Arles, Fontvieille, Gordes & Les Baux-de-Provence

Yesterday we set off from the Côte d'Azur towards Arles. I really wanted to go to Arles. In numerous travel reports, it was mentioned that one must definitely visit Arles when in this region. And so we did. The journey to this place was already strange. Somehow, both of us, oh sorry Littlefoot, the three of us, were missing that certain Provençal flair. Well, we went into the old town and here too, we were disappointed. Some buildings, of course, including the remains of the amphitheater, were worth seeing, but the houses and streets all looked the same and wrinkled. We looked at each other and agreed to get out of here. I think this town is worth seeing for art lovers, as there are numerous exhibitions there. But unfortunately, it was nothing special for us.

So we continued to Fontvieille. This cute village is where our accommodation is located and we made ourselves comfortable by the pool right away. Normally, dogs are not allowed at the pool, but Littlefoot made herself comfortable on her towel on a sun lounger and recovered from the stressful day. After almost exactly 100 laps in the pool, okay, I did 99 less, we got out and got ready for a walk and dinner. We strolled through the village on foot and were so enthusiastic about the atmosphere. These small cute streets and the lovely people, oh, it's just beautiful. We discovered a great little restaurant in the marketplace. I ordered a bowl and Daniela ordered a salad. Both meals were fantastic. We agreed that it was the BEST FOOD we had in France so far.

Today I woke up to a soft splashing sound and I thought of the fountain outside our accommodation. I smiled and pulled back the curtains. But what I saw wasn't something to smile about anymore. There was a thunderstorm going on outside. The first rain in France. However, it didn't last long. The clouds cleared around 2:00 p.m. and the sun reappeared. We didn't let the drizzle discourage us and today we went to Gordes early. On the way to Gordes, I said to Daniela, somehow the landscape here is completely different from Flayosc or Salernes. There were no vineyards here. There were large apple, pear, peach, and mirabelle orchards on both sides. There were also huge fields with tomato plants and pumpkins that kept appearing next to us. About 5 km before Gordes - after a roundabout - it was as if someone had pulled aside a curtain. There were vineyards, olive groves, and the tall slender cypress trees 'Cyprès de Provence' right next to us. That was the sight we knew and fell in love with. Gordes is a great old village with beautiful viewpoints. We strolled through the old town and admired the sights.

Since we had some time left, we drove on to the next village. We headed to Les Baux-de-Provence. In Les Baux, one of the highlights is an old castle, from which you have fantastic views of the surrounding area. We loved it. Daniela listened to an audioguide and I went into the village with Littlefoot for a lemonade. When we drove back, our navigation system led us along a very peculiar road. Eventually, Daniela said, 'the road is not even marked here'. Hmmm, we were in the middle of a golf course. Not on the green, but on a small narrow asphalted path. I found it embarrassing, luckily no one was around, but somehow we just continued on and got out of it unscathed.

Let's see where we're going tomorrow, we're not sure yet :-), with that in mind, good night :-)!