5 reasons why you should visit the Vaucluse

Tags

Avignon, Chateauneuf du Pape, Le Roussillon, The route de La Lavande

The top 5 Reasons to go.

Avignon, the walled town.

Narrow streets in Avignon…..

The walled city of Avignon: While most exciting in July, the theater festival at the Palais  des Papes, Avignon is surprisingly youthful and vibrant year around.

Chateauneuf- du- Pape: Probably the most evocative Cotes du Rhone vineyard but just one of many villages in this area where you can sample exceptional wines.

Lavender: Get hip-deep in purple by touring the Lavender Route between l’Abbaye de Senanque ( near Gordes) and the historic town of Sault.

The high life. Experience the Luberon’s mountaintop villages perches, set in a patchwork landscape right out of a medieval book of hours.

Seeing red in the Roussillon: With its  ocher cliffs that changes tones – copper, pink, rust – depending on the time of day, this town is a gigantic ruby embedded in the Vaucluse bedrock. The legend has it that the wife of a nobleman threw herself from the top of the cliffs after her husband forced her to eat her dead lover’s heart. The earth turned scarlet red with her blood, and rocks and villages were left with a permanent rosy glow.

Join us in November 2015 and celebrate Thanksgiving with us!

http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com/Thanksgiving in Provence 2015

Anne Suire

Le Roussillon

The village of Roussillon

Lavender field around L’Abbaye of Senanque

Le Vaucluse, Provence. How to get there

Tags

Air France, Airports Avignon, Alps Pyrennees, Anne Suire, Avignon, Carpentras Cavaillon Apt Rhone river, Charles de Gaulle, Chateauneuf du Pape, Continental, Delta, Luxurytravelconsultant2.com, Marseille, Mount Ventoux, Nice, Orange, Orly, TGV train ride round trip, United, Vaison la Romaine itinerary, Vaucluse

One of the smallest departments in France, the 2,200 – square – mile Vaucluse lies some 65 kms north of Marseille and 280 kilometers northwest of Nice. The main city is Avignon, and among the largest towns are Orange, Vaison -la-Romaine, Carpentras, Cavaillon and Apt. The Rhone River forms the department’s western boundary, the Durance River is southern. The beautiful Luberon covered extensively in the Vaucluse essay, lies 50 kms east of Avignon. The wine country of Gigondas and Chateauneuf-du-pape is in the northwest corner of the department, between Carpentras and Orange. Mount Ventoux is the most prominent geographical feature located in the north, the highest peak is at ( 6,233 feet) between the Alps and the Pyrenees.

How to get there.

The best way would be to reach the Vaucluse would be to fly to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, and then take the Air France navette ( shuttle) to Marseille, where you can rent a car . Or from Charles-de-Gaulle take the TGV to Avignon , I believe a three hours train ride. There  are about eight or more Air France shuttle flights on week days and maybe seven on weekends or maybe more. Flying will take you 75 minutes, a little bit over an hour. If you plan on staying in

Gordes.

La Fountaine de Vaucluse

Avignon

Vaucluse.

Abbaye de Senanque

the easiest way to book a flight is at Orly airport, which is much closer to the city center. There are about  more or less 26 flights on weekdays and about 16 on Saturday and 20 on Sunday.

Charles-de-Gaulle international airport is served by Air France, Delta, United, American, Continental from various getaways.

Be careful about making connections from international to domestic flights on Air France at Charles de Gaulle, give yourself a 2 to 3 hours before flying domestic. It is important to remember  because  you don’t want to miss your connection, have a coffee and read the newspaper because you do not want to be stressed out trying to reach your connection flight.

You can also fly from Paris to Avignon, but only from Orly. There are far fewer flights on this route; three to four on weekdays , maybe one Saturday and two on Sunday ( approximately). But like the TGV you will land on the doorstep of the Vaucluse or right in Avignon.

Another idea is to fly from Paris to Nice. Delta in conjunction with Air France, flies this route nonstop from New York’s JFK. Flying will be approximately eight hours. There is a drawback, the drive from Nice to the Vaucluse takes almost three hours. Again a good way to reach the Vaucluse from Paris by train , take the TGV to Avignon ( 3 hours and 20 minutes) and rent a car at the station.

The Vaucluse basics are:

Telephone numbers. The country code for France is 33, the area code for the Vaucluse is 04. Omit the zero when dialing from abroad.

Best time to visit : April through June, September and October.

Closest major Airports: Avignon, Marseille and Nice.

