Provence, Part 3 - Arles to Cassis

Just when we thought we couldn't see any more amazing villages, enter St. Remy and Arles. Two jewels of Provence, these are two great cities to combine together for a day trip from Avingnon. We began the day in St. Remy, which has a much smaller Saturday market than I was expecting. Regardless, it was nice to wander around the town where Van Gogh lived for a summer and got a morning espresso (or as the french say, cafe).

Following St. Remy, we took about 20 minutes of beautiful, windy roads past Les Baux (not recommended as it isn't really a village but more of a tourist trap) and to Arles. We caught the tail end of one of the largest Saturday markets in all of France, even buying a few goodies to go along with the photos.

After the market, we had lunch at A Cote, the little sister to the famous Michelin-starred L'Atelier that shares the same chef's and kitchen. I splurged for the grilled lobster, which was of course amazing.

Following lunch we did the tours of Roman Arles, checking out the amazing colliseum and Roman Ampitheatre. The colliseum is surreal and really relaxing to get lost in. And for €6 for the two sites, not a bad value either. It is really well preserved and worth a separate visit to the city just to see this site.

Following our tour of Roman Arles, including checking out Cafe La Nuit, which was immortalized by Van Gogh in one of his famous paintings, we wandered around the tiny streets of the town before heading back towards Avignon.

Once back to Avignon, Erin and I took the opportunity to see the sunset over Avignon across the Rhone from the city itself. It is really peaceful with lots of benches and grass to enjoy the views from.

We then made it back to our Domaine for one last night of home cooked Provencial food ala Erin. Below is the Domaine, a 16th century manor house converted B&B.

The following morning, our last in France, we made it back to the coast to Cassis, another amazing village that I had visited when studying abroad. Aimlessly strolling along the boats and promanade of the village is a great way to begin a relaxing day.

The weather was also amazing this time and we were able to take a Calanques tour. The tour itself was €20 for two and takes about 90 minutes to do all the Calanques. We would've liked to stop at the beach below but time didn't really permit, and the water was still on the chilly side.

Following the tour and a marginal dinner, we decided it was time to head home and get back to reality in London. It was a great return to where my passion for traveling began and was equally great to share all of it with Erin.

Provence, Part 1 - Aix to Orange

After two days reminiscing of the times spent in Cannes so long ago, we embarked for 5 days in Provence, to see some familiar sights from years past as well as some new ones! Complete with our trusty but almost to detailed map of provence and a list of the most beautiful villages in the region, courtesy of the official website, we were set, taking off on a one tank of gas, six day journey. One tank of gas courtesy to the Renault Megane, which gets 68 mpg; most impressive. 

Our journey began at the towns of Cotignac and Villecroze, where we picked up a picnic and wandered around the narrow lanes and popped into antique shops. One of the best picnic snacks were the sausage sticks in the market. Not quite your average beef jerkey stick, this is the real deal! It washed down well with an Orangina. 

After the towns, we made our way to Aix en Provence. I had been to Aix during my stint abroad, but it was literally for 2 hours and we didn't get to see much. Aix is a great town with LOTS of little shops to keep you occupied for a day. Lots of fountains too!

After going into the church in the old town, Saint Sauveur, we walked around for a couple hours, grabbing a couple beers at Brasserie les Deux Garcon, where Cezanne and Matisse used to mix it up.

We had dinner that night at a thai restaurant - it was decent but not worth recommending, so I won't include the name. Most of all, it was to change it up after French and Italian meals for so many consecutive nights. We stayed at Hotel du Globe, which is moderately price and very central. They even have a small parking lot that you can stash your rental in for the night. A good option for EUR80 a night. 

The following morning we were up at the crack of dawn to explore some more villages before our wine tour and tasting scheduled at Beaucastel in Chateauneuf du Pape. We went to Ansouis, Lourmourin, Roussillon and finally Gordes, before getting to Chateauneuf.

All of these villages are on the Plus Beaux listing that is linked to above. Our favorite was Gordes, mostly because of the stunning situation of the town, hanging on the side of a cliff. All were nice, but if you time to do only one, go for Gordes.

