TRAVEL REPORTS
by Shirley Cuesta
A WEEK IN PROVENCE - SEPTEMBER 22nd - 29th 2007
Having set off at different dates and times, Saturday 22nd September found our group of 11 reunited in the Villa La Pinede in the small village of Mausanne les Alpilles. Our House Party had decided to go self catering so we would be free to come and go as we pleased. The bedrooms in the villa had been named and decorated after famous artists, such as Dali, Van Gough, Picasso and Gaugan.
The very large lounge cum dining area was likewise decorated with artistic paintings and ceramics (we opted out of dusting these items, not sure how we stood with insurance). The kitchen again was large and well equipped. All rooms had balconies overlooking the walk- in pool and patio area.
We ate in on our first night, Diane and Annie having brought some delicious Chilli and Bolgnaise with them from Calpe. This was washed down by a few bottles of wine.
We were only a few minutes walk from the centre of Mausanne and our morning stroll on the Sunday seemed to lead us to the outdoor café in the main square, which we promptly nicknamed “Peter Pan”. In fact every town and village we visited seemed to have it´s own “Peter Pan”.
The weekend of our arrival coincided with a Medieval fiesta at the very old town of Les Baux de Provence, so after exploring the old cobbled street in this high craggy town, we sat back to watch some Falconry and Jousting.
During the week we visited Avignon, Arles. St Remy, Nimes, Tarascon and Beaucaire. Where possible we took the tourist train which enabled us to see quite a bit of each town. These towns are historically Roman and Middle Ages so there was always a lot to see.
We all did some shopping, purchasing vast quantities of French wine, along with the local produce especially the olive oils. The local Provence pattern was in evidence in the household products, as were the many herbs and special biscuits.
The restaurants that we visited based their menus on local fare, so we were able to enjoy a good selection of dishes.
One local restaurant had the most amazing cheese board, which was offered as a course before dessert. This was the night no-one had taken a camera!!
When we ate at the villa, there was never a problem of “Too many cooks” In fact on our last night we made a feast for ourselves with a Tomato, avocado and Mozzarella starter. The main course was Beef bourgignon (tastes even better after 24 hours in a red wine marinade) followed by a delicious bread and butter pudding made with the leftover croissants. We finished off with a cheese board. All this had been washed down with copious bottles of the local wine.
It was with some regret that we had to depart on the Saturday, we are already thinking about the next House Party. If this has whetted your appetite, how about a few more groups going in for the next one.
I should personally like to thank everyone on this trip, for making it a success. It is always the good company that we remember on all our U3A trips.
Shirley Cuesta
Pictures by Shirley Cuesta and Pat Spencer.
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