From Monaco to St. Tropez
October 5, 2016Cassis and the Calanques.
October 7, 2016Thursday October 6, 2016 found us traveling from our fantastic hotel in St. Tropez Le Chateau de Messardiaire to the even more fantastic Hotel Le Pigonnet in Aix-en-Provence. St. Tropez known for expensive yachts in the harbor, sunshine and beaches was made fomous in the 1960s by the French ingenue Brigitt Bardot. Aix on the other hand is known for being the home of the artist Paul Cezanne in the final years of his life and his atelier remains today as it was at his death with his paints, his brushes, his canvasas and his furniture. On our way between these two wonderful towns in Provence we mad a detour to the Chateau La Coste a combination winery and art gallery in a rather secluded but beautiful part of Provence. The grounds abound in vineyards, as one might expect but are also dotted with a variety of outside art works and a series of trails winding through the vineyards which, I must say, taxed my limited physical endurance but accompanied by my daughter Anne, I made it!! We had a lovely lunch in the restaurant of the winery with a bottle of crisp Chateau La Cost rose’, red mullet with ratatouille for me and duck breast salad for Anne. Both were fresh, full of flavor and served with a sprightly sense by the staff. Our villa at Le Pigonnet in Aix is splendor in Provence to say the lest with separate bedrooms and bathrooms for each of us. We will be here for 4 nights so much more on Aix and it’s surroundings to come.