The market was awesome - lots of food vendors selling fresh fruit and vegetables, cheese (cheese!), meats, cooked food and more. After the market, we climbed up the road inside the walls of the inner city and went to check out the amphitheatre (a smaller coliseum) where they still hold bull fighting today.
I met an older guy who was wearing a Jays hat and a Pearl Izumi jacket who seemed shocked when I opened with "You must be a Toronto cyclist" - he was. He and his wife were on a one-week cruise up the Rhône where they would stop and do day trips at the towns and sights nearby. It sounded like a great way to see Provence.
We left Arles, narrowly avoiding a parking ticket by unintentionally speaking poor Frenglish, and drove towards Les Baux. Lex Baux-de-Provence is a pretty unique place in Provence - it's a fortress town built on a huge lime-stone outcropping that towered over the surrounding countryside. Parking there was a bit of a nightmare - you didn't want to be a rookie stick-shift driver in Les Baux. We had a nice lunch in a restaurant, sitting on a balcony overlooking the valley.
Les Baux was packed with tourists. The "city" was a series of narrow, winding roads accessed on foot only with lots of cafes and artsy shops. Beth opted to shop for an hour while I checked out the dramatic Château des Baux with its tall towers and huge structures dug right out of the limestone. I saw a funny (at least the scores of French school kids were laughing at the guy) demonstration of a trebuchet launching a cannon.
The drive from Les Baux over to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence was a little hairy, with all the twists and turns and hidden corners, but again, this section of Provence didn't look like anything we'd seen so far.
Saint-Rémy was, ho hum, another great little town. We stopped and watched some elderly locals playing bocce which was awesome - I've always loved watching locals playing games - throwing dice on the bridges in Venice, playing chess on the sidewalks in Ho Chi Minh - love it. After a coffee (chocolate chaud for me) and some shopping (Beth!), we were done for the day.
By the time we got back to the hotel, Beth was more than ready for some wine again...
Update from Gram:
The treasure hunt is a great motivator in the am!! Like Barb, we don't do the hunt until breakfast is finished and teeth are brushed. Abby is usually all done early, and Robin and Banka enjoy their food.....s-l-o-w-l-y.....
Robin apparently tried her hand as a hairdresser yesterday, cutting a few wisps of hair. Tita removed the scissors!
We're trying to keep all members of the family at the table until everyone has finished. Some of us eat faster than others and query the rationale, but we're persevering....
We made cards last night. Abby made some lovely ones for Owen, and Rob made a creation for Tita.
Tonight (or maybe tomorrow) we're going to iron the beads (kits the girls got). Banka has been busy doing it with both girls.
Where are you??? Hear that Beth is now into Rose?
Love Mum xxxx
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