Day 7 Central Park and Upper West Side

I started the morning off by walking up the street and finally getting some bagels and bialy's. New Yorkers are right, there's nothing that compares to a New York bagel. Later in the morning we headed off for our last full day in the city hoping to see much of Central Park and the Upper West Side. It was only a fifteen minute walk to the park and the park was incredibly busy. It's closed to traffic on Sundays and becomes a beehive of joggers, cyclists, and strollers. It's fantastic to see the park used so extensively. We wandered around for awhile and then crossed over to 80th and Broadway to Zabar's. If you ever want to visit a great food speciality store, Zabar's is the one to see. It was a little calm today, they only had five guys slicing Lox and five working the cheese counter. We spent most of the time upstairs in the kitchen equipment section. If they make a pot, pan, or utensil for the kitchen, Zabar's has it.

Chicken Pot Pie at St. James Gate

After leaving Zabar's we started looking for a place to have Brunch. We tried to get in at least half a dozen restaurants and there was a minimum 30 minute wait at each one. Finally we walked into an Irish pub called St. James Gate. We arrived at just the right time as a two top was leaving. It took awhile to get our food, but it was very good as were the Bloody Mary's and beer. I had the Chicken Pot Pie and Sylvia had a Bird's Nest something or other. After St. James Gate we walked up Broadway and down Amsterdam avenues before heading back to Central Park. We went in the park at West 71st wandered around and back out at East 79th. By now it was getting to be late afternoon so we started back to the apartment. On the way we stopped in at a little place on Third Avenue called Lukes (http://lukesbarandgrill.com/)) to see what was happening in the football games. There were a couple of seats at the bar between two women. Sylvia sat next to a nice older woman and they had a good chat. I sat next to a beautiful and wonderful dancer/actress/screen writer/finance executive and held a long and thoughtful conversation. I think she liked me, Sylvia seemed to think it might have been the champagne I was buying her. I think she's wrong. Sylvia finally drug me out of Lukes and we headed back to the apartment to wait for dinner, which turned out to be back at the first place we went earlier in the week, Rathbones (http://rathbonesnyc.com/). We had a burger and grilled cheese which was just right. Tomorrow we're heading home.

The Reservoir in Central Park

Day 6 Shopping???

I was doing my early morning stroll looking for something to stuff my face with (found some great corned beef hash), when it started snowing. Damnit, they said it wouldn't snow until late. How was I going to get Sylvia out?  - Shopping of course!  It worked; we braved the array of rain/sleet/snow/wind/puddles and took the subway down to Bloomingdale's on 59th and Lexington. Once inside, Sylvia went one way and I went mine, which was across the street to Brasserie 360 (http://www.brasserie360nyc.com/). I obviously, didn't buy anything and Sylvia bought very little for the amount of time she spent shopping. I don't know how, but she found me at the bar and joined me for a few toddies - just to dry out and warm up of course. Later, we were getting kind of hungry and decided to walk over to First Avenue and go to Bistro Sixty One for lunch ( http://www.bistro61.com/). It was only a three block walk, but we got soaked anyhow, and my umbrella got turned inside out. It was truly a miserable day. We had a nice bottle of Pomeral and Sylvia had Steak Frites (hanger steak and fries) and I had the Lamb Burger. We were both happy with the food, plus our waiter was very entertaining. It's a great place to hang out in the snow. Being fairly dry again, it was time to venture out, but this time we took a cab up to the Mountain Apartment. This time the climb up the stairs wasn't so bad since we had not spent the day walking.


Bistro 61

 Once back at the apartment I knew there was zero chance of getting Sylvia out again - probably the only time all day I was right. However, I wasn't exactly of the same mind. I went looking for a place to sit and watch the football games. It wasn't until the fourth Pub before I could find a seat at the bar. Every place was packed. It's amazing how many people are out and about on a horrible day. It could not have been a more miserable day for walking with the wind, snow, rain - and slush puddles at every street corner, yet the sidewalks were full of people. I watched a little football and then walked up the street and got a whole roasted chicken from a Peruvian place and then back down the street and picked up a couple of slices. We were in for the evening.

