hope to see you guys soon!
August 23rd, 2010 at 11:25 am
Have you driven the one-way road/path along the top of the mountains in the Luberon? It begins at Cheval Blanche and goes about 15-20 km, always going higher and higher. The path down ends in an area used for camping. A really neat drive!
August 23rd, 2010 at 2:29 pm
Looks, sounds, and smells wonderful, Ann. I’m so glad you and CK had a blissful vacation — if anyone deserves it, it’s you two!! I envy you the lavendar walk — I’ve always gone to Provence in October or May, which are both lovely, but fear the heat and crowds of July/August at lavender’s peak might be too much for me?!
My favorites – Saignon.
I really love going over to the Var and staying west of Uzes, love Uzes markets and the country streets around there . . .
anyway, sounds heavenly. Welcome back!
August 24th, 2010 at 12:35 am
Provence also seemed particularly full of tourists this year (though they did not detract from the charm, and honestly, we count as tourists, too). And now we know why: the paper this morning reports that there was a 12 percent increase of foreign tourists making overnight stays in France this July compared to July 2009. Who can blame them?
August 25th, 2010 at 5:23 am
Kristi — What did I tell you about those carnivorous guepes? I hope you survived the Battle of the Fried Chicken. Also — salty olive ice cream? I’m intrigued!
Janet — Thank you! A little sunshine can transform any photograph!
Kim — I love your suggestions! Arles is definitely next on my list.
Brassfrog — I have to admit that I’m a little bit of a pansy when it comes to driving in the Luberon… But a one-way path sounds manageable — and I bet the views are spectacular. Thanks for sharing!
Kim B. — There were indeed crowds (especially at the Forcalquier market — insane!). But they’re avoidable — the lavendar walk was blissfully peaceful — and the scent was sheer heaven.
Chris — 12% increase? I bet 11.9% of them were Belgian.