Friday, November 2

Day 11 Picnic at the Aqueducts of Barbegal and a visit to Arles









































Emily and I got an early start today. We went to the indoor market here in Avignon on our own and started using our new found confidence and knowledge to put together a picnic for us and the ladies. We got all sorts of garlic and olive spreads, Marcona almonds, all sorts of cheeses, bread, rotisserie chicken, sausages and potatoes. We went all out. We brought some of the wine we picked up yesterday in Tavel and we hopped in the car to get to the Aqueducts of Barbegal. A 2000 year old grain factory capable of producing enough grain to feed 12,000 people every day!  It’s in ruins now, but it’s so far off the beaten path for most tourists that we basically had it all to ourselves. We set up on the hillside overlooking a gorgeous valley and started unloading our picnic from our bags. What a spread!  And what a place to enjoy that delicious food!  We sat there and just ate and appreciated life at this moment, because it just doesn’t get much better than this!  Then, we packed up what we had left and went back to the van and made the short drive to Arles from there. We really enjoyed Arles. It has lots of cool history. Lots of Roman ruins alongside of a lot of the exact spots where Van Gogh painted some of his most well known paintings. We visited the Roman Amphitheater that’s still in use today. What incredible views of the town and surrounding countryside and river!  We had ice cream in the center square of town. Can you believe it??  Day 11 and our first ice cream?!?!  That’s what the cold and rain will do!  The ice cream was pretty good.  I was happy with it. ๐Ÿ˜ it was a long day between the two activities and the longest drive we will make. We still got home in time to take a rest for an hour or so before our 8:00 dinner reservation. We ate in a different area of town than we usually stay. It was a place that was recommended by a few different sources. It was good, not great. Probably the 2nd worst meal of the trip, which is still really good!  We haven’t had a bad meal, that’s for sure!  I had pork, Emily had beef we had some good appetizers and desserts, but we all felt the chef was a little heavy handed. The flavors were too overpowering. Like my pork had a coffee sauce and there were TONS of whole coffee beans in the sauce. It was good, but only needed a few to give it the proper balance of flavors. The deconstructed lemon meringue tart, one of my favorites, was SO tart that it was hard to really enjoy. But, we had excellent wine and overall it was a nice meal. A lovely end to a really great day. All the women said it was the best picnic they’ve ever had!  Tomorrow, our last day in Provence, we go to Pont du Gard. The Roman Aqueduct that spans the Rhรดne river and is in perfect shape after 2000 years!  Always makes for one of the very best days. That’s why we saved it for last!  ๐Ÿ˜ƒ. We have a great dinner also. We are taking everyone to the place we went alone for our anniversary. They’re gonna love it!  It’s gonna be a great way to end the week in Provence!  Hope you enjoyed today’s adventure as much as we did. And I’ll have lots more tomorrow. Thanks for caring!

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