Day 5 Chinatown and Little Italy



Katz's Deli



Left the apartment late morning and rode the subway down to Canal street to checkout Chinatown and Little Italy. We spent an hour and a half walking the streets of both places and it seemed as though Chinatown is encroaching on Little Italy. We did enjoy the Chinatown sights, but Little Italy seemed to be a little too hokey and touristy. Instead of having lunch there, we decided to walk on up to Katz's Deli on Houston(http://katzsdelicatessen.com/). It's a crazy place and most people consider it the best deli in New York. We split a Pastrami sandwich that was orders of magnitude better than any pastrami sandwich I've ever had. On the way up there we passed through a neighborhood called Nolita (North of Little Italy) that seemed to be a wonderful place to live and hang out. I'd like to go back there some day. Leaving Katz's I thought since we we were near McSorley's Ale House (http://www.mcsorleysnewyork.com/) and the oldest bar in New York, we might as well stop in and have a beer. It was a short walk to a different sort of pub. It's 156 years old and only serves two beers, their own light and dark, and when you order either light or dark, they give you two beers. The only other beverage is a soda. I had my beers and a clam chowder and Sylvia stood there (no bar stools) and watched me drink. Women were not allowed in McSorley's until 1970 and then it took a Supreme Court ruling (must have been a bunch of Liberals). We could have taken the subway back uptown, but since we were already on 7th street, and it was a nice enough day, we thought we would just walk the 80 blocks back to the apartment. We walked mostly up First and Third avenues through the East Village, Grammercy Park, Murray Hill, and Lennox Hill areas. We did make a couple of stops though, one in particular was O'Flannigan's on First and 66th - an Irish Bar I used to stop in fairly often (couple times a week). I remember sitting at the bar when Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's home run record. The place has not changed one lick. Arrived back at the apartment late in the afternoon, and as we had just walked a total of about 12 miles, the 34 steps looked like a mountain.

For Dinner we decided to try Zebu Grill (http://www.zebugrill.com/) a small Brazillian restaurant a block from where we used to live. We arrived at 8 to a nearly empty restaurant, and by the time we left it was mostly full with people still coming in. The staff there were very young, extremely friendly and enthuiastic. Sylvia had Filet de Lombo - it's almost like a pork schnitzel. She had been clamoring for one the past couple of days - she loved it. I was a little more adventuresome and ordered Feijoada, the Brazilian national dish. I have no idea how to pronounce it, I asked three times and still couldn't. It's a black bean stew with braised pork, short ribs, and sausage served with rice, collard greens, yucca (consistency of sand), and oranges. It was outstanding and I couldn't believe I ate the whole thing. I would be a regular customer if I lived anywhere near here. Stuffed, we waddled back to face the 34 step mountain.





McSorley's Menu

Day 4 Upper East Side

Doggie Day Care

Rain, rain, rain, it was a complete day of rain. I got up early and walked around the area looking for a breakfast place. On the way I passed a totally entertaining doggie day care. It even had a separate rooms for both small and large dogs - New York's a crazy place. Anyhow, after walking in the rain for a half hour I settled on a diner just around the corner from our killer (34 step) apartment. It was a terrific breakfast; fresh orange juice, lots of bacon, good home fries, eggs, toast, and coffee ($7). Later in the morning we walked over to the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th and 82nd. What a great museum - it's about five times the size of the National Art Gallery in DC and has at least as good, if not better collection. We may have covered a quarter of the galleries, it's just so huge. If I lived here I'd need a lifetime pass to see all that I wanted to see. My limit in any museum is two hours and I lasted just a little bit longer before running out of gas. Leaving the museum in a fairly heavy rain, we walked over to Tiramisu on 3rd Ave and dried out with a bottle of wine and a fairly good lunch. We didn't want dessert, but the waiter decided we needed something anyhow and gave us a complementary Tiramisu. Of course I had to supplement it with an Averna - they'll do anything for a bigger tip. Still raining we went over to the East End and walked up along the river and through the Carl Schurz Park. I used to run through the park, past Gracie Mansion, and down along the river. It's one of the most beautiful places for a walk and hardly anyone ever uses it. Soaked, we went back to the apartment to dry off and hang out until dinner.

For dinner we walked up to Pinocchio Ristorante on 90th and First Ave. intending to have something light. As expected though, it didn't work out that way. Pinocchio is a very small restaurant - twelve feet wide and seats a max of 30. It has an warm ambiance complete with opera and an American waiter who tried to sound Italian. Started off with a Bresaola (thinly sliced dried beef with arugula and shaved parmigiano). Sylvia had Truffle Tortellini with Vodka Sauce and I had Osso Buco with Risotto. Everything was good and we managed to skip dessert even though they had homemade Cannoli. It's amazing how these small restaurants give you a check. It's hand written with absolutely no detail, just a few scribbles with a dollar amount circled, and its always a whole dollar amount.

