[Itinerary Page]The Daily Diary of a Wandering Restaurateur
September 23 - Ansouis
After far too much time in transit, we finally made it to Provence and the little town of Ansouis (ahn-swee). We have rented a house in town for a month next September and thought it would make sense to check out the area before the big trip, especially since we will have a whole bunch of friends sharing the place over the course of our residency.
Ansouis has been designated one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Provence and it is, indeed, a charming little place (emphasis on the little). But the house is right in the middle of town so whatever the place has to offer is within a block or two. Normally we have rented houses in the countryside -- certainly pleasant, but you need to drive to everything. This should be an interestingly different experience, particularly to be in one spot for so long. Perhaps a test run at the ex-pat life? Who knows?
So after a pleasant breakfast at our B&B, we made a short foray to get a feel for the town. First stop -- the patisserie just around the corner from our house-to-be for some fresh croissants. Then we took a look at the chateau that tops the hill the town is built on -- a reminder of more predatory times. After poking around the winding little streets, we did the American thing -- jumped in the car to burn fossil fuel for awhile!
About 5km down the road, we came to the village of Cucuron, where Tuesday is market day. We are great fans of the markets in France and Italy where local vendors set up, usually for the morning only, selling all manner of things. The Cucuron market seemed to be about food and handicrafts, all of good quality at great prices.
About 8km farther and we were in Loumarin, now the home of author Peter Mayle ("A Year in Provence") and another lovely old stone village. We wandered around for a bit, had a nice lunch in a little bistro and completed the loop back to Ansouis. As someone pointed out to us once in New Zealand, we are travelers, not tourists. I guess we proved that today.
Margene took a three-hour nap while I settled into the courtyard garden of our B&B to finish my book of the moment. One of my little travel pleasures is reading, something I rarely make time for when I am home. The last great task of the day was dinner at La Closerie, the delightful little restaurant in Ansouis. They are closed on Wednesday and Thursday, so it was either dine there tonight or wait until next year. I'm glad we didn't wait.
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