Ferrari Mailing List: Re: Dennis' guide to Provence, such as it is.... (OT)

[Martin Stark (MStark]

Yes. Yes.  This really helps.  Did you stay mostly in hotels, or did you 
do a weekly rental?

Dennis Liu wrote:

> Marty wrote:
>
>  
>
> > Dennis, Do you have any specific recommendations for towns and/or weekly
> >    
> rentals in Provence?
>
> =============
>
> Gosh!  Where to begin....
>
> Aigues Morte - way cool walled town, worth an afternoon detour, in the
> Camargue.
>
> Arles - Arles is an ancient town, with Greek, Celtic and Roman history, and
> lots of ruins.  Vincent van Gogh spent a lot of time here painting.  Many of
> his most famous paintings were completed there, including The Night Cafe,
> the Yellow Room, Starry Night Over the Rhone, and L'Arlésienne.  
>
> Avignon - Ancient, full of history, architecture, and more.  Narrow streets
> inside the fortified walls.  We stayed a couple of nights, top destination.
> Lots of shopping too.
>
> Antibes - Cote d'azur, filled with rich folks and expensive houses.  Vieille
> ville is beautiful, with ramparts and long, arched wall along the port.
> Lots of small streets for exploring, restaurants of all types, and
> especially a lot of shops.   Often referred to as Antibes - Juan-les-Pins.
> The Juan-les-Pins part has lots of night-life and a casino.  Plage de La
> Garoupe is a great beach.
>
> Aix-en-Provence - Along with Aix, our favorite historical towns in Provence.
> Lots of famous art was produced hereabouts.  The old town is the main
> attraction, ringed by a circle of boulevards and squares.  Medieval Aix was
> protected by a wall with 39 towers, but only the 14th century "Tourreluquo"
> tower remains.
>
> Les Baux-de-Provence - simply stunning historical (and now touristy)
> curiosity in Provence.  Now a tourist site rather than an active village,
> but still impressive.  And great roads around it too.  It's basically a town
> that's built in a giant nest of rocks.  There are incredible rock formations
> in this part of the Alpilles, with the road cut through the solid rock.  It
> has narrow cobblestone streets, terrace cafés, souvenir shops and tourists.
>
>
> Cannes - Cote d'Azur, hey, you gotta, right?  The "star" of the French
> Riviera.  Glitzy hotels, cars, beaches and stars.  Lots of exotic cars.
> Enjoy walking along the famous "Croisette" (the boulevard and the beach that
> extends around the bay).  
>
> Digne-les-Bains - check out the thermal baths that justify the -les-Bains
> part of its name. 
>
> Gordes - Beautiful old village on the southern edge of the high Plateau de
> Vaucluse.  Stunning.  Lots of tourists, but worth it.  
>
> Grasse - perfume capital, just a few miles away from Cannes, and a little
> bit further from Nice.  We had the best meal of the trip here.  
>
> Marseille - Great cathedrals and explore the catacombs and ossuaries.  Go
> there for the food!  The seafood capital of Provence.  You MUST have some
> bouillabaisse, particularly the Bouillabaisse du Ravi.   
>
> Menerbes - you have read Peter Mayle's books, right??
>
> Menton - nice little town on the coast.
>
> Moustiers-Ste-Marie  - another tourist destination, but worth the visit --
> and the climb!  It sits at the base of rocky cliffs, with the Notre-Dame de
> Beauvoir chapel above the village.  Which means you have to climb, but the
> beauty is worth it.  Oh, and be sure to bring me back some ceramics from
> here, particularly a water pitcher in "Provence Blue" to replace the one
> that my giant dog broke.  The mountain stream that divides the two halves
> with a narrow rocky canyon goes by the chapel, and runs underneath a giant
> gold star, with the chain fastened into solid rock on each side of the
> gorge. 
>
> Nice - flew in and out of here.  Big city in Provence.
>
> Orange - Lots of Roman ruins, and bullfighting ring, IIRC.  Worth a
> drive-thru.
>
> St. Remy de Provence - like Arles, very beautiful, lots of history.
>
> Hope this helps!!!
>
> Vty,
>
> --Dennis
>
>
>