Day 3 Lower Manhatten and 9/11 Memorial





9/11 Memorial



Got up and left mid morning for the main objective of the day, the 9/11 Memorial. As we both had offices next to the world trade center, we found it a little emotional. I thought the memorial was beautifully simple and very, very well done.What most surprised us was the amount of construction going on in the area. There must be half a dozen sky scrapers going up in the blocks demolished during 9/11. Afterwards we walked down to Battery Park, over to Wall street and the Financial District. Things there are pretty much the same as we remembered. We stopped at Harry's on Hanover, an old luncheon haunt full of crusty old Wall street bankers. We ordered Bloody Mary's and three tasty Short Rib Sliders - a good stop. From there we started our trek uptown, first through the old Fulton Fish Market District - which no longer contained a fish market but is much better for it - and then over to the Tribeca District (Triangle Below Canal). Tribeca was off the radar 35 years ago, but now it's very lively and upscale and seems like a terrific place to live. From there we walked through SoHo, which seemed to be unchanged, to Greenwich Village. Once there we stopped at the Greenwich Village Bistro where we grabbed a sidewalk table, had a few beverages, rested and relaxed. It was perfect spot for people watching. Refreshed we walked up to 14th street and took the subway back to the apartment and again tackled the 34 stairs. It's hard to believe that we once lived in a fifth floor walk up.



Greenwich Village Bistro

Once back at the apartment Sylvia had no desire to go back out. I thought differently and took an evening stroll up the east 90s. There are so many neat little bars and restaurants that it's really very difficult to decide where to eat or drink. I finally decided to stop in the East End Pub for a drink and maybe a bite to eat. I had a couple of beers and a first-class Shepard's Pie. It's incredible, people think New York is expensive, and it can be, but you can also eat cheaper here than you can back home. The Shepard's Pie was hugh, good, and only eleven dollars. After leaving I realized I was tired too, so back to the 34 step apartment I went and called it an evening. It was another 14 plus mile walking day. Tomorrow's supposed to rain so long walks are out.

Day 2 Midtown andTimes Square

Orchids at Le Bernadin

Today we do the obligatory Midtown/Times Square walk. After coffee and a baguette, we walked Madison Ave. from 91st St. down to 59th (considered uptown). It's a terrific street to walk with all the little shops, cafes, and art galleries. We even stopped a bit to watch them making a movie - no idea which one. Once we got to 59th (midtown) everything changes as it becomes a mass of humanity and concrete. We spent the next few hour touring the midtown area down to 40th expecting things to be a little different than 35 years ago. It always was my least favorite part of town and I guess it always will be even though it is still interesting. The Times Square is exactly the same except for updated billboards .We even walked the Diamond District (47th between 5th and 6th). Purportedly 90 percent of all the diamonds that come into this country go through this one street of 2600 diamond merchants. Sylvia didn't see anything she wanted ...yeah right.

Since we had tickets to go see the Jersey Boys, we decided to have a late lunch and we made a 2:30 reservation for Le Bernardin restaurant (http://www.le-bernardin.com/).  Le Bernardin is one of the top twenty restaurants in the world, and according to Fodors the top one or two in New York. We opted for the Chef's Tasting Menu with wine parings of course. We spent the next two and a half hours enjoying the eight course menu  and a different wine with each course. Le Bernardin is a beautiful restaurant with great service, overall a very pleasant experience.

After lunch we walked about some more before seeing Jersey Boys. It's a great show that brought back many memories - lots of tears and laughing. After walking more than 14 miles today (according to the pedometer) we took a cab back to the apartment, climbed the 34 steps and crashed.

Day 1 Home to New York City

Instead of going to Europe this year we decided that a week in NYC would be interesting since we really haven't spent much time in the city since we lived there in the 70's (Jeez). Back then we lived on E. 91st street and we thought getting a place near there would be fun. Sylvia searched the VRBO website and found a one bedroom apartment on E. 86th and First avenue that seemed to fit the bill.

The easiest way to get to New York from where we live was to go to Baltimore and take the Amtrak. We left Solomons yesterday afternoon and drove to a Comfort Suites hotel near the Amtrak station where we could keep the car parked there for the week. After checking in, we drove to the Fells Point neighborhood in downtown Baltimore. I was interested in trying the food at The Point in Fells pub. We weren't disappointed, it has probably one of the more creative pub food menus I've ever seen. Sylvia had Seared Scallop Sliders which were seared scallops and instead of bread, the scallops were between a thin slice of beet on the bottom and seared ahi tuna on top. I had Olive Oil Poached Fish with artichokes, olives, potatoes, and tomatoes. Everything was very good and this is in a loud, beer drinking crowded Pub. Highly recommended and the fries are terrific. A stop at John Stevens for one finished the evening. Early to bed.

