An Apt Dinner at La Colombe d'Ocre (10/07)

Our local boucher in Roussillon was closed that day, so we set off to Apt where we found a fantastic Boucher - Charcutier - Traiteur: J. C. Malavard. He had an amazing selection of meats (that you could have cut to order) and prepared foods. We chose a heavenly Gratin de Chou-Fleur to go along with our steaks (seasoned with a little herbes de provence). We had some left over ratatouille to finish off and roasted some tomatoes and onions too. As we were nearing the end of our two weeks in France, we were trying to finish off the edibles that we had accumulated while there.

La Charollaise - Apt en Provence
Boucherie ~ Charcuterie ~ Traiteur: Jean-Claude Malavard
8 rue de la Sous Préfecture, 84400 Apt en Provence
Tél. : 04 90 74 14 16

To finish off dinner, I had three beautiful macarons from a place I discovered while in search of beef. We were walking through Apt and it was sort of like I had a honing mechanism: I had this strong urge to look right and there to my surprise was a massive display of macarons in all of the colors in a box of crayons. With approximately 16 flavors to choose from, I walked out with Passion Fruit, Lavender, and Rose. There isn't anything to say other that I was pretty sure that I needed to move to Apt. They also had floral flavored marshmallows, which I regretfully didn't try. Still, I guess it gives me a reason to return.

Alain et Valérie Bouchard Pâtisserie

34, rue des Marchands 84400 Apt en Provence

Tél. : 04 90 04 84 71

Le Chats du Lacoste (10/07)

Not only was Lacoste steeped in history and picturesque, it was full of cats. Art, fig trees, atmosphere, cats: what more do you need?

Lacoste ~ The Mystery of the Illuminated Castle (10/07)

We were exhausted and parched after our uphill explorations in Oppède Le Vieux, the cafe there looked like they were closing so we set off to Lacoste in search of liquid refreshment. When we first arrived, the entire grassy area where we parked was cover with these curious white snails. There were hundreds, if not thousands of them.

We first stopped for a lovely thé au citron at Le Café de France where we also enjoyed the views of the vineyards in the valley bellow. Afterwards, we were fully refreshed and ready to explore Lacoste: the picturesque medieval village where cobblestone streets give the impression that time has stood still.
James was the first to spot a sign for SCAD: Savannah College of Art and Design. SCAD have partnered with the Lacoste School of the Arts to host four quarters for art students and professors from around the world the learn and teach together in this beautiful setting. Now this would have definitely been an incentive to me as a budding young art student, to spend a quarter in France learning in an international class setting. Oh, if one could only turn back time...Amongst the ancient village setting, we saw many pajama clad, crock wearing American students either strolling to get to a lecture short of being on time or carrying around dirty laundry with all the coolness of the "I don't care" attitude that only an art student can carry off. Yes, that was me through most of my teenage years.

Now I'm not one to slander, but we did witness one rather bizarre scene: as we were walking up one of the winding cobbled roads, we could hear a rather loud conversation from what appeared to be a professor giving advise to a student. From what I witnessed, he was giving her ideas for an interview that she was going to conduct with a fellow artist - including all of the questions to ask and a potential title for the interview. As we got closer I could see that the student was wearing a hearing aid. Now, I really took offence for the student over what I was witnessing: fair enough that she might not hear well, but that doesn't mean she can't write? I may be speaking (or typing) completely out of term as I don't know the entire story, but honestly, did he really need to do the job for her? I mean, as a budding journalist/artist, wasn't she there to learn using her own mind and not be dictated to? Let alone at a volume that could have been heard all the way in Bonnieux. After that strange encounter, we continued on uphill...

At the very top of the hill was a fantastic collection of sculptures from the visiting students...

One of which solved the mystery of an illuminated caste we would see at night from our terrace:
In the distance, almost at the center of the photo above, you will see something that is lit up. We couldn't quite make it out through binoculars, apart from that it appeared to be some kind of castle or large building. Now while this isn't quite the making of an episode of Scooby-Doo, we were excited to solve the mystery, nonetheless. This sculpture made it all very clear:

What we were seeing in the distance was the ruined castle of Donatien Alphonse François de Sade, or the Marquis de Sade. It was the Marquis' vision that Lacoste would be a haven for thespians and artists, so I think that he would be please. Apart for the state of his castle...

Oppède-le-Vieux, Luberon ~ The Hilltop Ruins of an Abandoned Village (10/07)

Oppède-le-Vieux is an ancient village located in the Luberon mountains of the department Vaucluse. First mentioned (as Oppeda) in 1008, what exists today is a touristy and extremely fascinating ancient ruin of a village that was abandoned after years of war and turmoil, only to be hit by the "Black Death" and a violent earthquake in 1348. The lower valley has been brought back to life and is a thriving village with the region committed to preserving this history of this historical gem.

More text to come, but for now, please enjoy my images of Oppède-le-Vieux. Indulge me, I did take a few...

Goat Cheese Tart, Carottes Râpées, & Celeri Remoulade (10/06)

We didn't want a huge dinner that night, so before we left for Avignon, stopped at the local boulangerie where I scored myself one of these luscious Goat Cheese Tarts. It was heaven in a pastry crust. The tart consisted of red and yellow tomatoes, fresh basil, and that creamy chunk of my favorite cheese. After seeing it, I nearly didn't make it to Avignon!
To keep it light, we served it with several salads: lettuce, Alison's tomato salad, and two French classics: Carottes Râpées (shredded carrots dressed in a light vinaigrette) and Celeri Remoulade (shredded celery root in a mayonnaise sauce). Now, I adore celeriac and have been to France several times, but this was a first for me. It was one of my favorite foodie discoveries (along with Perrier Menthe and Macarons) and I will definitely be adding it to my staple recipe collection, once I have mastered it. In the upcoming weeks, I'm going to give it my all to see if I can recreate the taste, and once I do - will be sharing it with you.

This was all washed down with a lovely bottle of chilled Pouilly-Fumé. Pouilly Fumé is a fantastic budget friendly alternative to the pricier Sancerre.

The Fabulous Citroën C3 Pluriel

Going back to my early onset Citroën obsession, the new C3 Pluriel doesn't disappoint. While not quite as stylish as the Citroën 2CV, and yes - it does look a bit like a VW, it does have the classic roll top that I fell in love with as a little girl and I would be happy to add my personalized number plate to one of these babies to call my own. Well, I don't actually have a personalized number plate, but if I had one of these, I would...

Palais des Papes (Papal Palace), Avignon (10/06)

Text to come...