We were both about worn out after yesterday and as we were planning a long day driving to Cassis on the coast 1.5 hours away, we cancelled. It turned even more windy overnight. The shutters were shaking and the lid on the chimney flapping. I woke twice during the night, the first time finishing reading Le Grand Meaulnes. Written by Alain-Fournier and published in 1913, he was killed during the war in 2014. It is regarded as a modern classic, however while almost ...

Despite my having no understanding of French at all and Ches having been a French teacher ... a long long time ago admittedly, I have no difficulty with pronouncing Ex-en Provence, Ches can't move on from Ay-en-Provence. She had lots of practice today. The phone alarm didn't go off, so we were late in leaving for Aix-en-Provence this morning. In 2000, I had sailed past on the motorway on our way to Italy. In response to Che's question, I replied that "no, I hadn...

The Oppede Loop (Lacoste, Abbay St-Hilaire, Menerbes, Oppede-le-Vieux). This is one of Bob & Sue Winn's recommended day trips from their book "Provence Byways:Guidebook to the Luberon Region of France". We will be taking at least 5 of their trips in the next 11 days. I should also explain that we are staying for two weeks in Kathy & Charley Woods apartment here in Bonnieux. We have never met, but exchanged messages at Slow Travel for many years. Kathy ac...

Ches is thrilled to report that we didn't use the car today. Didn't go anywhere. Just wandered around the village, had breakfast on our terrace, wandered around the village, didn't cook anything, grazed through the day, watched some TV we had brought with us. That's about it.

There isn't going to be a lot to report today. After the 1 hour + drive home last night from Aigues-Mortes, it was a late night, a busy morning packing up in Maussane-les-Alpilles and 1.5 hours drive to Bonneaux. We didn't leave till after midday and what with a stop at the tourist information office in St Remy to report the mugger earlier in the week, and an aborted stop at the only major supermarket in the Luberon, which had closed 5 minutes earlier, we arriv...