Thursday, September 15, 2011

Memories of Provence












When we think of France, of course we think of the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre Museum. I know most people want to see the Eiffel tower but it really was not what I had in mind. After reading many travel memoirs of Provence, that is where I wanted to be and that's where we were going for two nights.


We weren't going to stop in St. Paul de Vence but we decided last minute that we will stop for a short visit before going back to Nice. I am so happy that we did! It ended up being one of the highlights of my European vacation and one of the more memorable meals in Europe.

St. Paul de Vence is a captivating fortified medieval village perched on a hill between two valleys in the Southeast part of France and is inspiration for many artists past and present. Russian painter Marc Chagall being one of the famous artist who has lived there is also buried in the St. Paul de Vence cemetery.

The town oozes with art galleries, terrace cafes & restaurants, tourist shops and of course many tourists. I have read that St. Paul de Vence is one of most popular tourist destinations in France. Thankfully, we arrive in April so the tourist season hasn't really hit full force yet so we miss the shoulder to shoulder action.

We make our way through the entrance and art is already evident from the stones in the street in shape of daisies. Meandering streets lead the way to many little artist's shops and one particular shop catches my eye. I go inside and decide between two small paintings, one of brilliant red poppies or a field of multicolored wild flowers. I buy the sweet 5x5 painting of poppies. The artist puts her hand to her heart, pleased, that it was her painting I chose. I always like to get a photo with myself and the artist holding the piece of their art so I take a photograph with the her before I leave the gallery. Happy with my purchase, we walked a little further down and decide to stop at this quaint restaurant named “La Terrasse”. The Plat de Jour is what caught my eye....two choices Lasagne bolgnese or the Soupe de Poisson al la Provençal ...um, lasagne in France ? I don't think so ! Soupe de Poisson it is . We walked in, it was a small restaurant with only about 5 tables and I asked if we could go out back just to look before we sat down. When we went out to the back.... amazing view of the Provencal countryside. This is where we are sitting. I cannot believe we almost didn't go out to the terrace.


We ordered a glass of French white wine and the plat de jour, the soupe de poisson. A friend and I sat there, pleased with our choice of location for lunch and taking in all the beauty of the Provençal countryside. From the terrace, on the left you can see the French Riveria and to the right the valley just as I imagined it would be from reading the travel memoirs. The view is breathtaking and I take as many photos as I can to capture the moment.

Our soup arrives. It's presented in individual white soup tureens. Served with toasted baguette, shredded Gruyere cheese and traditional rouille. The lady serving us asked if we knew the procedure for the baguette and cheese and she showed us. The raw piece of garlic is rubbed on top of the toasted baguette to infuse the flavor of garlic into the bread, then you smear some of rouille on top, sprinkle some of the the cheese and place itinto the soup letting the cheese melt into the warm soup.


The soup was outstanding and I savor every slurp with a smile – an extraordinary fish flavor, hints of saffron, orange and garlic. We finish the last spoonfuls of soup and contiue on awalk through the village.

On the drive back to the hotel, with my fingers still scented with garlic, I am reminded of my Provençal experience... the amazing view, narrow streets of this charming village, beautiful art and the best fish soup to have ever touched my taste buds. I am already dreaming of a return visit to Provence.
View of St. Paul de Vence