At long last, we are back in Vence after a whirlwind week of traveling around France and other parts of Europe. Finally some time to spend on the computer, so here's one of several updates to come in the next day or so. Thanks for your patience!
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Early last week, we took an overnight trip to the region of Provence in southern France, about a 3-hour drive west of Vence. Provence is home to the popular cities of Marseilles, Avignon and Aix-en-Provence and is known for, among other things, its cuisine (e.g., Herbes de Provence), olives, lavender fields, Rosé vineyards and picturesque landscape. If you have ever seen the movie “A Good Year” (Ridley Scott/Russell Crowe), which was set in Provence, you have a sense for how beautiful the region is.
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| A lavender field we saw on our drive through Provence |
We went to Provence with Stefan’s family and some of their friends. After a short tour around some of the surrounding villages, we had a leisurely lunch at a bistro attached to a little inn and gourmet cooking school surrounded by vineyards and olive groves in Lourmarin. We then headed into Aix-en-Provence, a small city with a great vibe and lots of great shopping and cafes for the adults.
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| 'Nummy' pasta at the bistro |
After saying goodbye to the others, mommy, daddy and I headed back to the inn for our overnight stay. The room was spacious and cozy, the meals tasty and the grounds very fun for me to explore. Here are a few shots of the inn.
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Our inn and the outdoor space of its award-winning gourmet restaurant
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A view of the grounds and the surrounding countryside from the inn's terrace.
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| The garden adjacent to the outdoor bistro where we had lunch |
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Before heading back to Vence the next day, the three of us explored several mountainside villages in Provence. Highlights were driving on the narrow roads in the French countryside and visiting the big open-air market in Gordes.
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| The village of Gordes, home of a great market but perhaps too many American tourists! |
We then headed back to Vence to rejoin the others for dinner before packing for our trip to Sweden the next day. More about Sweden—and our 5-hour stopover in Amsterdam on the way back—in another post later this week. For now, I hope you enjoy some more photos from our time in Provence (below).
Love,
Griffin
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| A view of the countryside from the town of Bonneiux. In the background is the village of Lacoste, namesake for the popular European clothing brand. |
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| Ready to hawk some bubbly on the bicycle! |
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