A pleasant train ride got us to the city by noon and a typical NY cab ride got us to the apartment in good time. We knew the apartment was on the second floor, but what we didn't know was that there were 34 steps up to the second floor. At least we would get some exercise. We unloaded our bags and immediately began walking the neighborhood that we lived in almost 40 years ago. Many changes but some things are still here and it still seems to be the same old great neighborhood. We were surprised to find a little bar on Second Ave. where we (I) used to hang out called Rathbones. Do you think we went in? You bet! It was exactly like it was when we left only older and a little dustier. Not very hungry we just ordered a bowl of chili and vegetable quesadilla. Didn't expect much, but wow, the chili was just a normal chili with cheese and onions but was perfect for what it was. I could never ever duplicate it;same for the quesadilla. That and a couple of drinks for thirty dollars. It's tough to beat. But that's New York, you've got to be good to be in business for 40 years. We then stopped at the best grocery store I've ever been in called Fairway and picked up stuff for the apartment - butter, coffee, vodka, and wine would be sufficient for the week.

Except for a short time back at the apartment to unpack, we walked the area from Lexington Ave.to First Ave. and from 91st street to 75th street an area called the Yorkville neighborhood. After passing 200 restaurants, pubs, and cafes that looked exactly like a place I'd like to eat, we settled on an Alsatian place called Cafe D'Alsace (http://www.cafedalsace.com/) on 2nd and 88th. Not surprisingly it turned out to be excellent. To go with a bottle of Alsatian Pinot Blanc I had a unbelievable Cassolette (white beans, fois gras, duck confit, braised lamb shoulder, garlic sausage, and duck sausage). It was not exactly something you could get back in Solomons Island. Sylvia had a sensible Trout Almandine with mashed potatoes and leeks. Dessert followed and I waddled back to the 34 step apartment. I think food will not be a secondary item on this trip.

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Day 17 Nice to Home

It was a long ride home but we made it with no real problems. It was a really nice 17 days and I would not have changed much except to have spent 3 or 4 more days in Nice and taken day trips by train to Monaco and several of the towns on the French Riveria. After driving more than 1500 miles in Provence, I did not see any other town that I would rather have stayed. Lourmarin was the near perfect place and for that we thank Larry and Roxanne for the suggestion. If anyone's planning a trip to Provence I would suggest that they bone up on their French.

Day 16 Lourmarin to Nice

Got up early to get a good start for the drive to Nice. It was kind of sad to leave the apartment. After 12 days in Lourmarin it was easy to become somewhat attached to the area and the people. They were so nice; and we couldn't even speak the same language. We were packed up and ready to go at 9, but it was friday, which is market day and we did quick walk around and picked up a few things before leaving. The drive over to Nice turned out to be a both great and awful. It was supposed to be a two and a half hour drive that turned into a six hour mess. It started when we decided to drive through the French Riveria on the 50 mile stretch of coastal road from St. Tropez through St. Raphel and Cannes to Nice. It was a beautiful ride over very scenic roads, but the traffic is slow and tedious. I could not imagine what it would be like in the summer - I would not even think about doing it. Once in Nice, we returned the rental car at the airport and walked to the Novatel Hotel where we spent the night. They gave us a great room with a fantastic view of the Med. There was an 8am flight to catch so we ate some junky food before crashing early.

Day 15 Lourmarin



The Sheriff

As today was to be the last full day in Lourmarin, it was spent mostly walking around the town and taking in the atmosphere. The whole town, including every street and alley, could be walked in 20 minutes so several walks were taken. We have spent 12 days in Lourmarin and the one local we could count on seeing everyday was "The Sheriff " (picture). He kept watch over one particuliar corner and would be on one side of the street or the other, although we never actually saw him move. He was never bothered by any of the other cats and dogs that inhabit the neighborhood, of which there were plenty. Anyhow, several walks throughout the day were pleasant, including one up to and around the Chateau and through some vineyards and  olive groves. Lunch was on the terrace at L'Insolite where Sylvia had a pizza and I tried les andouillettes. It is a tripe sausage that I managed to eat about three quarters of when it fell apart and I could actually see what was inside. Sylvia, thinking it couldn't be that bad, tried a little piece and almost had to leave the table. I suppose it was worth a try, but I doubt I'll do it again and I can eat anything. In the evening we met up with Barry and Willa who are tending to some properties (including ours) for some friends of theirs who are away for a couple of months. We went up to the house where they're staying and had wine, cheese, pate, and good conversation. This was really nice since they are Canadians and I didn't have to make of fool of myself slaughtering French. There was also another couple there from Norway and I'm pretty sure among the six of us we solved the immigration problems of the world. Later in the evening Barry, Willa, Sylvia, and I went to La Louche de Buerre for dinner. It was just up the street and we hadn't even known it was there. Even though the place was fairly large by Provence standards it was very cozy and intimate. Their speciality was crepes and that's what we all ordered.  For dessert Sylvia and I each got our own chocolate crepe due to a mixup in communication with the server (yes, my fault). It was a very nice ending to our stay in Lourmarin and we hope to get together with Barry and Willa in the future. Tomorrow morning we leave Lourmarin for Nice and will spend the night near the airport.

