Provence, France

We stayed with friends in a villa on the outskirts of Maubec, a quiet, hilltop village with beautiful views of the farmland below. From our home base we visited, all too briefly, some towns in the region, including Oppede and Oppede-le-Vieux, a village abandoned more than a century ago.

                                                                           Maubec

Arles hosted a special exhibit of Vincent Van Gogh's works while we were in the region, so we spent time visiting what was a very nice collection and subsequently strolling the quaint, serpentine streets. Window shutters seemed to adorn nearly every facade. We unfortunately lacked the time to visit some of the city's other major attractions, but did enjoy a nice view of the expansive views over the Rhone.

                                                            Van Gogh Exhibit museum

We also visited Menerbes for a glass of wine, dessert, and beautiful views from the mountaintop.

                                                             View from Menerbes

A wine break in Menerbes