It's no secret that I left a piece of my heart in Provence back in June of 2007 when I had the pleasure of visiting this lovely area of France with my daughter, Ally, and my nephew, Nicholas.
We were hosted by our dear family friend, Laurie Martel, who was living in Aix en Provence at the time. We started our vacation in Aix, at Laurie's flat, where we took our first meal outside as is the custom in Provence. We enjoyed this lovely old city then went to the Martel's country house in Collobrieres, where we quickly embraced the peaceful, relaxed, and gentle pace of life that is so typical of Provence. There was a quick trip to St. Tropez and Sainte Maxime and then Laurie and Nicholas were off to Tuscany. Ally and I took day trips with Claude Martel (Laurie's mother, and most gracious host) to Cannes, Hyeres and several other lovely little villages along the Mediterranean. We spent lazy mornings on the terrace eating french bread with chevre and homemade fig preserves. Fresh bread was delivered every morning by Laurie's Dad. Ally and I explored the working vineyards, where she collected rock treasures that we carried home.
We took a day trip to the Luberon to see the magnificent lavender fields in full bloom. We visited Banon which is known for it's excellent chevre, and had dinner in the beautiful village of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.
For our final weekend we all flew to Paris for a tour of the sites and some wonderful meals. There is no doubt that this is absolutely the best way to visit another country. We will forever be grateful to our dear friends for the trip of a lifetime.
View the photos online here.