Day 14 Avignon

Pont St.Benezet (sous le pont),

Today we decided to go to the big city of Avignon. It only took an hour to get to the outskirts of the city, but forever to get inside the wall and get a parking place. We managed to find a spot at Les Halles which is an indoor market that is one of the must-see places in Avignon. Like most markets in France, it's only open until one o'clock. We took a walk on Rocher des Doms, a well-laid out garden on a bluff overlooking the Rhone, Pont St.Benezet (sous le pont), Mount Ventoux, the Luberon hills, and the Alpilles - an exceptional view and well worth the climb to get there. It was a short walk from there to the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) where the Popes resided in the 14th century. Although it was interesting, it was a tedious hour and a half audio tour through the galleries, chambers, chapels, and passages. It also required climbing a million stairs. Exhausted, mostly mentally, we looked for a place to have lunch. Now I'm a big fan of the Rick Steves tour guides, but Sylvia uses it as her bible. So when looking for a place to eat, she started to say "Rick Steves says:" and grumpy ole me says "$#@!, Rick Steves, lets just find someplace ourselves". Great, so I spot this little place called Le Caveau du Theatre (pictured). In we go and have a pleasant meal, and just before dessert, Sylvia pulls out the Rick Steves book and damn if it doesn't have this joint listed - she just smiled - I didn't. After that, we walked over to the Musee Angladon which claimed to have Cezanne, Sisley, Manet, Picasso, and Van Gogh, which it did - one of each and none of which would be considered their better works. Anyhow, it didn't take long to get through the museum before starting back to Lourmarin where we performed the almost daily ritual of wine and Pastis at an outside table at Cafe L'Ormeau. This place must have been a favorite since I later went there for dinner by myself (Sylvia wasn't hungry) and watched the soccer match while chatting with the locals. We of course, couldn't understand a word each of us were saying (Pastis will do that to you).

Avignon Lunch Spot

Day 13 Lacoste, Bonnieux

Today was an easy drive around some of the smaller villages that we had passed through on our way to someplace else and had somewhat ignored. The day was pleasant and the scenery beautiful. One of the more interesting villages was Lacoste, a very small town on a hillside where the Marquis de Sade built a castle in which he lived for 30 years and wrote about many of his escapades  Pierre Cardin has bought the old castle and is in the process of renovating it. He also bought several other buildings that he's upgrading, and seems to be making Lacoste a destination. For lunch we drove up to Bonnieux and ate at La Flambee. They had a great old wood burning pizza oven so I ordered one and it was the thinnest crusted pizza I've ever seen; Sylvia had another omlette.  That was pretty much it for the day as we skipped dinner and just had a little wine and Pastis at Cafe L'Ormeau.

Day 12 Uzes and Pont du Gard



Pont du Gard

The weather today looked a little better, still marginal, but OK. We started early for the two hour drive over to Uzes in the Languedoc region. It was number two on Rick Steves' list of places in Provence to see. After walking around Uzes for an hour or so, it was difficult to see what was so special. Maybe because it was a holiday and most things were closed that made it seem rather drab. There appeared to be no special sights to see either. It was definitely not worth a two hour drive, except maybe to have a Pastis (which I did) and a glass of wine (which that woman with me did). Like I said it was a two hour drive. Trying to salvage the day, we drove over to Pont du Gard, a Roman aqueduct built in 19 B.C. A very impressive 30 mile structure that delivered water (100 gallons per second) to Nimes by a slight decline that drops one inch for every 350 feet. Pretty great stuff for 2000 years ago. Actually pretty great stuff today. It was a long walk to the top of a hill to get a good picture and we ran into the first people we've met from the U.S. They had been traveling for 4 months and were thrilled to talk to someone from back home. The only other English speaking people we've met were a couple from London and one from Canada. I guess we're somewhat immersed in the French culture. On the way back to Lourmarin from  Pont du Gard we drove back to St. Remy to see if any shops were open - they were closed for All Saints Day. Back in Lourmarin we hung out until 7:30 when we went to dinner at Bistrot Lourmarin. It was a cozy little 20 seat bistro that I thoroughly enjoyed. I started with a delicious Roasted Bone Marrow, followed by some very, very good Veal Kidneys - I was a happy guy. Sylvia had Poached Fish with vegetables over a sticky rice. She said she liked it and I didn't pay much attention - I was too busy with the kidneys. We finished with an ice cream, chocolate, apple, and nut dessert that was OK. Stuffed, I went to bed almost as soon as we got back to the apartment.

