I was going to Mas de Gourgonnier near Mouriès to buy a case of their 2009 rosé wine for our cave - wine cellar in Sablet, and some of the wonderful red rice which the family grows in the Camargue. I love the nutty taste of the rice and and like to serve it with lemon juice and pine nuts. At our Bistro Des Copains, we serve the rice as an accompaniment to pan roasted duck breast.
After walking through the vineyards in front of the winery and tasting the wines on offer that day, my growling stomach told me it was getting towards lunch and I thought I would drive to Eygalières and stroll around the village and find a place to eat. I figured there had to be at least one good place.
I have been to Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, bought olive oil in Maussane-les-Alpilles, and hiked to the top of the fortress and seen the views from Les-Baux-de-Provence but had never been to nearby Eygalières before.
Eygalières is located about one hour south of our home in Sablet. The village is surrounded by the landscape of the Alpilles: scrub lands, pastures with sheep grazing, olive groves, and vineyards. As you approach, you can see Eygalières off in the distance perched on a small hill.
I found parking near the Hotel de Ville - the town hall with the village child care center and headed in the direction that looked like the commercial center of the village.
The Café de la Place is located near the Hotel de Ville.
The fountain near the center of the village.
A small épicerie located near the center of town. As you walk up the street, it is easy to see that the monied-set have found Eygalières.
As you know from a previous post, we own a beautiful black Newfoundland named Abbi so I was excited to see this Newfoundland tethered to a tree outside the épicerie since we don't see other Newfoundlands very often.
The village church.
Another café filled with people enjoying the sunny day after almost two weeks of rainy weather.
A pretty ivy-covered home along the road on the way up to the top of the village.
The ancient castle tower topped by a bell at the top of the village.
Ruins with statue.
A hike up the narrow winding street to the top of the village is rewarded with magnificent views out over Eygalières.
Views toward the Alpilles.
After walking back to my car, I headed off to Maison Bru for lunch. I will tell you about that wonderful lunch in a future post.
Bonjour Michel - Le Bonaparte is on Rue General Bonaparte in Cassis, it's only a couple minutes walk from the water and about a four minute walk from Hotel Le Golfe (the only landmark I can think of). Excellent, fresh, food, and kind service. Five of us ate and each had a starter, main, four desserts, four apperitifs, and a bottle of wine for only 25e a piece. It was a lovely meal and we'll definitely be back.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog and hope you enjoyed your lunch at Maison Bru. I'm always looking to find out about new restaurants in Provence :-)
Hello, Michel and Shirley:
ReplyDeleteI discovered your blog by accident today and am so happy that I did. I look forward to reading it in its entirety in the weeks to come.
Since I was a student at the Université de Montpellier in 1966-67, I have loved the south of France. I visited some of the towns in your region, notably Nîmes, Avignon, and Aix-en-Provence, while a student and later in 1997 when my daughter was a student at Nice.
Now I am excited that I'll be escorting a group of Pennsylvanians (I live in Harrisburg, Pa.)to Provence for a riverboat tour of the Rhône Valley next October. I am looking forward to seeing the region again. And delighted that I now have friends in Nîmes and Cavaillon with whom I might get to visit.
Your blog is fascinating, and your house is lovely. Perhaps some day we will be able to stay there.
I am almost embarrassed to say that I have a blog "something" like yours. It's about all the places we visit in my little 2006 Scion, lovingly known as "the Box." You can see it at www.whereintheworldisthebox.blogspot.com, if you have absolutely nothing better to do!
Sara Louise, thanks for the recommendation. We love Cassis and we have yet to find a good place to eat. We will definitely try it out.
ReplyDeleteJohn Robinson, thanks for checking out our blog. I have always thought that I would like to do a barge trip someplace in France. Shirley is not convinced so we haven't done it yet.