Airport car rentals: The major companies have offices at all three airports.

Restaurant tipping:Service is included.

Remember that shops frequently close from noon to 3 pm on weekdays and at noon on Saturday.

Further information: Contact the French government tourist office at 212-745-0967

Anne Suire

www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Carpentras and the truffle market

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Avignon, Carpentras, Foraging for mushrooms Provence, Luxury Travel Consultant2, Richeranches, Romans, Truffles, Vaucluse Luberon

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Each year on November 27, an annual market is held in Carpentras. The visit is well worth the effort, even if the weather is cold at this time of year. The meaning behind the cold weather an indication that that the truffles are ready for harvest. The Vaucluse is France’s main truffle producing region – Two thirds of domestic production hails from this area. On the plains of Carpentras , which provide very good growing productions for this “black Gold”. The first truffle market of the year used to be held  on Saint Siffrein’s day and for the last few years , however , the Carpentras truffle season has got underway a week earlier. Truffle markets are held at nine o’clock  every Friday morning right up until the end of March. Unlike the market in Richerenches, during the half hour before the market opens its doors, smaller truffle producers have the opportunity to sell their modest pickings to private buyers.

On the first day of the 1999 Carpentras market, 682 pounds of truffles were sold!. The amount is equivalent of an entire harvest for a rainy year. No matter how wonderful it is in an omelet or wrapped in a pastry, the best way to savor is to eat on a piece of rustic bread , sprinkled with sea salt , truffles can be bought more cheaply as a preserve. During the preserving process the truffle is cleaned and sterilized for 3 hours, the truffle loses 25 percent of its original weight. The juice can be saved for cooking purposes. Comtat has , for the past few years, held the record for producing the largest truffles, weighing as much as 14- 30 ounces . Comtat is home to numerous restaurants, famed for their truffles dishes.

Truffles in history.

They were described as a ” miracle of nature” , the Romans ate them like candies during performances at the theater. The popes at Avignon gave them pride of place at their banquets. Francis I ate them as comfort food as he was prisoner of Charles V , the duchess of Berry, who was plagued by scandal, is said to have fed her husband truffles, she was convinced of their aphrodisiac properties. During the 18th century, fashionable society would eat them during the interval at the opera and by the 19th century, elegant meal was considered incomplete without them.

Join us in the Fall 2015 when we will go foraging and hunting for mushrooms in Luberon, Provence.

http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Exploring the flea markets in Provence

Tags

Aix en Provence, Arles, Avignon, Flea markets, L'Isle sur la Sorgue, Nimes, Villeneuve les Avignon

Monday, Aix en Provence ( place St Jeanne d’Arc) between 30 to 60 vendors. Last Monday of the month. ( 8am – 5pm)

Nimes ( Ave Jean Jaures) 80 vendors. ( 8 am – 6pm) note that many vendors leave by noon.

Tuesday, Aix en Provence ( place de Verdun) about 35 vendors. (8 am – 12:30 pm)

Apt-en-Provence ( place St Pierre) 20 to 30 vendors.( 8am-7pm)

Wednesday Arles ( boulevard des Lices), about 80 to 100 vendors; First Wednesday of the month.

Pernes-les-Fontaines (Place Frederique Mistral) 15 to 20 vendors. First Wednesday of the month. 15 to 20 vendors. ( 7 am – 1pm)

Thursday. Aix en Provence ( place de Verdun) about 35 vendors, 8 am -12pm

Orange ( cours A.Briand Sud) about 10 vendors , 8am -12 noon

Friday, Toulon ( Place du Theatre) 15 to 20 vendors, 9 am to 5pm.

Saturday, Aix en Provence ( Place de Verdun) about 35 vendors, 8 am -12 ( noon)

Arles ( Boulevard des Lices) 8am- 12 ( noon)

Villeneuves les Avignon ( Place C Davis) about 80 to 100 vendors, 6am-2pm

Toulon (Quartier Ste Muse) 200 vendors, ( 6am -12 ( noon)

Sunday, Avignon ( place des Carmes) , 100 vendors , 6am -12 ( noon)

L’Isle sur La Sorgue ( Avenue des 4 Otages), about 40 vendors, 9am-7pm

Nimes ( Parking du Stade), about 80 vendors, 8am -4pm, * some vendors leave early.

Vaison la Romaine ( Place Montfort) about 35 vendors ( Third Sunday of the Month) 7am -7pm

Some of the flea markets that I have chosen to include are Aix en Provence, Arles,  Avignon, Isle sur la Sorgue, Nimes and Villeneuve-Les-Avignons. The markets run the gamut in size, range of things sold, and schedules.