Day 11 Lourmarin

Got up this morning and did what I've done every morning since we got here - walk up to the Boulangerie and pick up bread and something a little sweet. Granted it's not a lot of exercise, but it is almost 50 yards from the front door. There's not much better than a baguette and a tartelette to get the day started. And the day was a do nothing day as there was a consistent downpour all day. So we just mostly sat around the apartment and read with a rather long lunch excursion down to Cafe L'Ormeau. To get there we didn't even have to go out in the rain. For lunch I had calves liver and french fries, but Sylvia made the big score with a Pot-au-Feu , which is a traditional Provence dish of boiled meat and vegetables. This was chicken, beef, and lamb with a clear broth, and it was sooo good. We sat around the cafe for awhile before going back to apartment to wait out the rain, which never stopped.  Tomorrow's another day and the rain's supposed to let up. We had plenty of time to decide what to do tomorrow, which of course we didn't.




Lourmarin Boulangerie







Breakfast

Day 10 Les Baux, St Remy

It was supposed to rain today, so after the morning coffee and baguette we headed directly to Les Baux. It's a town with an 11th century castle that sits on top of a rock 650 feet above a valley floor of olive groves and vineyards. We wandered around for almost two hours. It really gives one the sense of what medieval times were like. It's like visiting a moonscape and it is a big tourist attraction - well worth doing and I would go back again. I couldn't get any pictures that did it justice. From Les Baux we drove up to St. Remy and had a great lunch at Bistrot des Alpilles. I had a lamb and vegetable stew over couscous with a very spicey tapenade that was delicious. Sylvia had Niciose salad that had no green beans or potatoes, but it did have anchovies (thank goodness I married someone who hates anchovies). Therefore, I had anchovies for dessert and Sylvia had something really tasty. Of course a Rose sort of came with the meal. We then walked the town and admired all the excellent art shops. It was before three o'clock and fortunately they were still closed for lunch. St. Remy's a neat town and I want to go back again, both to shop and have lunch. We got back to Lourmain after stopping at the grocery store for some pork and cabbage which I made later for dinner. It was raining and we didn't feel like going anywhere. Tomorrow looks like rain again.

Day 9 Lourmarin

My Lunch

Buying bread by the pound

Garlic

Today was market day and we decided to stay in town, go to the market, visit the cemetery, and check out the Chateau de Lourmarin. The market is from 9 to 1 on Fridays only. And since Lourmarin is a small village, I thought there might be 10 or 15 little stands from which they sell produce, cheese, and maybe some breads. I could not have been more wrong. There must have been at least 50 stands, some of which were an oyster stand with nine kinds of oysters, sea urchins, and snails; a mushroom stand with 20 different types of mushrooms; several fish stands;a garlic stand; herb stands; olive and tapenade stands; 5 or 6 sausage stands each with 20 or more types of sausages; meats of all kinds; many bread and cheese stands; clothing racks everywhere. Plus wines, knifes, pottery, pastries, hats. I can't remember all of them. As we left to go to the market, I asked Sylvia "Why are you taking a bag? We won't buy anything." Obviously I didn't start off the day batting 100 percent. We bought cheese, wine, tapenade, sausage, pate, etc. What a great market and everything was gone and cleaned up by two o'clock. I don't know where all the people came from, the town was packed. Afterward Sylvia went up the street and did the laundry while I had to stay back at the apartment and sample some of the food we bought (top right) - of course you can't eat any of that stuff without a little wine. When we were done with our afternoon chores we walked up the road to the cemetery where we thought Albert Camus was buried. And we did find him. From there we walked over to the Chateau de Lourmarin, a 15th century castle that has been mostly restored and converted into a music research library and venue. It's worth seeing. We then partook in a little refreshment at Cafe L'Ormeau. I started researching the benefits of Pastis, a traditional Provencal beverage. I think I'm beginning to understand why the locals like it. Maybe Fitz and Jerry could have some available whan I get back (hint). We decided to have dinner at Restaurant l'Antiquaire, a Michelin rated restaurant that's just around the corner. It was interesting, well thought out, and pretty good, but it's not a have-to-do. One dish was particularly unusual was a Boudin Noir (blood sausage) over an Apple Tart, and it wasn't bad. That was the end of the day. Tomorrow looks like rain.  

