Village Squares

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I love the little squares that one finds in the villages in Provence.  They are almost like courtyards.  This particular one is in St. Remy-de-Provence.  It has a fountain, and is shaded with chestnut trees.  There are lights strung between the trees and there is a patisserie and a creperie as well as a museum and access to shops across the street.  It is a perfect place to order an espresso and watch the world go by on a beautiful day.

Chic Outdoor Table

One thing about the French, is that not only did they invent the word "chic", they embody it and embrace it.  This chic outdoor table is very well appointed with modern Mediterranean furniture, and features that make the eating experience more enjoyable.

Banon Cheese

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We were visiting a friend's farm in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.  They live just a kilometer or two away from the mountain-top village of Banon.  As we drove into Banon there is a parking lot, and immediately to the right is a fromagerie or cheese shop.  For three euros and change, we bought one of the most delicious cheeses to ever come out of France -- Banon cheese.  It is a quaint, goat's milk cheese wrapped in chestnut leaves.

This is what Wikipedia says about Banon Cheese:

Also known as Banon à la feuille, it is an unpasteurized cheese made from goat's milk and is circular in shape, around 7 cm in diameter and 2.5 cm in height, and weighing around 100 g. This pungent uncooked, unpressed cheese consists of a fine soft white pâte that is wrapped in chestnut leaves and tied with raffia.

The Provençal specialty fromage fort du Mont Ventoux is made by placing a young banon in an earthenware jar. The cheese is then seasoned with salt and pepper, doused in vinegar and eau-de-vie and left in a cool cellar to ferment. The concoction will last for many years becoming increasingly fierce in taste.

The cheese is runny right from the start.  The chestnut leaves were leaking when we bought it.  The store clerk who was the owner of the shop (and the owner of the bakery), licked her fingers after packaging our cheese.  It is that good.  The cheese spreads like a fine butter, and it is an earthy, delicious treat.

The cheese is dipped in brandy.  Here is some more of the Wikipedia article:

The affinage period lasts for two weeks, following which it is dipped in eau de vie and wrapped in chestnut leaves that have been softened and sterilized by boiling in a mixture of water and vinegar. The cheese is at its best when made between spring and autumn.
Banon was awarded the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) label in 2003.

If you ever seen Banon cheese anywhere, wrapped in chestnut leaves, you must buy some.  It is that good!

Close-up of the wild flowers

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In the previous entry, I showed a wild flower bush against a peak of Les Alpilles.  Here is a closeup of those flowers.  Obviously the bees love them for the nectar.

Spring in Les Alpilles

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Les Alpilles are the limestone mountains of southern Provence.  They are not as high as mountains go, but they have a stark beauty.  The wild flowers and herbs grow on the hills perfuming the air in the spring time.

Massive Table Bouquet

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I've mentioned the ubiquity of flowers in Provencal life.  Here is proof.  Look at the massive table arrangement that I found in a bistro.  It is almost as if a giant visited among dwarfs.

A Posy of Wild Flowers in a Provencal Pasture

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One of the nicest things about Provence, is that beautiful flowers grow everywhere, including in the wild.  These blossoms are actually weeds growing in a horse pasture that added colour to a beautiful spring evening.  The grasses, sedges and flowers freshen the air and the scents lay like a beautiful perfume over the evening air.

Vintage Eye Candy

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The past is revered in Provence.  These are pics of vintage decorations of a patisserie in a village square in Provence.  They add a rustic touch and a great ambiance to the Provence experience.  There is eye candy everywhere in Provence.

Bistros

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Bistros provide excellent eating places in Provence.  Generally you can get the pleasure of eating outdoors with a succulent meal.  This particular bistro is a highly rated eatery in St. Remy de Provence called Chez Fanny.

Boutique Hotels

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Boutique hotels are often the way to go when visiting Provence.  This one in Arles called Le Calendal has a spa, restaurant, cafe and free computers and Internet.  It is just steps away from the amphitheater and Colosseum built by the Romans.

Ruins of a Roman Amphitheater in Arles

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At the height of the Roman Empire, the Romans build cities, aqueducts and bridges all through Provence.  They built a huge Colosseum in Arles, and just steps away, they built this amphitheater.  This is the entrance part that archaeologists are reconstructing.  I stood on the stage in the theater part where the seats are, and I clapped my hands.  The acoustics are perfect.  The early Romans were certainly magnificent engineers.

Memorable Restaurant Meals in Provence

 L'Aile ou la Cuisse is a decent restaurant in St. Remy de Provence.  It means "Wing or Thigh" and it is named after a French movie of the same name.

 In the Camargue region, the Camargue bull is bred for fighting.  Steaks of Camargue bull are also served in restaurants.  They are delicious.

 Being so close to the Mediterranean and Moorish Africa, Arab cuisine is popular in the south of France.  The above is a tagine or traditional Moroccan stew, served at a restaurant in Arles.

 A La Chapelle de Romanin red wine is bottled as a house wine for a restaurant, complete with a custom private brand label for that eatery.

 Frites or French Fries are one of the joys of Provence.  They go well with steak, or moules (mussels) or many of the lunch dishes.

 Carpaccio (raw beef ) served with a sauce, and grated cheese over it, is an amazing delicious meal.  The beef is sliced super thin.

This salad is perfect for the warm days to be eaten in the outdoor cafes, with a nice beer or white wine.  I can't think of a more pleasant way to spend a lunch hour.

The Brasserie Le Progress

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Brasserie Le Progress is next to Bar Le Progress (same building, just to the right of this shot), is a very pleasant place to have lunch in Eygalieres.  The menu is good, the prices are good and the town is incredibly scenic and good for walking.  You can walk up the main street to the highest point of the village and see the ruins of a 12th century church and Mont Ventoux in the background.

Main Street of Eygalieres

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It is springtime in Provence and the plantane trees are just starting to get their leaves.  This is a view of the main street of the Provencal village of Eygalieres.

Street Scene in Goult

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Goult is a lovely little town in Provence.  It has a funky square like most towns, and a de rigueur cafe and restaurants.  The scenery in all towns around the Luberon Valley is magnificent.

Baby Olives Growing

These little nodules are baby olives growing on an olive branch.  In the fall they will become full fledged green olives ready for curing or pressing into olive oil.  There are olive trees growing everywhere in Provence.  Many are used for landscaping decoration.

Every Square Has Its Café, and Eatery

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Every square has its café and eatery, and this one was no exception.  Since Provence has Arabic influences, this eatery served food such as couscous and tagines (Moroccan stew).  The interesting aspect was that this restaurant was combined with a bookstore.  The mall entrance to this restaurant was a passageway through the bookstore.  Note the ubiquitous plantane trees and wrought iron balcony on the second story with the curvy Provencal theme.

The Restaurant Wine Rack

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I love it when you walk into a restaurant and their stock of table wines is on display.  This is a very active wine-consuming restaurant and these bottles need replenishment often.

Tour Boat on the Rhone River

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Everyone has heard of the Cote du Rhone villages and wine.  The Rhone is a might river that flows through the heart of Provence.  Here, a tour boat is seen at its moorings in Arles on the banks of the Rhone.

Art Everywhere

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There are the colors of Provence everywhere including in the art which is everywhere.  I photographed this wall in Avignon.  The richly saturated colors of re, yellows, blue and ocher are everywhere.