Aix en Provence ( Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday morning.

What you will find  are books, paintings. jewlery, ceramics, some furniture, rustic items.

There is a brocante market in Aix en Provence every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday morning from 8am to 12 :30 am, ( Place de Verdun) located in the center of Aix, in the pedestrian maze of streets to the north of cours Mirabeau. There is parking along the streets and if you arrive by train, the market is just 20- minute walk northeast from the train station. You will head north, along street G.desplaces, then turn right on  Avenue des Belges to the Place du General de Gaulle. Then you follow La Cours Mirabeau east, turning left north just the place Forbin at the end of the cours, onto the rue Thiers, which will take you straight into Place du verdun.

Arles ( First Wednesday of the month) 80 to 100 vendors.

What you will find Provencal clothing, accessories, fabrics and lace, ceramics, toys and some furniture.

Arles has an all-day brocante market on the first Wednesday of the month. 8am -6pm. This market takes place at the south end of town below the Jardin d’Ete, along the boulevard des Lices. If you drive metered parking is available. If you get there by train, you will realize that the market is at the end of town , the walk is not that long ( 25 minutes). Head south and then near the end , go a little east and keep south again on rue de la cavalerie, which will turn into rue Voltaire and will take you into the Arles arena. Still keep south, at the other end of the arena on rue La Porte de l’Or which will take you to the jardin d’ete. The market is at the south end of the garden.

Avignon, you will find kitchenware, tools, hardware, books, records, secondhand clothing.

The flea market takes place on Sunday mornings, 6am-12:30 pm. Place des Carmes in the center of Avignon. If you drive there you will find free parking around the ramparts, eastern end , at the Porte Saint- Lazare and you can walk a short distance  along the rue Carreterie. If you take the train, the market is 25 to 30 minute walk. You will walk up rue Jean-Jaures, which becomes Rue de la Republique, to the rue des Marchands to the Place Carnot and then you will keep going East on the rue Carnot, it will become the rue Portail Matheron and leads into place des Carmes.

L’isle sur la Sorgue, one of my favorites. You will find ceramics, paintings, garden ware, Provencal fabrics, quilts, linens, books, kitchenware, silver, some furniture, rustic items. It is an all- day brocante market, from 9am – 7pm, every Sunday on rue des 4 Otages. Parking is not easy but you should be able to a spot on one of the side streets nearby.

Nimes.  About 80 vendors. You will find  ceramics, furniture, Provencal  linen, kitchenware, rustic items. The market runs all day on Monday from 8am to 6pm. The market takes place along the Avenue Jean-Jaures in the western part of town. 8 am -6 pm. A lot of vendors will leave early so beware!. If you drive you can find meter parking. if you want to take the train, the train station is in the eastern part of town and within walking distance from the market. When leaving the station take Avenue Feucheres northwest to the Esplanade Charles de Gaulle and the Arena beyond. Continue West, past the Rue Porte de France, until you reach Avenue Jean-Jaures where the market is located.

Villeneuve les Avignon.

80 to 100 vendors, you will find furniture, ceramics. tools, hardware, kitchenware, glassware and rustic items and sometimes militaria. Held on Saturday morning from  6 am -2 pm, across the Rhone river from Avignon located on the Place du Marche, alongside the Avenue de Verdun. If you have a car just take a cab, very short trip from Avignon or just take bus #11, which leaves regularly from the post office near Avignon train Station.

If you would like to plan a Flea Market tour in Provence or Paris, contact us at anne@luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Anne Suire

http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Flea Markets.

 

Provence and the history of its food

Tags

Anchoiade, Andulasia, Arab influence, Arles, Avignon, Camargue, cesar, Florette, Greece, history, Luxury Travel Consultant2, May 2015, Moorish, Pagnol, Provencal History of Food, Provence/Gourmet tours, Romans, Rome, Saracens, tapenade, Traditions