Day 8 Mount Ventoux, Seguret, Gigondas

 

Got up this morning and it was a perfect day to go to the top of Mount Ventoux. I was determined to see one of the major climbs in the Tour de France bicycle race, and Mount Ventoux is considered one of the best. It's a 13 mile ride from the base of the mountain to the top and it's awesome from a bicyclist's point of view. We probably passed 50 cyclists riding towards the top and they were in various stages af exhaustion. I have riden over 5,000 miles this year and I know I could not possibly get to the top. Fortunately, I was in an automobile today and could enjoy the drive up to an incredibly scenic view of which pictures do not do it justice. You can see both the Pyrenees and Alps. We decided to go over to the Cote du Rhone wine region and possibly have lunch in the town of Seguret. It turned out to be the prettiest little village we saw except that you have to park at the bottom of the hill and walk up through an archway into the walled town that, at least today, had no place open for lunch. It was still worth it though. It's a tradition to wash your hands in the fountain pictured, and we did. Getting a little hungrier - after all we've been starving ourselves - we drove over to Gigondas where there were vineyards and tasting rooms everywhere. The Restaurant L'Oustalet looked to be good, so we tried it out. We were very lucky - it was excellent. The wine list was so extensive with Cote du Rhone wines (a favorite of mine) that I didn't know where to start. So I ordered a Gigondas, who's name I thought I could remember, Chateau Longue Tonque. It was terrific and went well with both the fish and pork that we had. For dessert Sylvia had a poached pear in a wine sauce and I had three small pieces of different chevre cheeses drizzled with olive oil. The food and service was impeccable. Anyone who enjoys wine should stop in Gigondas for an afternoon of enjoyment The ride back to Lourmarin was a long one on a full stomach, but we made it. After arriving back at the apartment we walked around a bit before sitting at the Cafe Gaby (just outside our door) watching people. We went out for a late snack at the Pizzeria Nonni where we shared a small pizza and some wine...Oh I forgot, some ice cream too. One thing of note, if you travel to the smaller towns in Provence it's good to know French because there are virtually no menus in Frwnch (oops I mean English), nor do most of the people speak it. In fact, most of the menus are daily blackboard menus that are difficult to read well enough to figure out what the heck anything is. I do a lot of pointing. Tommorow's market day in Lourmarin and we're looking forward to seeing who shows up.

Day 7 Roussillon, Gordes, Menerbes, Bonnieux

Took a local road trip today through some of the little villages in the Luberon area. The first was Roussillon (left picture) which is a hilltop village that sits on an enormous ochre deposit that gives the earth and buildings beautiful shades of orange. It's small enough that we walked it in less than an hour, and most of that was taking pictures. It's an extremely scenic place that must be crazy with tourists in the summer. The second town we visited was Gordes (right picture). another striking hilltop village. The whole damn town is made up of rocks - walls, steps, houses, everything - really quite beautiful. It's another place that must be nuts during tourist season. I'm really glad we travel when we do; you get to see so much more. It was getting close to two o'clock and lunch time so we drove over to Menerbes which didn't seem quite so touristy. It's also on a hill and overlooks the Luberon mountains. It had a few small cafes and seemed like a working community that would be a good place to stay when visiting. We had lunch at a little cafe with a beautiful view called Le P'Tit Bouchon. The Pasta with truffles was outstanding, as was the bottle of Rose. The Rose's in Provence are so good that it's just about the only wine we've been drinking. On the way back to Lourmarin we drove around another hilltop village called Bonnieux . We did not spend much time there as it has no real village pedistrian center. It too seems like a very pleasant place to live. For dinner we just went to one of the cafes next door (L'Ormeau) and tried to eat light.

Day 6 Aix en Provence

 Today was market day in Aix en Provence so that's the direction we decided to go. Somebody had left directions to Aix in the apartment that used back road instead of main highways. They were not simple directions, but we used them anyhow. It's a 40 minute drive that took us quite a bit longer, but we eventually got there after several dozen wrong turns (all of which were my fault). Once there we found good parking close to the center of town. The first stop was the Cathedral of Saint Sauveur, a 17th century church which had some very impressive murals and paintings. Next we walked the markets and although they were good, they were not as grand as some others. We spent most of the time just wandering around the city marveling how European cities remain so vibrant and alive. For lunch we stopped at Cafe de Verdun, a place recommended by the same people who provided the directions to town. Sylvia had Escallop Milanese and I had Daube De Marine, a beef stew with onions and potatoes cooked in a anchovy based broth...interesting. We continued walking around town checking out Paul Cezanne landmarks. It was four o'clock when we decided to go back to Lourmarin. On the way we circled the Paul Cezannes' studio several times but could not find a place to park, so we left Aix behind somewhat dissapointed. On the way back we stopped at Chateau Beaulieu for a tasting and got another bottle of wine for the apartment. I think we may have to extend our stay just to finish the wines. We had no dinner this evening, but we did go up the street to Cafe L'Insolite and had coffee and dessert. Still trying to figure out what to do tomorrow. There are so many places to go and things to see. The picture is an early morning view from the apartment.

