While I am currently on the island of Corsica for the week (more to follow), I thought I would pass along a few photos from our two weeks in Provence, in the lovely town of Vaison-la-Romaine.
My trip started with the long journey over, from Houston to Newark, then to Brussels, and finally onto Marseille. Even though it was arduous, the stop in Brussels was noteworthy for all the Tintin references throughout the airport (Hervé, the author, was Belgian).
After picking up the car, I drove straight to Vaison, where I would spend a few days with good friends before my wife and invited guests arrived.
We were staying almost in the shadow of Mt. Ventoux, easily the most famous landmark in Provence. Throughout the two weeks, it provided incredible views.
As soon as my wife arrived a couple of days later, we explored the town a bit.
The upper, medieval part of town is full of narrow “streets” and wonderful stone buildings.
This is how everyone in the village once obtained their water.
We made our way over to the neighboring towns of Sablet and (here) Séguret, where we had a marvelous lunch and…
…climbed up to the castle in Séguret. There was not much to the structure to see, but the climb up more than compensated for our hedonistic meal.
Tuesday is market day in Vaison, where we were able to buy practically a week’s worth of food…
…and just about anything else you could imagine.
While I did cook a ton during the two weeks, I did not write one tasting note. Not one. I was on vacation, after all.
well, that is not entirely true, I did jot down a few notes when we visited Clos des Cailloux in Châteauneuf-du-Pape…
…and Le Chêne Bleu up near Ventoux.
We were able to get away from the group for one night to have a wonderful dinner with our good friends in the old part of town…
…and experience a magnificent sunset from a different perspective.
At some point, I was able to saber a bottle of champagne with a credit card. Yes, a credit card (video to be posted soon).
Well, that is it for the first week of the trip! I will be back next week with photos from Week 2.
I have been an occasional cycling tour guide in Europe for the past 20 years, visiting most of the wine regions of France. Through this "job" I developed a love for wine and the stories that often accompany the pulling of a cork. I live in Houston with my lovely wife and two wonderful sons.