In the heart of Provence the very center between Basse Provence and Haute Provence, it smells of the garrigue, of summer savory, of rosemary and wild thyme , the very herbs of Provence. Provence has also its own dialect, their own history and traditions. Provence has its own language, recognized as such and taught as a secondary language of choice in all the schools in the region. Provence will remain forever a very special place with echoes of ancient Greece and Rome. Provence is the land of Daudet and his famous , of warm hearted Pagnol with his tales of Fanny, Cesar and Florette ; and of Gionot , who opened a window on the wonderful world of hill towns of Provence and its people. It is truly a special world of wood smoke and wild mushrooms , of fresh fish and garlic, of lamb and dried herbs of Provence  sizzling over open fires. It is bougainvillea and mimosa  and almond blossom and lavender. It is Provence!.  Many of the simple recipes of modern Provencal cooking   show traces of these ancient influences. It was maybe the early Romans who are probably responsible for the Provencal taste for thick , earthy sauces rich with olive oil: Tapenade and anchoiade would come straight out of a Roman kitchen. Pissalat is another example ; This potent mash of fermented anchovies used to flavor salad dressings, daubes and pasta sauces, the origin of pissaladiere (  the famous Nicoise pizzalike open tart of anchovies, onions and black olives), goes back to one of the earliest of the Roman condiments, garum salarum, a mixture of sun-dried fermented fish. Aioli, too, even though we now make it with egg yolks and olive oil, was thickened with mashed potato in the 19th-century and probably with ground almonds in ancient times.

The Arab influence.

The 300 -year domination of the Arabs in Provence,( during which they became so intermingled with the local population that the people of Provence turned to them for help when Charles Martel waged war against them in the 8th-century) had equally important repercussions on the Local Cuisine. Martel and its troops routed the Saracens in 730, and to punish the Provencal separatists, sacked the important Provencal cities of Arles, Avignon and Marseilles. But in the beginning of of the 9th-century the Saracens took back Marseille and Arles and they were to dominate the rest of the region once again until 1032, when they were finally expelled.

This long Arab rule left many architectural and culinary traces along the entire coast. The use of spices and dried orange peel in Daubes of beef and lamb speaks of Moorish Andulasia, as do the chick-pea flour, almonds, cinnamon and saffron to be found in Provencal dishes today.  Also, the presence of raisins in recipe for tiny onions a La Monegasque hints at Arab influence. The frequent use of raisins , almonds and pine nuts  in dishes of Pasta  or rice in the Camargue give the dishes an authentic Middle Eastern touch. What else has inspired Nougat but Turkish delight? Les petits farcis , one of the mainstays of Provencal Cuisine , are another vegetable dish that owes its heritage to the Arab invasion. Fressure is a spicy Provencal ragout of lamb’s liver, kidney, heart, lungs and tripe in a sharp, peppery sauce flavored with plenty of herbs and spices, could be straight out of Arab cuisine today.

Boeuf en Daube a la Provencal.

4 to 5 IB lean beef.

2 onions sliced, 2 carrots sliced, 1 bouquet garni ( thyme, parsley , Bay leaf), salt and ground pepper.

1 1/4 cups red wine, 4 Tbs cognac, 4 Tbs olive oil, 8 lean bacon slices ,diced, 1 Lg onion , cut in quarters, 4 cloves garlic, 1 piece orange peel, 1 1/4 cups or more hot beef stock or water, 1/2 cup pitted -ripe olives.

Cut the beef in an inch cubes and place in a bowl with onions and carrots, bouquet garni, salt, pepper, red wine & cognac, and marinate in this mixture for 5 to 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

heat the oil in a large skillet, melt the diced bacon in it brown the onion quarters in the fat. Drain the meat, reserving the juices for the marinade, and saute meat with the bacon and onion until browned, shaking the pan from time to time. Add garlic cloves, orange peel; then moisten with the marinade which has been reduced to half the original quantity. Pour over beef stock or failing this hot water. cover the pot tightly and cook in a very slow oven ( 250 -275 F) for 3 to 4 hours. Remove from oven, skim fat from the surface; add the olives and correct seasoning. Cook for another 30 minutes. Serve in the casserole.

Anne Suire

http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Join us in May 2015.

Departure dates : May 2, 2015 – May 9, 2015. ( 8 Days / 7 nights)

10 guests are invited. $ 3, 990 pp.

All inclusive. ( Air fare not included).

Book online and go to our page:Provence/Gourmet Tours. May 2015

http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Village walks part 2.

