#12: Provence, The Dordogne, Lot And Paris
29 years after visiting Gordes with my family, I returned and rented a gite (summer home) just outside of the town.
Immediately after arriving in Marseilles, my friend, Judy and I drove to Chateauneuf-du-Pape as the town was having their annual “Fete de la Veraison”…. a delicious celebration of their famous wines. For just 3.5 Euros, you got a wine glass and could taste as many wines as you liked. What a great way to start a trip!
The first week was spent in Provence….
- Visiting Markets-Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue, Gordes, St. Remy
- Visiting towns made famous by author, Peter Mayle-Bonnieux, Rouillisson, Avignon, Gault
- Being Active-Kayaking down the Gardon (check out the activities you can do at Pont du Gard), running, cruising the Calanques near Cassis, and walking, walking, walking
This week was followed by a trip to the Dordogne and Lot regions to see a number of sights highlighted in one of my National Geographic Traveler magazine articles.
Towns: Most beautiful perched villages in the Lot department: Saint-Cirq-Lapopie (truly beautiful town), Rocamadour (grand town on the side of a hill), plus Martel, Carennac, Artoir, and Souillac.
Upon returning to Paris, I discovered that August 15 is always a holiday, so that meant almost everything was closed. But all was not lost. Besides walking all over, there were these interesting places:
- Museum: Les Arts Decoratifs–had a Jean Paul Gauthier fashion exhibit
- Film: Paris Show—quite an interesting 50-minute film on the history of Paris beginning in 980 AD.
- Rue Mouffetard—great area with shops and restaurants
Chartier was a truly authentic bouillon where you sit with others at the same table….complete strangers but a great way to meet people. the food is excellent and reasonable. Here’s my review of the restaurant as well as 3 other bouillons: Bouillon Restaurants In Paris
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