Following Gordes, we treked to where we thought was Beaucastel, incorrectly directed by a google map search. We showed up right on time for the tasting, but it was just the wrong estate! If you are on google maps, there is a point on the map called Beaucastel, just follow to that point, not trusting other suggestions! As we finally made it to the estate 30 minutes late, one of the Perrin brothers allowed us to re-book for the following day, joining a couple who owns a vineyard in Paso Robles, California.

This freed up the rest of our afternoon so naturally we crammed in a trop to Pont du Gard, perhaps the best and most in-tact roman aqueduct in the world. I visited this in 2001 with my CSB/SJU group, canoeing from a couple miles away for 30 minutes before concluding at the aqueduct. The weather was nice enough to splash into the water a little. I always had such a great impression of this UNESCO site, and returning just reinforced that impression as one of the coolest sites I have ever seen. It is a must see if you are around Provence. 

We then ventured to our accommodation for the next four nights, Domaine de Rhodes. The Domaine is situated on Ile de Barthelasse, a surprisingly undeveloped island between Avignon and Villeneuve-les-Avignon that made a great base for exploring Provence. We got a gite so we could cook a couple meals ourselves. Our gite was EUR400 for five nights, which is pretty good for that area.

The main house on the property is extremely beautiful, dating back to the 16th century. It is a nice tranquil oasis to return to after a long day of touring the region and we recommend to all. We made dinner three of the four nights we stayed, highlighted by a mussel and prawn pasta.

The following morning we went to Orange, to check out the Thursday market and the Roman amphitheater. Orange is a nice city to wander around for an hour or two in addition to checking out the roman sights. One doesn't need more than an hour or two to do this however.

The amphitheater itself is fabulous and worth the EUR8 admission. Your ticket includes an audio guide which is helpful to explain the significance of the site and its place in history. After the tour, we had a nice lunch before heading to the second attempt at a tour of Beaucastel!!

Visitors abound

Its been pretty quiet on the England front in February and March, with perpetually dreary weather, dark days and only thoughts of a warm and sunny summer getting us through the English winter. This explains the lack of blog posts lately. However, as the dark days have started to brighten, so has our desire to get out and explore. Along with the market we went to a couple weeks ago with Pramit, we've had some visitors, which has been good for the mind and soul (just not the wallet). 

Recently, Betchkov and Adrienne visited our place for a little over a week, enjoying two weekends with us and taking in Paris during the week, while we worked (its not fun to imagine your friends frolicking around Paris while stuck in a cube). 

During the weekends they were here we took them to Notting Hill market and showed them our local(s) (The Prince of Wales and the Windsor Castle), and even made it to Aladdin for a meal on Brick Lane. 

We also had a really nice night out in Shepherd's Bush at Alounak followed by pints at Defectors. Another night we took on Soho, eating at a very popular Venetian small plates restaurant called Polpo, which I highly recommend. 

We also went to El Camino and then to Sketch during one of our nights after a meal in China town. Sketch is an interesting club, but given the most interesting part about it is the bathrooms, don't hold your breath.

About a month earlier, Ross was in town en route from Minneapolis to Italy to Shanghai (weird - but you cannot question Ross' travel plans, you just have to go with the flow). We showed him a good night out in Soho as well, following a dinner at Rocket in Mayfair. Rocket is another affordable but stylish Italian spot that has killer pizza and calzones and a good wine list. We also checked out the Borough market for a famous Chorizo sandwich and hit a couple pubs up (of course). 

Having friends come out was a terrific distraction from the long winter/early spring. It was good to talk about the crazy college days and plan for the times to come! Also helped us pass the time until our next trip, which is only a few weeks away!!

Broadway Market and L'Entrecote

When walking to work, I always admire the various points around of Big Ben, Parliament and if you are back far enough, add the towers of Westminster Abbey...as you can see its quite a beautiful sight, particularly against sunset.

Two weekends ago we fulfilled an 18 month desire to go to Relais de Venise or L'Entrecote. No menu aside of desert and drinks, which adds to the ambiance, making it a unique experience. The only thing on the menu for starters and mains is salad and steaks. When you order the only question is 'how would you like your steaks done monsieur?' The don't even have butter for the baquettes! They are famous for their special sauce, which we identified the secret ingredient as curry (but we could be wrong). Kate, Stuart, Erin and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. It is pretty affordable and they don't take reservations, which adds to the experience a bit more (queuing outside). If you arrive early enough, check out the old pub next door for a pre-dinner beer (which they don't serve at L'Entrecote - just make sure the women hold your place in line:-). The experience is definitely worth the effort/wait.