Tags

Abbaye St Victor, Avignon, Basilic Notre Dame de La Garde, Boulangerie Four des Navettes, Cafe de France, Camargue, Eglise Saintes Maries de la Mer, flea Market, Frederique Mistral, Hotel la Mirande, hotel Nord Pinus, Isle sur la Sorgue, Les Thermes Constantin, Marseille, Notre Dame des Anges, Palais des Papes, Van Gogh

L’Isle sur la Sorgue

A very charming village , is famous for its moss-covered waterwheels that once powered silks , grain, and olive mills, and its antiques. If you start your walk at the rond point on Avenue Charles de Gaulle and if you follow Avenue des 4 Otages to the first moss covered waterwheel near Pont Gambetta. Another waterwheel  on Quai Rouget de l’Isle come to another turning waterwheel . If you take a left at Place Emile Char , crosss the Avenue des Compagnons de La Liberation and visit the building full of antique dealers on both sides of Avenue de l’Egalite.

Les villages des antiquaires de la Gare, le quai de la gare, Avenue Guige and rives des Sorgues. Make plenty of time to be able to browse their wares, then exit and cross the Avenue again and then go through Place Emile Chat to get to Rue Carnot. If you keep strolling the street, you will pass the many shops and the Musee des jouets & des poupets ( toys and dolls museum). When you get to Place de La Libertee you will come face to face with a massive Romanesque facade of the church , Notre Dame -des-Anges , built in the 13th-century. If you step inside you will see sumptuous baroque interior and the 45-foot -high altarpiece. You can also make a stop at Cafe de France for a drink.

Avignon.

Capitale of the Vaucluse departement owes its fame to seven popes ( 1309-1376). If you enter the old city through la Porte de la Republique you can follow Cours Jean Jaures, which will become place de la Republique, the very vibrant main boulevard of Old Avignon. You can make a stop at Le Musee Lapidaire, an archeology museum in a 17th-century jesuit chapel. Place de L’horloge, you can window shop at the many stores and make a coffee stop at the numerous cafes complemented by the 150-year- old  Opera Theater. Also from the place you can get a glimpse from the very imposing Palais des Papes ( Papal Palace). Directly across from the southern facade you will find Hotel de la Mirande built in the 14th century as a Cardinal’s palace.  It is now a luxury hotel, beautifully decorated, where you can stop for tea or a drink in one of the intimate salons. On Place du Palais  you will be confronted by the pale stone Palais des Papes, the largest  Gothic palace in the world.

Marseille.

Make a stop and step into Notre-Dame-de-la-Garde, the 19th-century church basilique  on a limestone summit 500 feet above the harbor, reigns over Marseille. If you begin at Place Saint Victor in front of the Provencal-Roman Abbaye Saint-Victor and its square towers. the Abbaye was founded in the 5th century on the site of an old necropolis, destroyed by the Saracens, rebuilt in the 11th-century and then fortified in the 14th. The interior is worth the stop, quite magnificent and the crypts below and the 2nd-century sarcophagi are Paleochristian relics at their finest. Continue on Rue Sainte to the Boulangerie ( Four des Navettes ), bakers since 1781, to buy Navettes, a traditional Marseillaise orange-blossom cookies.If you want to go up to Notre-Dame de la Garde you will have to begin the long ascent to the very long staircase below the Baroque , multicolored Basilique de Notre Dame -de-la-garde. Once you get to the top you get the view that includes Marseille and out to sea. Then step inside the Basilique and take a look at the crypts below.

Arles.

Arles gives visitors a foretaste of Spain, with its blend of Roman and Baroque. Les Thermes de Constantin built by the Romans, they are the largest Roman baths remaining a Provence. If you start in the place de La Republique and pass through the 17th-century hotel de Ville you will notice the masterful flat vaulting of the ceiling. If you turn left on historic Plan de la Cour, then right on Rue des Palais and get to the very hospitable Place du Forum you will see a statue of the French poet Frederic Mistral.  Also Van Gogh’s colorful Cafe de La Nuit and the great brasserie at the very eclectic Hotel Nord Pinus, le Bistro Arelesien or Le Mistral. You can also check out the collection of Olive Oils at Fadoli. You will aslo find the famous saucissons d’Arles  at the butcher when you pass Fadoli. you will turn left  on Rue de l’Hotel de Ville , which will become narrow Rue Dominique  Maistro. Follow this street for a few blocks until you arrive at the rear of the 4th-century baths, Les Thermes de Constantin. You can take a left on Rue du Grand Prieure to tour the baths, Go back East on  Rue du Grand Prieure to the musee Reattu. Here you can see a Picasso collection plus 16th to 18th- century paintings.

Saintes-Maries-de-la-mer.

Best known for its Gypsy pilgrimage that takes place every year on May 24 and 25.

