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Though a tiny, sleepy village in Provence, it’s a perfect place to stay while exploring the region. Make sure you go to the bakery in the morning. You’ll have to wait in line but you won’t be bored and you’ll actually wish the line would go slower. The villagers are friendly and will strike up a conversation with you. Additionally, one of the bakers, a perky and cheerful woman, keeps the crowd serenaded and entertained. She’s not a bad singer, either!
Since our friends from the U.S. were visiting, we thought it would be fun to meet in Provence and go wine tasting. Some of France’s finest wines come from Chateauneuf du pape and everyone was up for that, so off we (three Americans and one French guy) went.
We stumbled upon a wine cellar that produced award-winning wine and received an informative presentation from the vintner, who spoke fluent English. We tasted 4 wines, and thought about buying a few bottles. They were excellent wines. While discussing what we would get amongst ourselves, the vintner blurts out that he expected we buy CASES of wine. He said something like, “Hey, I’m not a reseller, you know; I’m the producer.”
Me: “So!??”
Ok, I didn’t say that but wanted to. Yes, he’s the producer but he’s still selling it.
This, of course, made no sense anyway since he knew very well that Americans cannot take much wine back to the U.S. And because our friends just brought carry-on luggage, they wouldn’t be able to take any bottles at all with them. He began to annoy me with his greed. Still, we decided to buy ONE case (6 bottles): all the wines we sampled, including a gold medal awarded wine from 1999.
Things were rolling along and we paid our 104 euros ($159) for the six bottles until the vintner began filling the box with our order. He made sure we saw what he put in the case, then says, “and lastly, here’s the 1998 bottle.”
My sweetie says LOUDLY, “we bought the 1999 bottle, you know, the one that costs 26 euros (about $40). Not 1998.”
The guy tried to rip us off!
Anyway, I found that to be so rude, greedy and annoying, but ultimately pathetic. I mean, I could be recommending his little “domaine” right now but instead I simply can not.
How many Americans did he trick?
That just isn’t right.
Yes. If this isn’t THE reason to visit Avignon, I dunno what is. Alright, I do and there are gobs of fabulous things to do and see here but this cuppa hot chocolate at the Salon de Thé in La Mirande Hotel is amazing. It is so silk-chocolaty and heavenly that you can see heaven in its reflection.
Ok, that’s really the reflection of the sky. We were sitting outside in their beautiful garden patio.
I think I may have to say that this hot chocolate is MUCH better than the one at Angelina in Paris. GASP! There, I said it.
Of course, while the waiting staff at La Mirande is great, they might not be as colorful in personality as the staff at Angelina.
La Mirande
(Hotel, Salon de Thé, Cooking School, Award-winning Restaurant)
4, place de la Mirande
84000 Avignon France
Telephone: +33 4 90 14 20 20
What is behind door number………..zzzZAPPP! (photo taken at the Palais des papes, Avignon, France)
Maybe, just maybe once during your trips to France, you will venture out of “the comfort zone” of your little Paris. Yes! There’s a whole ‘nother world outside of Paris that might amaze you even more than looking at the teeny tiny, glass-enveloped, security guarded, popularity queen, The Mona Lisa, which could quite possibly be a replica (Ok, the latter is just my own conspiracy theory).
A little detour to Provence (south of France) will literally be a welcome breath of fresh air once you exit the cities. We’ve been in Provence, of course at our favorite Après La Sieste, the best place to stay in Provence, in our humble opinions. In addition to being the most beautiful and relaxing B&B ever, they have a heated salinated pool, (which is like being in a comfortable hotspring more so than like being in a chlorinated pond), and an in-house chef for a memorable gastronomic meal that goes perfectly with local wines from the famous Chateauneuf du pape.
After exploring the region’s lavender fields, the surrounding “most beautiful villages in France,” the seaside Camargue and Callanques, the wine cellars and vineyards for tasting award-winning wines and more, you may, after all the day’s activities, feel pretty beat albeit happy. Lucky you because if you stay with Jacques and Chloe at Apres la Sieste, you can get a heavenly massage, a perfect Provençale denouement.
Apres la Sieste’s newest addition is an in-house masseuse, who will erase your little aches and pains and simply make you feel wonderful. You might not ever want to leave.
Apres la Sieste opens officially for the season on March 21.
Après La Sieste
2 suites, 3 rooms; breakfast included
Contact: Jacques et Chloé (English and French spoken)
Email: info@apreslasieste.com
Website: Après La Sieste
(Visit their site for more room photos, massage and chef meals details and rates)
Telephone : +33 4 66 50 33 94
Mobile Phone: +33 6 61 84 58 40
“Shigeru Ban is familiar to TreeHuggers for his eco-friendly buildings and use of unusual materials; now he has built a bridge out of cardboard tubes. It’s in France, half a mile from the Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman bridge; Ban says, ‘It is a very interesting contrast, the Roman stone bridge and the paper bridge. Paper too can be permanent, can be strong and lasting. We need to get rid of these prejudices.’ The bridge can hold up to twenty people at a time; it was load tested with balloons filled with 1.5 tonnes of water. There are 281 four inch diameter tubes, plus steps of recycled paper and foundations made from wooden boxes filled with sand…” [from Treehugger]
Our friends, Chloe and Jacques are having a weekday special until the end of June at their fabulous bed and breakfast, Après La Sieste. If you stay 3 nights at Après La Sieste during the week from now until June 30, you can get the fourth night for free. The fourth night must also be during the week.
We love staying at Après La Sieste; it is one of our favorite places to stay in Provence, and this special is an excellent savings and great opportunity. We might have to squeeze in a trip there into our hectic schedule if possible. It’s a great base to explore many places in Provence, and it’s very near Avignon. Lastly, for those wine enthusiasts out there, it is a hop, skip and a jump from the famous, Châteauneuf-du-Pape.
Read my previous posts about Après La Sieste:
A Great Place to Stay in Provence: Après La Sieste
Our Favorite Place to Stay in Provence Has a Chef
Visit their website for more information and to contact them. They speak both English and French.
Après La Sieste
2 suites, 3 rooms; breakfast included
Contact: Jacques et Chloé (English and French spoken)
*Please ask when the chef will be preparing dinner
Email: info@apreslasieste.com
Website: Après La Sieste
(Visit their site for more room photos, details and rates)
Telephone : 04 66 50 33 94
Mobile Phone: 06 61 84 58 40
Note: Air France is having reduced airfares from the U.S. to France during Spring, so check it out here: Spring Specials from the US to Europe on Air France
Next month, Michel Fournier, a 62 year-old former colonel of the French army reserve and parachute officer, will drop out of the stratosphere from an altitude from about 130,000 feet (40 kilometers, nearly 25 miles) above the plains of Saskatchewan, Canada.
They are saying that this jump will contribute to the “development of future technologies and the safety of stratospheric flight.” I dunno if I buy that. Here’s what I think is the real reason:
4 World Records will be achieved if successful: 1) altitude record for freefall; 2) altitude record for human balloon flight; 3) time record for longest freefall; 4) speed record for fastest freefall.
Maybe he’ll even make “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” or the French version, “Incroyable Mais Vrais!!”!! Now that’s worth jumping for!
[More information on Le Grand Saut Project] [via Neatorama]