This weekend we made our way to Angel tube stop and had a nice 30 minute walk along the canal with Pramit to the Broadway Market. The market itself is as unique as the others in London, adding a much more local vibe than the likes of Borough and Notting Hill.

 It is lined with coffee shops, cafes, antique stores, even an eel monger. While not the biggest nor most highly regarded, its a great spot to spend a Saturday morning/afternoon.

Happy marketeering!!!

Columbia Road Sunday Flower Market and Bistroteque

With the recent cold spell in London (and blizzards in the Minny), I thought it'd be a good idea to reflect on brighter, sunnier times. Erin, Cam, Emily and I recently (but not so recently to be before the recent cold snap) went to the Columbia Road flower market to experience the most colorful market in London and to see if the much-hyped market is as flowery as people make it out to be, including a good article in the New York Times that has some good ideas to help your East London exploration. 

Cam and Emily are regulars at the market and unlike many people in many markets, they actually buy stuff! The market itself (off of Old Street tube station and a 10 minute walk).  The link above has specific directions. 

The market itself is not just a flower market, as there are countless gift and gardening shops, cafe's and antique stores, but the main attraction is obviously the flowers, not, for instance, the Colchester Oysters.

Emily and Cam bought a mini bush to spice up indoor spaces, I bought a coffee and bagel...their purchase was definitely more posh, but not quite as posh as this lavender. And for all those in the US who use the word posh, here is a good factoid on the origin of the word.

All in all, the market definitely is a great day out and even better if you are in the market for some flowers or plants! I am definitely going to bring my mom there if she ever visits me!!!

You can also finish off your east London experience at a restaurant called Bistrotheque, a trendy restaurant complex that combines a cool old-world bar (below), a warehous(ie) restaurant and surprisingly, a burlesque/cabaret venue. Definitely a good night out, make sure you write directions down as there isn't a name on the inconspicuous building down a random side road near Bethnel Green tube stop (central line)!

Ljubljana, Slovenia

For years we have been talking about going to Ljubljana, ever since it was headlined in several National Geographic Traveler articles, being compared to places like Krakow, Prague and Riga, Erin and I have had a strong interest in seeing what the hoop-la is about. We decided we had waited long enough and last week planned a week long holiday to visit Slovenia and Istria. Erin went to Ljubljana on a Saturday and I met her after a foggy Ocktoberfest with Joelskie, Strauss and Jim.  

When I arrived Erin showed me around the pedestrian only old town as if she had lived there her whole life! We cruised the town, climbed the hill to the castle that overlooks the splendid and time-trapped old town along the river, and even went to a dessert spot that served some of the meanest choco cake this side of the Ural mountains!! Erin made it to both the Saturday food market and the Sunday flea market before I even arrived.

When I did arrive, at about 68%, I was able to take a few shots of the town on the river. Its amazing how vibrant the city life along the river is...everyone is out having coffee or a Union Beer on the river. The people watching is some of the best and the vibe along the river is unforgettable!

Once the sun goes down and the lights go on, the vibe really depends on what day of the week it is. Our server at the wine bar called, simply, The Wine Cellar, stressed that Wed, Thurs and Friday are the big nights out in Ljubljana, and Saturday is pretty mellow as most students are home visiting parents for the weekend. Evidence of the empty Saturday night streets:

As I want to get Ljubljana all into one post, fast forward to a week later, the last night of our trip. A few years ago when we bought Lonely Planet's 1000 things to do before you die, one of the 1000 things was to stay at Hostel Celica, a former prison converted hostel. For 25 euro each, you have an opportunity to live like the former prisoners, but in a more comfy cell that has been designed by the city's local artists. Ours was rather plain, but staying in a prison cell was definitely a unique experience.

The morning after our stay in the prison, we were greeted by a parade, commemorating our triumph at the hostel.;-)

All in all, Ljubljana is a great weekend away to explore the old town on foot, visit the castle and try a few local restaurants and river side pubs. Choose you own as they are an abundance that fits every one's interests differently.