Aix-en-Provence - Not Today

We decided to head down to Aix-en-Provence just over an hour south of Avignon, and have a look around another largish town. I must admit that the route we took to get there was very uninspiring....very boring looking towns and countryside.

As with all towns we headed towards the old centre, but as we did so the traffic got heavier and heavier. It turned out that their big market day was on and everyone appeared to be here. The streets got narrower and narrower and parking was just impossible.....so after seeing a bit of Aix-en-Provence from inside a slow moving car, we both felt we had seen enough and we headed back north towards the villages of Provence.

The day was getting away from us, it was getting close to lunch, and we pulled into the pretty village of Lourmarin......time to stop and get something to eat.

We parked the car near the chateau and walked into the lovely little streets.....it was a nice mild day with a bit of fog around again.....but a bit too cold to be sitting outside to eat!

The Chateau at Lourmarin

Fog All Around

Loumarin was starting to shut down for lunch as we walked around, and people were starting to fill the local restaurants and cafes.

Walking Through Lourmarin

Beautiful Buildings and Streets

Plenty Of Places To Eat

Even though our stomachs kept reminding us that it was time to eat, we walked around the little village for quite a while taking in the lovely sites.

Picture Book Lane Ways

Ivy Covered Buildings

The Very Quiet Main Street

We finally stopped at a popular little bar/restaurant at the end of the street in the above photo.

Lesley had a very nice Seafood Risotto and I had Beef Tartare for the very first time and thoroughly enjoyed it...I could not have spent this long in France and not tried this dish!!!! When we finished lunch we took a long slow walk back through the village....we came across an empty grocer shop (gone to lunch) where heaps of birds were helping themselves to fruit, vegetables, bread, sausages and biscuits....they must have had a peck at everything while the owners were having their long lunch!!!!

Fast Moving Birds Avoided My Photo

Soon we were back in the car and driving through Bonniuex and past Lacoste again.

Mist Valley With Bonnieux on The Right

Looking Back To Lacoste

At one stage we stopped at a large second hand building place...heaps of old French doors and windows, some antique....if we could have found something that took our fancy I think we would have spent quite a bit here....then all we would have needed was a house back home to put them in!!!!

THis Could Have Been Expensive

So after a bit of a misfire start to the day, we ended up having a really great day.......travelling through the villages in Provence with all of the autumn coluours, and with a bit of a mist around gave quite a magical feel to the whole place....I think we will always have great memories of Provence.

 

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