{"id":1859,"date":"2021-04-28T14:41:59","date_gmt":"2021-04-28T11:41:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/demo.themexpert.com\/wordpress\/valley\/?p=1859"},"modified":"2021-05-19T12:27:13","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T09:27:13","slug":"provence-for-beginners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/floatinginprovence.com\/en\/blog\/provence-for-beginners","title":{"rendered":"Provence for Beginners"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is Provence, really?<\/h4>\n

So let\u2019s say luck or wise choices have placed you in a position to be able to spend a few days in Provence. Where do you begin? Where will you go? The region is huge (32,000 square km to be exact). You know nothing, no time to do your homework, you just heard something about olive oil and lavender fields. Is this Provence? Maybe you saw some pictures of old villages in impossible locations. Is this Provence? Your bestie came back from \u201cProvence\u201d with all kinds of herbs, and soaps, and some stinky cheese that survived the journey. Is this Provence?<\/p>\n

On Facebook, people throw names around like Avignon<\/a> or Aix-en-Provence<\/a> or all kinds of villages you can\u2019t pronounce. Is this Provence? Culinary experts give you a headache and you worry \u201cWill I eat the right things in Provence?\u201d<\/p>\n

Hell, I just want to visit Provence. Give me Provence but simple.<\/p>\n

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Is this Provence?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

After 15 years in Provence I can safely say that I experienced Provence from all directions- from the coast line, the sea, the Alps, the hot valleys, windy plateaus, and blossoming fields. I\u2019ve lived in colorful villages, as well as in big cities. I drove places where Waze doesn\u2019t work, and somehow came out alive. I explored Provence from underground caves, to hilltop towers. I ate with the \u2018local people\u2019, I became a \u201clocal person\u201d, and stopped eating \u201clocal food\u201d and searched for good Chinese instead.<\/p>\n

This place never ceases to amaze me. So many faces, colors, stones, and all of it is Provence.<\/p>\n

But OK you say, I don\u2019t have 15 years. What should I do?<\/p>\n

Here is Provence<\/h4>\n

You corner me, so I fold. I will simplify Provence into a list of must-have-attributes that in my humble opinion encompass the heart and soul of Provence and then look for places that fit the mold.<\/p>\n

A typical Provencal experience will and should include:
\n1. Old colorful houses with wooden shutters
\n2. A Provencal food market
\n3. A port as old as time
\n4. A public beach with no toilets
\n5. A site with great historical value, ideally related to Louis the XIV\/Napoleon\/Vauban\/Saracens<\/p>\n

OK so you say, you are cruel, based on your list any city not on the coast is out of the picture. You are right, but remember, you have just a few days maybe even one, and if I must prioritize I choose the coast and will make my case.<\/p>\n

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Ports, ports<\/h4>\n

Provence was discovered first by the Greeks 2,600 years ago as they landed in the port of what is today Marseille<\/a>. I will not go further back, but of course there were tribes and cave men who inhabited this region way before the Greeks. Provence was discovered by the sea because back in the day this is how one traveled to far away places. There were no roads, and even if there were, the going was slow and bumpy with robbers lurking behind every corner. So the history of Provence is maritime history, and the port cities we see today in Provence were shaped by history and their history was shaped by the geography of their bays.<\/p>\n

Toulon<\/a>, for example, is a port city whose huge deep and protected bay crowned her a favorite docking area for large Royal and Military ships. And since she held such precious assets, she was also a relentless target for attacks and sieges.<\/p>\n

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Port of Sanary-sur-mer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Visiting a port city be it Sanary or Nice, you can imagine the galleys blowing into the bay back in the 17th<\/sup> or 18th<\/sup> century. Port life is and was the beating heart of Provence. To understand Provence you have to go down to the docks, see fishermen, sit at a cafe and watch port life.<\/strong><\/p>\n

An exception to this is Avignon<\/a>, though not on the coast line, it sits on the banks of the mighty Rhone river. At the time, the Rhone river was a major highway to transport goods between Lyon and the sea. The bridge at Avignon was the only one between Lyon and the sea which allowed foot passage to the other bank.<\/p>\n

Cute, cute houses<\/h4>\n

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I started out of order actually with point #3, because it is central. But I will now get back to point #1.<\/p>\n

I think we can all agree that Provence is color. And nothing is more Provence than typical 2-3 story houses in pink or blue or yellow with colorful wooden shutters that flap in the wind. While picturesque villages entirely made of gray stone also conjure up images of Provence (e.g. Les Beau des Provence), to me this is unfortunately devoid of the \u2018lightness\u201d and gay essence of Provence that is represented by the colorful pastel houses.<\/p>\n

Strolling around Avignon, for example, which was the Rome of Provence at the time, we get a very heavy and serious feeling, with all the mammoth gray structures which envelope us. It\u2019s not by accident. The home base of the 7 popes in exile was serious business.<\/p>\n

Let’s go to the market<\/h4>\n

Next, you cannot say you\u2019ve been to Provence without an obligatory tour of a local food market. Now there are markets and there are markets. I will not get into all the culinary delights that can be found in markets, in addition to the straw bags, dishes, linen, dresses, shoes etc., but I will just point out where are the best markets along the coast<\/u>.<\/p>\n

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1. Sanary-sur-mer:<\/strong> This is the best market in all of Provence, especially on Wednesdays. Actually it has been crowned the most beautiful market in all of France (May 2019). It is the only market to actually be placed on the port dock itself, not inside the city.<\/p>\n

2. Toulon:<\/strong> This market is less glorified than the one in Sanary. It is a large real people\u2019s market. It is not meant to impress tourists and you will not find fancy truffle cheeses here.<\/p>\n

3. Cannes<\/a>:<\/strong> A covered market, it is one of my favorite with good variety of cheeses, and cutlery and a great selection of mushrooms. It is a good representation of everything Provence has to offer in terms of food, plus the best socca I\u2019ve tasted is here.<\/p>\n

4. Antibes:<\/strong> Another good market, on par with the one in Cannes, also a covered market featuring all the goodies Provence has to offer, right in the heart of the old city walls.<\/p>\n

5. Nice<\/a>:<\/strong> The famous market in Nice in Cours Selaya is a huge tourist attraction. It is half a flower market, another part a food court, and the rest, is well, the rest of what we typically find in local food markets. As such, it ticks all the boxes, but leaves us with a feeling like this isn\u2019t the real thing.<\/p>\n

Where are the toilets?!<\/h4>\n

Skipping now to point #4, you might laugh. Why do I need a public beach with no toilets when I visit Provence? Well, nobody needs that, but if you are in a port city, most likely there is a public beach. Go and sit there for a while on the pebbly sand. And just watch. Watch overly tanned French tourists. Topless women of all ages. Kids playing quietly. There might be a life guard but you will never hear him scream. There will not be a toilet, I mean what for? We have the sea. And most likely there will not be a place to dispose of garbage, and yet, the beach is pristine. Welcome to Provence.<\/p>\n