Postcard from... SAINT-REMY-DE-PROVENCE
part one - Where to shop, eat and drink...
Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is one of my favourite vllages in Provence and just riding along the road that leads there is pure joy. Located south of Avignon and north of the mountain range of "les Alpilles", it has kept, despite being a major tourist attraction in the summer, an authentic charm.
There is always something fun to see or to do in and around Saint-Rémy. It balances tradition and trendiness perfectly. I love to wander around and stop in one of the lovely cafés to sit on the terrace and people watch. Any one of the cafés along the Boulevard Victor Hugo; which circles the older part of town, is perfect but the Brasserie des Variétés has a nice old atmosphere to it.
Another fun place (still on Boulevard Victor Hugo) for a good cup of coffee...or glass of rosé (depending on what fuel you run on...) is the Bar des Alpilles, an authentically French , 'Bar-Tabac'.
Now your energy's back, let's go shopping...
Through the remains of a very ancient city portal, is the cutest street, rue de la Commune, filled with nice shops and especially my favourite in St.Rémy; Le Grand Magasin. An institution here, partly because of all the wonderful treasures that can be found (hats, jewelry, quirky stuff for the home, artwork and inventions by young artists, beautiful scarves and sunglasses and much, much more...) and partly because the owner Francis Braun is always ready to chat and give out good advice on what to do/see/ and most important, where to eat in the area.
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| Ali Baba's cavern |
And Francis Braun's, daughter Léonore, has her own wonderful little store a little bit farther down the street with more goodies for the younger and young at heart.
There are many other lovely little shops in Saint Rémy - more window shopping...
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| Manon 21 - loveliness for the home |
But there are also countless wonderful places to buy food...
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| Great olive oils and special jams at Moulin du Calanquet |
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| Le Petit Duc - another institution for all things sweet; nougats, calissons and old-fashioned candy |
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| The most amazing place to buy cheese |
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| Want to taste each and every one... |
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| Michel Marshall - Maître artisan pâtissier |
And speaking of food, there are sensational restaurants to try too...
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| Cutest little place for salads... |
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| Great restaurant |
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| With a cozy atmosphere |
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| L'Estagnol - with its cute terrace and wonderful food |
Towards the end of the day, when the
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| Les Terrasses de l'Image - good restaurant too - Hôtel de l'Image |
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| Cocktail Lounge in the gardens |
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| The laid back and fun Cohiba Café; some evenings with live music - not only for cigar lovers |
But, for the most romantic meal in an extraordinary setting graced with ageless trees and fine wines and food, I particularly adore going to Le Château des Alpilles which also offers charming rooms. It is just outside Saint-Rémy and a lovely place to stay away from the summer crowds.
Magnifique non...?
I couldn't fit all I wanted to share with you about Saint Rémy in one post. As it would have been way toooo looong, I've decided to write two!
The next post will be about some of the history, culture and traditions of Saint-Rémy.
so join me for Postcard from... Saint-Rémy-de-Provence... part two.
A très vite...
credits: wikipedia, provenceculturaltours.com, francetravelplanner.com, prunellegriseenété.canalblog.com, provencetoujours.tumblr.com, ratestogo.com, atable.pl.com, seeprovence.com, chutmonsecret.canalblog.com,
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