A Day of Doing Nothing Much of Anything in Lourmarin
2009-06-02, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

We think taking a day off for some café sitting made a lot of sense after two travel days, so that’s what Day 13 of this trip was all about – lunch at Café Gaby in the heart of Lourmarin. People-watc...

On the Road Again—Rain at Les Baux, but Sun on Mont Ventoux
2009-06-01, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

Sunday the 31st began with a visit to Liliane Marco’s residence to pick out a piece of her art that we can add to the growing “Marco Gallery” in our home. Liliane paints virtually every day, and her ...

Touring Takes a Two-Day Holiday To Make Time for the Markets
2009-05-30, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

The last couple days have been all about lazing around and shopping here and there in Provence. We vowed to just sit, wine sip and people watch when we returned to Lourmarin, and the village offers a...

We Visit a 12th-Century Church, Cucuron and La Jassine
2009-05-27, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

This day was another devoted to slow meanders through the villages near Lourmarin, starting with Vaugines, a small and quiet village somewhat off the beaten path. It’s main attraction is the 12th cen...

After a Day in the Car, We Shop, Relax and Do Not Much Else
2009-05-26, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

Two consecutive driving days isn’t on our agenda, so today was suited for a return to the largest grocery store in the region, the Hyper U in Pertuis. Put a question mark after it and you have a kind...

First of Many Day Excursions Takes Us to Haute Luberon Plateau
2009-05-25, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

Lourmarin is an ideal jumping-off point for day trips as described in a little publication called Provence Byways. This coil-bind collection of trip suggestions was put together by Sue and Bob Winn, ...

A Slow Sunday Devoted to Walking, Wine and Cheese
2009-05-24, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

We had said our first full day in Lourmarin would be spent doing nothing much except enjoying a completely different pace than you have in Paris or Honolulu for that matter. Quiet is when you can hea...

Four Months Down and Four To Go before
2009-01-23, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

Measuring time from our first post in our “Provence & Paris ’09” journal, we’re half-way to our arrival in France. We’ll leave Paris four months from today and take the TGV high-speed train to Aix en...

8 months isn't too soon to start journaling about next France trip
2008-09-21, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

The season shifts from Summer to Fall today, so if this is the autumnal equinox, can Spring ’09 be far away? Our answer is an emphatic “No!” as we begin our Paris & Provence ’09 Journal eight months ...

Moulin de Lourmarin gets our vote for food and ambiance.
2008-01-14, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

After two days of brilliant sunshine, the weather returned to gray and rainy, and we walked Lourmarin’s streets nearly alone once again. The only other “outsiders” we saw were a French couple also in...

Our drive to the north becomes a “two pont day.”
2008-01-13, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

A second consecutive day of bright sunshine was cause for celebration, even if it started with below-freezing temperatures. We left Lourmarin at 9 a.m., which is too early for the sun to penetrate th...

We greet the mistral, say good-bye to the rain and visit an artist in her home.
2008-01-12, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

Finally, the sun – and we have the notorious mistral winds to thank for blowing away the rain. That’s what we were told today by Lourmarin artist Liliane Marco, a close friend of our home exchange par...

Rainy-day village visit suggests ‘it’s a dog’s life’ out there.
2008-01-11, Lourmarin, France. By: len_doug

Update: It’s still winter in Provence. There have been no weather turnabouts in the past 24 hours, so the drizzle and “brisk” temperatures we experienced during our market-day visit to Lourmarin tod...