The start to this day was very challenging but ended on a very high note. We left Nice in the morning by train to Aix-en-Provence normally a 3 hour trip. When we were a half hour away from Marseille where we had to get the connecting train, our train broke and they stopped in the middle of “nowhere” and we didn’t understand the french announcements, Ernest caught a bit on voice recording and translated that there was a brake failure. We sat in 40 deg in a very old train without aircon for 50 min until they fixed the problem. Is this possible! We missed the connecting train and had to get new tickets for the next train to Aix. They were very helpful and friendly and off we went to Aix en Provence in a TGV train. We then rented a car at Budget rentals(very nice people) and the next adventure began, for Ernest had to drive on the right hand side of the road. I had a knot in my stomach but co-piloted until we got to Bonnieux in the Provence mountains just after 5pm. What a beautiful place! And beautiful drive up there. We had hamburgers and cold drinks, and a stunning view, to sooth our weary bodies and nerves! Also the best hamburger I’ve had in years. We ate at the restaurant Brasserie Les Terrasses.
The heat is extreme and there are Cicadas all over Provence loudly proclaiming and, I think, enjoying it. They are the symbol of Provence found on many products. Thus the name of the beer.
The hill towns are all picturesque and also the landscape around it. Lots of little restaurants.
This is such a lovely shop: Bloom in Bonnieux. The owner is selling flowers and plants and a few lavender products. She has lovely and interesting plants and bouquets and was very friendly.
I’m happy to have seen many sunflower fields but all too difficult to stop for photos.
