South of France getaways
Last week I joined D. in Lyon (and went to visit friends who just had their first baby, beyond cute!), and he announced me we were hitting the road on Saturday morning.
Honestly, I was not all that happy at first, as I had an intense week and was looking forward to a chill stay-in weekend (especially because we are a lot on the move lately)…. Nonetheless, I of course said yes, and we hit the road first thing next morning. I will never get tired to see how right my man always is on these things: I can get kind of travel-lazy sometimes, he always pushes me to go, and I end up always being happy.
Driving South we saw the landscape become greener, the sky clearer, the air warmer… I tend to forget how good it is to walk calmly, feeling the warm sun on the skin and hearing birds singing and people chatting instead of cars and city noises all around… then – when I get away from the city and in a more natural environment – I notice how my body relaxes and my mind wanders away from problems and everyday thoughts. Clearly going away every weekend is not something doable, but already leaving on Saturday and having just one night out helps a lot to keep the budget under control. And also, going away at this time of the year is the best, as the weather is getting warmer and days longer, but it is still not high season and you can definitely find affordable rooms (plus, if you chose to stay in small B&Bs you can easily be one of the few guests in the establishment and receive special treatment).
We have been to Uzès and Avignon, two beautiful cities (the first one wins, personally, but they’re both worth the trip), we had a great meal and stayed in a warm and welcoming Maison d’hôtes (we had a bigger room and the whole breakfast to our own, as we were the only guests in, fantastic!).
Here’re some good addresses, and pictures of our beautiful stay. Hope you’ll have a great weekend (maybe in the South of France)…
Where to stay
We had a wonderful time at Le mas de la chapelle, a Maison d’hôtes where every room is different, and you can choose your style. Service was impeccable, the bed one of the most comfortable I’ve ever tried, and breakfast was royal! Highly recommend it.
Where to eat
The chef of La Bergerie mixes up French and Mauritian cuisine, offering light and flavored dishes, that you cannot easily find in France (French cuisine is traditionally rather rich in fats). For this kind of cuisine the price is reasonable, the service is good and the ambiance informal.
Where to shop
We are currently remodeling our apartment, and found two good spots in Uzès:
the first one – Les affaires étrangères – unfortunately was closed (D. stayed in front of the window sadly looking at THE perfect lamp that he couldn’t get)
and Atzana, a more traditional boutique in where you can find all kind of furniture for different tastes and styles. We got a wall mirror for our entrance and some decorative vase holders that will go on the library (when we’ll have one, lol). A plus, salespeople are very nice.
We want to add a green touch to the apartment, but we are not that good at taking care of plants…. Plus, as we are constantly traveling between 2 cities it all gets more complicated. We found CR Uzès, a beautiful flower shop with an inner court rassemling real treasures, and got a beautiful succulent. Frankly, even if you’re not plant-shopping, the store is really cute and worth to stop by.
Baci e abbracci
Caterina
PHOTOS: Life-Naked, Davide Fontana
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.