The cicada call became a replacement for white noise. Lavender mixed with the waft of espresso from our in-room coffee maker. The plan for the first morning in Provence was to drive an hour to the village of St. Remy-de-Provence. Each village in the area has a morning market on specific days of the week and Wednesday is St. Remy’s. If we ever were to go again I would plan to explore a village market for every day of the week!
Wednesday Provencal Market
After an iced latte at the hotel I was energized, but the buzz was all around the market. We were eager to experience our first morning market. Local ladies pulled their shopping baskets on wheels. Shops were performing their morning rituals, receiving stock deliveries and vendors were already selling to early tourists. We brought an insulated bag to store enough local wares to have a picnic later in the day.
The quality of the offerings at the market were unexpected. An older man in a fedora sitting on a stool had an assuming setup of a small folding table boasting whole truffles for sale! No table cloth, no vendor signage. Just a man and his truffles.
We purchased two discs of fresh goat cheese from a female goat farmer for a mere 6 euros. Paired with a baguette, plump cherries, ripe peaches, and a lovely pack of gluten free macarons we were in for a feast.
A much needed reprieve from the heat was finding a watermelon lemonade over ice. Ice is not commonly found which is a common culture shock for us Americans but it never affected us much until the temperatures were consistently over 100.
These fragrant soaps make the best souvenirs
Vincent van Gogh Walk and the Asylum
The other draw to St. Remy-de-Provence for us was the connection to Vincent van Gogh. The painter stayed at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole Monastery for a year starting in 1889. The property was a psychiatric asylum at that time. During that period he painted over 150 pieces, including the much loved Starry Night.
Entering the asylum I knew would be a heavy experience, but to be in the same room that Vincent himself had stayed and was inspired to paint was incredibly moving. He was privileged to have a private room with a secondary space dedicated to his work. This was the arrangement his brother procured for him.
A Van Gogh walking trail starts at the exterior of the monastery, leading back into town. Placards are placed along the route featuring excerpts of the letters the brothers shared or a sample painting reflected by the surrounding area that Vincent visited. Despite the sweltering heat, I became emotional drawing parallels to the loving bond the brothers shared with that of my own siblings. His brother recognized Vincent was struggling mentally but he never waivered in his belief in his immense talent. I cried on the sidewalk passing strangers along the trail in the high heat of a Summer day in a small village in the south of France thinking about the unconditional love I share with my brother and sister.
Brian’s Damn Good Sandwich
Wrapping up our afternoon in St. Remy we had takeaway sandwiches from Tom & Joh. The chalkboard menu was posted in French but we were able to piece it together. The staff were friendly and helpful. Brian had previewed the menu and wants it noted this was his find. A testament to how delicious these sandwiches were we ate them in the rental car in the parking lot before heading back to our hotel. We also bought some fantastic eclairs and pistachio cookies. If you are in St. Remy this spot is surely not one to skip!