L’eglise des Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer. To get to the church , cross Avenue Frederique Mistral  to Rue Victor Hugo, pass through Place de l’Echelle to Place Jouse d’Arbaud. The church is kind of gloomy and was later fortified so the only light comes through a very small window over the altar. You can take the stairs down to the crypt . You will see among hundreds of votive candles the relics of Saints Marys. The legend tells how a boat carrying Mary Jacobs, Mary Salome, mother of the apostles James & John , were washed ashore at this seaside village between the Rhone & the Mediterranean. The statues in this 12th-century Romanesque church recall the event. In the crypt dressed in sequined robes, is a third statue; that of their maidservant , Sara, venerated by the gypsies. The three saints are carried in procession to the sea on May 24 & 25. Worth the stop!.

Avignon

Arles

Arles

Marseille

L’Isle sur La Sorgue

Anne Suire

Travel with us to Provence in 2015.

May 2 – May 9 , 2015.

10 guests are invited. $ 3,990.

All inclusive. ( Air fare not included). To Book visit us online at http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Country Tables . A culinary experience

Tags

Apt, Arles, Avignon, basilic, bistros, Cavaillon, chez Bru, Eygalieres, farmers markets, garlic, Gordes, Jules Pernod, La Charcuterie, Le Bistro de France, Le bouquet du Basilic, le jardin du quai, numero 75. Bistro de Luxe, Provence, St Remy

In the French countryside, nothing compares to a multi- course dinner, but the noon- to three-o’clock slice of the day provides the fresh opportunity for leisurely lunches, with fresh-from -the-market ingredients. The best bistros in Provence possess four basic characteristics: a distinct personality, intimacy , a very convivial atmosphere, and a very generous spirit.

In Arles, the owners of La Charcuterie, wanted to create a bistro for friends and they succeeded. The space has a very modest decor of red-velvet banquettes and pig figurines. The menu features the main courses featuring Charolais beef and grilled duck, a carnivore’s dream.

With its Michelin two-star rating and refined interior, the Bistro d’Eygalieres has maintained while offering a menu of exquisitely nuanced regional cuisine. A lunch at the Bistro de Luxe, located a few miles away, south of the road between St-Remy  and Cavaillon, might include grilled fillet of baby pig and a wonderful Gazpacho of fragrant strawberries.

The former Avignon mansion of Jules Pernod, creator of the liquor of the same name, now houses Numero 75. Behind an iron gate, 75 feels like a secret garden, fragrant with mimosa, bougainvillea, and lemon. Regarding the menus, they are short, with a few choices, such as pan-roasted guinea hen and a wonderful lemon confit.

L’isle sur la Sorgue is east of Avignon, a riverside town you will find a great little bistro, le jardin du Quai, a great restaurant to open in the past five years. The menu is very sophisticated and market fresh ( cod fillet, a poached peach in sugar syrup) is served in a retro atmosphere, complete with an old zinc bar and vintage tables.

In Gordes, one of the small perched villages of Luberon, it’s not easy finding authentic, reasonably priced food. Le Bouquet du Basilic, tucked behind a souvenir shop, are very adorable discoveries. Most of the dishes include the owner’s fresh basil and locally pressed olive oil.

In the little town of Apt, at Le Bistro de France , meals are as good as the best home cooking is : fresh and very generously served.On the menu, seasonal specials and menu classics like the tasty Blanquette de Veau – a creamy veal stew that’s the ultimate bistro comfort food and it is is truly no surprise that the Bistro plays to a full house.

Where to stay

Chez Bru, 4 rooms for rent above a 2-star restaurant. Rue de La Republique, Eygalieres;www.chezbru.com

Hotel d’ Europe. 16th- century mansion on the city’s central square. 12 Place Crillon, Avignon. http://www.heurope.com

Eygalieres

Gordes in Provence

Bistro 75

L’hotel Particulier, houses in an 18th-century pavillon, Rue de La Monnaie, Arles; hotel-particulier.com

http://www.luxurytravelconsultant2.com

Cooking class at Le Marmiton at La Mirande in Avignon.

Tags

3e Marmiton, Avignon, Chateau de Goult, Chateau des Papes, Cooking, cooking classes. Luberon, Cultures, Europe, Eygalieres, high tea, La Mirande, Marmiton

A group of women & I made a stop at the beautiful hotel De La Mirande in Avignon. Behind the Chateau des Papes.

Cooking class at Le Marmiton at La Mirande in Avignon.

Tags

Avignon, Chateau des Papes, high tea, La Mirande, Marmiton

A group of women & I made a stop at the beautiful hotel De La Mirande in Avignon. Behind the Chateau des Papes.