First of May Trip to Alsace, France

Click on Hansi Photo for Alsace Photo Gallery

Venice; The Most Romantic City in the World

The Provence

Our most recent trip was a week get-a-way to the South of France, to discover the wonderful land called the Provence. Taste, feel, smell and see the beauty of the regions we visited in my Photo Gallery.

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Photos by Vicki Lewis-Thumm

     Excited like two kids in a fun park discovering one surprise after another in the house and in the garden, we ran from one new discovery to another, as if seeing ourselves in the fun mirrors and laughing at each other.  With so much love and attention to detail, not even a 5-star hotel could pull us away from here.

     There’s no better way to get a quick impression of the Provencal lifestyle than by living with the inhabitants, learning to make room in the narrow streets to let a car pass, recognizing the horn-concert of the mobile merchants who drive through the streets every morning offering their fresh french breads or meat assortments. The amusing treat of opening the house door and buying from an opened side door of a van which barely fits in the narrow passage allowing just enough room to reach into the “store” to pay the merchant and take the loaf of bread he hands you. What a convenient way to shop! I felt like I was at a McDonald’s drive up window with a role reversal. The car driving through brought the goods and the customer just opens up his house door to receive it. This is actually great for the elderly who aren’t as mobilized as most people.

     A trip to the next village, St. Genies to buy fresh croissants as alternative to the mobile-merchants was Manfred’s daily routine. By the time he got home with the breakfast treat, I had the coffee steaming and brewing, the table set for the uncomplicated, quick and easy breakfast with no clean up afterwards, except for brushing away the crumbs.

     After a few days, this village of stone came to life for me, the neighbors became familiar smiling faces and even the dogs didn’t bark at us any more on our evening walks through the village.

     This romantic little vacation house in the middle of nowhere was the perfect getaway place for a week and the perfect base for our daily outings to Provencale cities to discover the medieval history, culture, amazing landmarks and breathtaking views of countryside.

     Having a hobby cook for a husband made the Provence taste even better for me, as we came back each evening to do our own cooking. Somehow a fish-kabab grilled in olive oil and sprinkled with Provencale herbs tasted better in the romantic garden with shadows dancing around the patio furniture provided by the evening sun. The bouquet of wild flowers that I placed in the tin watering can on the cheerful wooden furniture ensemble of blue was an absolute eye catcher! We just made ourselves at home and welcomed all that the Provencale lifestyle has to offer in one week. We’re sure to go back again.

     Our adventurous trip to LaRouviere in the south of France, in the region called Langedouc in the Provence, began with a mysterious package in the mail from owners of a Summer House in this city. Inside were not only interesting descriptions and necessary information, but deep in the bottom of the big brown envelope was the “magic key” to the house!

     After traveling over 600 kilometers, we finally arrived in the small village of LaRouviere. With Manfred behind the wheel maneuvering through the narrow streets as I read directions from the info-booklet we spotted the little “hump” in the marketplace and went around it as advised to keep from losing a muffler. When the streets actually started getting more narrow, about the width of our car, our excitement and anticipation grew as we realized, “We must be here!”

     Rue Jean Moulin, a little street about as wide as a midsize car in the maze of cobblestone streets of LaRouviere gave us a false first impression of a lifeless neighborhood in a strange place.

    A turn of the magic key in the door of House #13  wiped this impression away and opened up a new world for us for one week. Behind this simple fassade was pure Provence! The kitchen and dining room walls of white alabaster formed romantic arches similar to a rustic wine cellar charming us at first glance. The uncomplicated wooden dining table with no table cloth, chairs decked with thick snuggly cushions invited us to cozy hours of conversation and dining. The oversized woven shopping basket on the wooden bench greeted us, full of stories from past shopping trips to Provencale markets. A bottle of redwine from the region in the middle of the table was our  friendly welcome to the Provence and the vacation home of Evelyn Boettger and Peter Kerger.