The sandwich invasion, not the underground transportation system.

We were lucky to stumble upon a charming, 14th century, fortified medieval village called Villeneuve les Avignon (Region: Languedoc-Roussillon, Department: Gard), which sits atop Mont Andaon and is situated just a couple of miles outside of the city of Avignon, across the Rhône River. Instead of passing by it, we decided to see what was within the walls. No regrets because inside those walls we found a hidden gem, particularly the abbey and the Italian style gardens of Saint André.

During the same time as the Avignon festivals (July/August), Villeneuve has its own festivities, Villeneuve en Scène, with over 20 groups performing concerts, musicals and plays. Here’s a quick slideshow of some photos I took.

Saint André Abbey in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon

tags: france, french, villeneuve les avignon

Specializing in beef, apparently. How good have we gotten at disassociating the cow from the steak? Very good.

tags: france, french, nimes, butcher, beef, disassociating the cow from the steak

The Cafe de la grande bourse is probably one the best placed cafes in Nimes, one that offers a good view of the colosseum and a main side walk, perfect for people watching. It had been a while since I was in Nimes, and it looks like over the last 5 years or so, they’ve cleaned things up tremendously, and it’s now a nicer place for walking and sightseeing.

tags: france, cafe, nimes, colosseum, arena

This restaurant’s name probably doesn’t bug other people as much as it bugs me – but what on earth are people thinking in Nimes??? The restaurant is called, “Le Sake,” you know, “sake” being the alcoholic beverage made of fermented rice from JAPAN!? YET. The restaurant specializes in Vietnamese and Chinese cuisine. That’s like calling a place Sombrero and selling underpants there.

You know what I mean.

I don’t care if the restaurant is good or not – I’m boycotting!

tags: france, french, sake, nimes, badly named restaurants, fail