Magnolia's Day 5

After another magnificent breakfast which included a puff pastry with mushrooms, peppers and olives, sautéed bananas somewhat like bananas foster, and apple strudel, plus the regulars, we said au revoir to Joel, Fetish and our villa and headed north to Beaucaire.  BTW, Joel's wife, Sonia, prepared all of the food, but was too shy come meet us.  

     Our plan was to go to Aix for a quick tour which turned into an hour and 45 minutes stuck in traffic.  We learned more than halfway into it that there was a gas leak in the old town center and we couldn't go there.  Oh, well, if that's the worst we do, we'll be in great shape.  We are having a devil of a time with these toll booths.  After trying four credit cards and lots of honking, we finally got a human to take cash and headed north on the A8 for St. Remy.  

     We arrived in St. Remy ready for a delicious midafternoon lunch, indulging in exquisite salads.   We ordered the petit salad thinking it would be small, but these would rival Olive Garden's bottomless salad bowl.  Nicoise, salmon, pancetta, etc.  Pictures will follow.  What happened to the days when we took pictures of good-looking men?  Now it's food and flowers sprinkled with discussions of comfortable shoes and long-term care.  Of course the meal included vin. 

     After a sufficiency we explored St. Remy.  St. Remy is where Van Gogh checked himself into the psychiatric hospital after he cut his ear off.  They say he cut his ear off and sent it to his girlfriend because she said he never listened to her.  He sent it to her and said, "I can hear you now."  Guys, now you now how to make your wife/girlfriend happy.

     While Debbie and Patsy drank in the culture -- as in art, not wine --the  rest of us went shopping.  That won't surprise our families, I'm sure.  Linen clothing is prominent as well as table and bath linens, soaps, lavender in all forms, items made of olive wood and woven market baskets.  A few purchases were made with a possibility of returning for more things on our wish list.

     Now it was time to find our accommodations for the next four nights.  We struck out for Beaucaire and had to trust our own instincts as Helpful Hannah and Bitching Betty found this area too mundane to keep in their memory banks.  After stinking paper mills and rusty old factories,  thanks to Debbie and Sara -- and a bit of luck -- both cars arrived safely to the Domaine des Clos.

     We drove past apricot and olive orchards to reach a French manor like you'd imagine.  It has a courtyard in the middle, a path lined with cypress, lavender and oleander leading to a beautiful pool bound by an olive orchard.   We are looking forward to exploring the area tomorrow.  Note, the mosquito is the state bird.  They can carry away a small child.  Patsy swears she saw one child flying through the air in the mouth of a mosquito, but we wonder if she had her own stash of vin.

     Our rooms are upstairs with a small kitchen and sitting room that we have now taken over, much like our portico in Mougins.  We gathered there deciding whether to go out or not and the wine -- and tiredness -- won.    We pooled our almonds and trial mix and airplane peanuts for a tasty meal and early night before we explore the region.  As a note, it doesn't get dark until after 9 here.  So you really lose track of time.

     a' bientot......Y'all.
P.S. Internet connection is intermittent. Pictures will be posted when possible!