http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html Exploring Provence - Wandering Spoon http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#0 d4b0e65b-c630-4ae2-bc13-297980d297f8 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/petitdeja1/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/petitdeja1/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">The view from our mansard room at the Hotel St. Jacques in the Latin Quarter.</p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#1 76423326-1991-4a51-a538-b52633cf3771 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/petitdeja3/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/petitdeja3/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">Our last morning in Paris, I enjoy the city during its quiet, sleepy hours. A café au lait and a baguette smeared thickly with strawberry jam make a simple but satisfying breakfast.</p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#2 e4e7c99a-ed74-4588-9896-d04895132e1b http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/sucre/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/sucre/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">I've been collecting sugar cubes on this trip. The 2000 collection of DADDY sugar offers auspicious thoughts like "En l'an 2000, je souhaite...Que mon cafe soit toujours chaud et sucré" (In the year 2000, I wish...That my coffee were always hot and sweet.)<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#3 1d12ee0b-cd90-43e3-8a78-320307aa8d3f http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/05%20Gordes,%20one%20of%20many%20breathtaking%20cliff%20towns%20in%20Provence/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/05%20Gordes,%20one%20of%20many%20breathtaking%20cliff%20towns%20in%20Provence/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">After arriving in Avignon by train, we rent a car for our week exploring Provence. Gordes, perched high on a hill, is typical of the region's ancient Gallo-Roman fortress towns. We walk among 6th century BC stone huts and then climb cliffs to reach the castles of medieval rulers.</p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#4 4ce573ed-bf75-4359-8279-58ba7c25d634 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0014/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0014/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">Today, we're heading to Apt, a town in the Vaucluse area long famous for gorgeous candied fruit and expert basket- weaving. More recently, travelers come to visit the farmers market that sprawls throughout the narrow streets of the old district, or vieille ville,<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#5 dba7cff6-857b-47e1-a7fb-a68e6f91fd08 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/baskets/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/baskets/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">Piles of bags for sale mark one of the entrances to the farmers market. Experienced shoppers prefer wide, shallow, strong market bags that will gently cradle ripe fruit, comfortably accommodate a whole chicken and safely carry an entire feast through a maze of narrow, crooked, crowded streets.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#6 39743fab-1279-4a45-aa2b-488ea3665408 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/thywithbag/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/thywithbag/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">This should be just the right size for lunch.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#7 72a00729-94c8-41c8-b201-bfd7fd848bee http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/4/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/4/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">Bundles of blanched asparagus from nearby Nice. Fat pods of fava beans, crisp radishes and violet-tinged artichokes are other local specialties.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#8 02f480af-5c6b-4d93-9017-54453e081899 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/8/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/8/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">An abundance of cherries, strawberries and melons beckon to fruit lovers.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#9 b7fe1d20-3fb3-4c35-86d3-d45ea61412e7 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/cavaillonsniff/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/cavaillonsniff/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">The local Cavaillon melon (aka Charentais) has sweet, silky, pale orange flesh and an intense, flowery perfume. Its smooth rind is a beautiful celadon with darker jade-like streaks. The melon does not travel well and must be eaten the same day that it's picked, said the vendor. He kindly lets me sniff each one.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#10 e6b3ddf9-9bd1-4a00-b7fb-85b28a892b1e http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0051/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0051/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">Hearty loaves of country bread. Guessing by the marks on each side, they're cut from a large sheet of dough instead of shaped individually like baguettes. I like the dusting of flour on each loaf and the way they're neatly stacked.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#11 6c166bfa-ca0d-4c74-9534-c2e8db6f447b http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/driedcod/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/driedcod/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">Dried salted cod waiting to be made into brandade de morue. After soaking, the fish will be pounded into a paste and then mixed with potatoes, olive oil, garlic and milk to make a rich, silky spread popular throughout Provence.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#12 1dabf4fc-1364-4adb-aefa-ea5018f8fc9f http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0053/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0053/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">So many spices...<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#13 05bb4b20-eb6f-453d-99ad-973cdfddfc85 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0054/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0054/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">...they couldn't all fit into one photo. Dried rose buds, orange blossoms, lemongrass and star anise appear alongside herbes de Provence, laurel bay leaves, sage and thyme.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#14 2fe7b6ab-6dcd-481f-9556-3325cb8f3816 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/3/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/3/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">It took a few years for me to appreciate the sharp, briny flavors and the buttery richness of well-cured olives. Fortunately, I'm now hooked and can enjoy the vast selection here in sunny Southern France.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#15 373de57f-1934-4f64-ae8a-6417e51a1bfd http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/1/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/1/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">At the stroke of one o'clock, the man selling sauçisson from a small, cloth-covered wagon quickly pens a sign declaring the irresistible price of 60F for any 3. Duck, cepes, nuts, dried herbs, donkey, bull -- just a few of the market's many sausages to taste and buy.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#16 b3d8a1d8-5b3c-4ac2-b3a4-bda8d51cfa93 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0049/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0049/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-bottom: 0pt; padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">One of my favorite local cheeses, a nutty Banon of goat's milk wrapped in chestnut leaves. The vendor asked me when I'd be serving the cheese. Today or tomorrow? Lunch or dinner? She gently poked a round here, a round there, until she found the one that would be perfect for us to eat in a few hours.</p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#17 815a8cfb-c271-47ba-886c-cfbe03e8b4d1 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0055/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0055/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">We leave Apt with our big bag full of goodies and head for a secluded picnic spot overlooking the Luberon mountains.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#18 47a94a41-24a0-4e49-b9f4-9d6122f3a816 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0057/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0057/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">Our tiny Fiat Punto bravely crests every hill. It rests here under a tree while we prepare to picnic within view of the Vaucluse plateau.<br/></p></div></div> http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon.html#19 43992aa0-929c-46b7-9188-e1e7a5e2f0a9 http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0058/thumb.jpg http://www.wanderingspoon.com/ws/Exploring_Provence_-_Wandering_Spoon_files/Media/Photo0058/micro.jpg <div style="padding: 0px; " class="style_External_0_0"><div class="style_3"><p style="padding-top: 0pt; " class="paragraph_style_5">A rustic table for two. The menu: a loaf of bread, 3 kinds of cheeses, 2 kinds of strawberries, 3 types of sausages, radishes, cornichons, olives, a whole melon, cherries...and lots of sweet butter. It's my most memorable meal in France.<br/></p></div></div>