Day 5 Lourmarin and Cucuron

I got up early, made coffee and went up the street to the boulangerie and got a chocolate croissant and a baguette along with some homemade fig preserve. We had that for breakfast and it could not have been better.Later in the morning we drove up to the local Supermarket and picked up some stuff for the apartment. The available meats, cheeses and produce would make a Wegmans or Whole Foods look sick by comparison. Afterwards we decided to visit a vineyard called Chateau Val Joanis. It is suppose to be a medium to good Chateau and is on 1000 acres (not all of them under cultivation). We had to drive a mile and a half from the entrance gate to the winery. We tasted and bought some wines for the apartment and walked around their sculptured gardens. After leaving the vineyard we drove through the villages of Cadenet, Villelaure,  and Ansouis. No matter what you imagine the villages of Provence might be like, they're not. There's so much more to them. They're truly special. We ended up in Cucuron, parked the car and walked up the hill to the tower and admired the views before heading back down and stopping in the village center at a small cafe and having light lunch. Sylvia had an unbelievably tender omelette and that's my light lunch of duck and Pomme Frites in the picture. The rest of the day was spent in Lourmarin walking around the shops. A salad and a plate of Corsica Ham in the evening at the Cafe de la Fontaine pretty much completed the day.

Day 4 Nice to Lourmarin

We left Nice this morning, rented a car and did the three hour drive to Lourmarin which is in the Luberon area of Provence. It was a fairly simple drive so we're still kind of talking, but it's never fun driving the autoroutes. We arrived around two in the afternoon and had lunch in the Cafe L'Omeau on the right of the picture with the red chairs. We met the people there who gave us the keys to the apartment on the second floor above the cafe with the blue chairs. Our apartment is very old and very french - we like it a lot. Plus there are Three cafes and a brasserie within 20 yards of the place. Lourmarin is a very small village centrally located in Provence and calls itself "The most beautiful village in Provence", and it can't be far from the truth. Albert Camus is buried here, but you have to find the cemetery by yourself because nobody will tell you where it is. Peter Mayle, author of a series of books about Provence, lives here and again nobody will tell you where. Last night we had pizza next door at L'Insolite Brasserie-Pizzeria and met some people from London who use to live in DC. It was nice talking to someone in english, since most people here don't. It's somewhat entertaining listening to me attempting to communicate with someone in french. Sylvia doesn't seem to have a problem watching me make a fool of myself. Tomorrow we will be driving around the area, so I suppose the only one's either of us will be talking to are french, since we probably won't be talking to each other.

Day 3 Nice

Slept late again. This is working out well; instead of waking up at 5 every morning and crashing at 9, now I'm sleeping until 8 and still semi alert at midnight. Hooray for the old guy (that's me). After the morning expresso we headed up to the Marc Chagall Museum hoping to get some culture. The walk through some interesting neighborhoods was worth the walk and the museum was impressive. I sort of liked it, but artistic interpretation is not something my simple mind can comprehend. A little farther up was the Matisse Museum but that was way beyond my capabilities. I had seen enough of Matisse at the National Gallery. After the Chagall we walked through a middle eastern neighbood (falafels everywhere) on our way to the Russian Cathedrale (don't do this at night). This Russian Orthodox church  is reputed to be the finest outside Russia. It almost makes me want to go to Russia. It's a "Probably Should See" if you're in town. A walk back to the hotel to get reoriented was followed by a long walk on the Promanade around to the Port. Once there we had a few drinks at an English pub prior to looking for someplace for dinner. We had hoped for something rather light, but instead we landed in a restaurant called La Cambuse in the Old City. We started with a Petites Farcis Nicois - a traditional dish of meat stuffed vegetables of roasted pepper, onion, and eggplant. What was interesting was that the stuffing in each veggie was the same, but what made each one taste significantly different from the other was the vegetable. Sylvia followed that with a fish and a five vegetable dish and I had roasted Lamb rib chops...both were good. Dessert was an excellent Nougat Glace and was unlike anything I ever had. I was glad for the excessive walking today. Again walking back to the hotel, we were amazed at the number of people out and about. Tomorrow it's checkout time and off to a little village town in Provence called Lourmarin. Nice is a fabulous city and I can understand why people like Sean Connery and Elton John have homes here--well maybe not Elton.