Thanks to the maid at our hotel, Villa Rivoli in Nice, the romantic mood of Thomas and Ella's wedding continues.
It's Sandi's birthday today (May 20) and since we saw the sights in Nice last year we decide to pop over to Italy for the afternoon for the Friday market in Ventimiglia (a 40-minute drive) which sprawls over 1km along the seafront.
BON ANNIVERSAIRE Sandi!
And an after-dinner walk past the unpredictable Promenade du Paillon fountain.
Today we're heading up into the hills to explore the surrounding villages.
The tourist office in Carros not only offers good information but also a pretty floor and coffee shop to sip a café au lait while pondering your sight-seeing itinerary.
The medieval village of Fayence whose origins date back to the 10th century, is a typical Provençal village perched on a hillside between the sea and the mountains.
This lady, dressed in traditional clothing, walks her dog through its winding streets and shady squares.
Life on the road.
Santons are small hand-painted, terracotta nativity scene figurines produced in Provence. They were first created by Marseillais artisan Jean-Louis Lagnel during the French Revolution when churches were forcibly closed and their large nativity scenes prohibited. This scene, at the tourist office in Mons, depicts typical village life.
The view from the top of Mons.
Bargème is one of the Plus Beaux Villages (Most Beautiful Villages) of France and the highest village in the Var. Perched at a height of 1,097m, it offers an unobstructed view of the valley and is overlooked by the towers of its medieval castle.
More life on the road. “Hey Bill, check this out, there's a couple of old goats taking our photo.”
The ancient village of Seillans, located in the eastern Var beside Fayence, about a half-hour drive west of Grasse, is another of the Plus Beaux Villages of France. Sandi takes a short rest at the pretty Hotel des Deux Rocs.
Everyone loves the warm Provençal sun and come 2 p.m. after a big lunch, it's siesta time for all creatures great and small.
After a brief stop in the beach town of Theoule-sur-Mer to dip our toes in the Med we continue on the scenic coastal drive to St-Raphael.
St-Raphael briefly flourished as a jazz age hang-out during the 1920s and 30s but urban sprawl has somewhat obscured its charm. Still, it's looking better since the port was spruced up, and it's a handy base for exploring the Estérel—and a lot cheaper than Cannes.
Leaving the coast we head in, up and over the hills en route to Saint Rémy du Provence.
Rumour has it that Napoleon planted these rows of plane trees to shade his troops from the hot Provençal sun.
It might not look like much but looks can deceive. The spectacular archaeological site Glanum dates to the 3rd century BC. BC! That's old folks.
Walking the main street, towards the sacred spring around which Glanum grew you pass fascinating remains of a once-thriving city, complete with baths, forum, marketplace, temples and houses.
Sandi spots a fossilized shell in the ancient stone.
Two ancient Roman monuments—a triumphal arch (20AD) and mausoleum (30BC to 20BC)—mark the entrance, 2km south of St Rémy.
The Alpilles' southern edge contains some of Provence's best-known moulins d'huile (oil mills), where four different types of olives, freshly harvested from November to January, are pummelled and pressed into silken AOP Vallée des Baux-de-Provence oil.
At L'Aile ou la Cuisse restaurant (try the chicken!) we meet up with our ex-neighbours from Whistler who have recently moved to Switzerland and are passing through St Rémy en route to a holiday in Spain. Bon voyage Lesley and Peter!
The colourful Wednesday morning market is one of the best in Provence.
We've said it before and we'll say it again, everything (okay, almost everything) in France is so beautiful. Just look at this work of art from the masters at Gus Restaurant... and it's only the entrée (starter) of the menu du jour.
Vincent Van Gogh admitted himself to Monastère St-Paul de Mausole in 1889. The asylum's security led to his most productive period—he completed 150-plus drawings and 140 paintings here, including his famous irises.
A reconstruction of his room is open to visitors, as are the gardens and Romanesque cloister that feature in several of his works.
For its time, the 19th century asylum was quite enlightened: Van Gogh was allowed to roam up to a mile away to paint, if accompanied by a staff member.
From the monastery entrance a walking trail is marked by metal insets in the sidewalk and colour panels showing where the artist set up his easel.
