Driving from Avignon to Aix en Provence was only about an hour, but we had to kill several since we could not check into our villa until 4pm. So we woke late, enjoyed a nice breakfast on the terrace at La Mirande then headed across the street for a tour of Palais des Papes. II hate to admit this, but we looked around this 14th century old castle, palace, fortress, really important historical building marking the beginnings of Catholicism, and said, "ok, let's go!"
Yes, we're pretty done ogling and awing over painstakingly preserved ancient ruins. It's terrible to say, but at this point in the trip all we can think of is getting to the villa. The pool we've been dreaming of, the photos we stared at for months on VRBO promising us a gorgeous provincial style estate, an oasis for the soul.
Not even bothering to shower, we threw on the cleanest of our clothes and started making our way, stopping at little villages en route, most notably L'Isle-sur-la -Sorgue, an adorable little town where the spring-fed Sorgue river runs through its center and into many canals, giving it the feel of little Venice. Its also well-known for its great antique shops.
Our drive also took us on a French tollway! The funny thing about the tollway here is when you first get on you take a ticket, then when you hit the end of it several miles later, you pay.
With coins.
Coins we didn't have enough of!
An embarrassing moment ensued as cars queued up behind us, David resorting to cramming his credit card in the slot which it would not accept and me shouting, "hit the red button, hit the red button!" Help!
Rescued by a patient french voice on the other end, within seconds a young man was sent, popping out of nowhere with change in hand. We braced ourselves for a reprimand in French. We only got a sympathetic smile.
And not one frustrated honk from behind, I might add.
Before we knew it, we were near the area of the villa. Well, we were pretty sure, anyway.
You see, we had no exact address.
For privacy reasons, we were only given "coordinates" which luckily our GPS accepted, but it only put us in the general area.
Talk about a wild goose chase!
Faithfully following the british commands of our fearless GPS leader, we drove roads and tollways, through urban graphitti covered neighborhoods, then finally past fields of olive trees, vineyards, corn and rolled hay bales. It was finally starting to look like the Provence I had dreamt of. Now we could see the snow capped French alps in the distance, but I kept wondering if we were really in the right place?
Turning down a narrow paved but windy road, it started to feel right. And bumpy.
The road went unpaved, covered in rocks and narrowed more. The trees growing over us, I ducked inside the car. It was a real carnival ride, the dust kicking up around us. We stopped at a fork, which way do we go?
By this time, David had reluctantly called Erwan who runs the villa. Men and directions, you know he must've been desperate. That, and my begging and whining that we were lost.
Erwan told us we were right there. Really? Where?
We turned right, the gravel churning up under our car like a machine gun, drove past a row of mile high trees, and there it was.
Our oasis.
Green iron gates opening, cue the fountains. Seriously folks, it was right out of movie as we pulled down the tree lined drive to Villa Fontaine. Erwan, his wife and co-caretaker Cristal, came out to the front steps of the villa to greet us. And then there were two others who we quickly identified as the owners of the home.
Karen and Terri are former New Yorkers whose home base is now in the Caribbean. They purchased and renovated this villa six years ago which took over four years to complete. We were pleasantly surprised to see them here, but apparently it wasnt on our account but rather to say good bye to the person who had checked out that morning, a "well-known" author who had rented the villa for the last month and never left once during his stay.
What a teaser for me. Don't they know authors are more intriguing to me than actors or musicians?
No, they wouldn't tell us, but I have my suspicions.
Karen gave us a tour, the girls running from room to room, proclaiming which one would be theirs for the week. The were very excited to finally get separate rooms, and at this point, they needed a little separation.
The first night we had Chef Michael come to cook for us since we had just arrived, and it was amazing to watch him just single-handedly take over the kitchen, set the table (even walking the property collecting flowers for a centerpiece) , prepare a four course meal AND clean the kitchen!
Erwan and Cristal were wonderful to us, a real godsend in some cases even saving the day a few times when plans needed to change due to weather or we wanted to switch our schedule. When you don't know the language and you are living in a pretty remote area, it can feel a little isolating, but we felt very cared for all week.
The home is stunning, but I will not bore you with descriptions here. The photos may or may not do it justice. Let's just say we were very happy "glampers".
Highlights of our week were:
~ Meeting our new friends, Corey Amaro and her husband, Yann, in Carpentras to go through one the largest and best brocantes (antique flea markets)in the area. With Corey's guidance (and translation) we bought several french treasures, some dating back to the early 18th century. We also enjoyed spending time with them later that evening at the villa where we enjoyed champagne, lovely cheeses and inspiring conversation. Their company was certainly one of the best "treasures" we acquires on this trip.
~A picturesque day on the Mediterranean Sea, boating from the port in Marseille and swimming in the crystal clear aqua blue waters of the Calanques. A very special lunch in the seaside town of Cassis at Chez Gilbert, best known for its Boullibaise, which did not disappoint.
~Watching our girls run, hide, explore and share quiet peaceful moments playing on the park-like grounds of the villa. The aroma of fresh lavender growing on the property.
~Going to the markets in Aix en Provence, buying those fresh baguettes I have been dreaming about for months along with fresh produce, meats and cheeses. The simple act of preparing a dinner at home from items bought fresh that morning.
~Sharing our 20th anniversary with our children in Les Beaux, one of the prettiest towns we saw built on the side of the mountain. Watching a lightening storm from the top as it slowly rolled towards us. Taking cover with an amazing dinner of poached eggs with sliced white truffles, langoustine ravioli and veal at the stunning hotel/restaurant Cabor D'Or.
~Going to Arles to watch the "french rodeo" featuring riding the white Camargue stallions native to the region and black long horned bulls in an ancient arena. We all agreed it was fun, but they have nothing on American rodeo shows we've seen out west.
~Sharing a last evening with our friends from Glenview, Tim and Mary Patronik, and their sons, Andrew and Joey. They were vacationing nearby so it was great to be able to connect with them there. The girls were happy to finally have some English speaking kids to hang with in the pool, and we brought in private chef so no one had to cook or clean!
~Wash all of our clothes in a real laundry room. I never thought I would miss doing laundry!
As I finish this post, we are on the plane heading back to Chicago. I will be writing two more final posts before this travel blog is complete, so even after we return, I hope you will keep reading these:
~One last night in Paris and final thoughts on this trip
~A recap on the top five restaurants we enjoyed. This is for our "foodie" friends, some who recommended these restaurants, helped us with those hard to get reservations and a lot you who just love food and wine.
RSS Feed