A Long and Winding Road

After our flat tire adventure on Friday morning, we ran out of time to go see Avignon (home of the French Pope for awhile).  As I mentioned, David wouldn’t let me stay in the condo to ponder the universe so we headed northwest toward parts unknown.

Well, they were unknown to us at the time.

By the time we got to Salon de Provence we were starved. So hungry, in fact, that we actually went into the local (wait for it) McDonald’s to eat. We’d already passed two of these haute cuisine restaurants so by the third one, our palates were ready! And besides, didn’t David want to see how this one was built? Mais, oui!

Had I known they served beer at McDonald’s, I would have ordered one. Or two. I wasn’t quick enough on the uptake I guess. One McChicken (minus fromage) and one Big Mac later, we were completely sated. Well, at least we had sustenance and could carry on with our Big Adventure to Les Alpilles. (Please do not ask me about les toilettes at McDonald’s. This is truly not a pretty story. Suffice it to say that not all toilets in France have seats, ‘kay???)

Dont ask.

On to Baux, which really is a town perched on top of a hill. All the better to fight off your enemies while you look down on them! The road up to it and down from Baux was really narrow and winding. You know, like that Beatles song. We stopped to take photos but didn’t walk up to the town. Instead we headed on to St. Remy. We had a schedule to keep!

Baux and cliffs 

St. Remy is home to a famous church, built in the 15^th century as a funeral chapel to honor Jean de Renaud. It’s really beautiful—great stained glass and they still hold services there. St. Remy also home to marvelous shops and (again with the…) narrow cobblestone streets all in a maze. We had drinks at a local brasserie, then headed back to Aix.

Chapel of Jean de Renaud St. Remy

Francoise did a fine job getting us around on Friday. Her reputation took a huge hit on Saturday when she directed David to drive the wrong way down a one-way street in Mougins. That, also, is not a pretty story.

We arrived in Mougins about 4 p.m. on Saturday. Despite what the internet said, our accommodations do not have wifi or any internet hookup at all except in the guest lounge off of the reception area. I do not think that any amount of rose wine will make up for this oversight! However, I plan to test that theory starting….now.