Carriere de Lumieres…Les Baux de Provence

Our Delta airline flights from New Orleans to Atlanta and (eventually) Atlanta to Paris were nothing to write home about…so I won’t.  But, the TGV train (very fast and smooth) provided a restful trip from Paris to Avignon via Lyon and we arrived in St. Remy somewhat less jet-lagged. We ate lunch in town at the Basserie du Commerce before arriving at Bleu, our villa for the next few weeks.  Allan and I rested while Clay and Connie went to the market and when they returned, we chatted, ate French cheese and crackers and turned in as early as we dared.

The next morning we took things slowly and after breakfast–coffee or espresso, chocolate croissants, sacristains (twisted flaky, sweet pastries covered in powdered sugar and almonds AND only made in St. Remy) and other pastries, we left here about 11:30 for our first excursion.  On the way to the Carriere de Lumieres in Les Baux we stopped at Moulin Castelas, an olive farm complete with picking, processing, bottling and selling.  This is not the season for anything except selling…so we bought a few souvenirs, enjoyed the scenery and moseyed on.  The tree I am standing beside was in full pink bloom but I have no idea what kind of tree it is.  If anyone knows it, please send me a comment!

I’ve tried (earlier in this blog) to describe the light and music show at Les Baux, but it is so amazing that I can’t do it justice.  If you are ever near Les Baux, you really should go to this show.  The show this year (they use different artists every year) is called Bosch, Brueghel, and Arcimboldo and it is truly awesome.  I would not consider any of the artists a favorite, but in the setting, a huge limestone cavern, and with the photo animation and the chosen music, the show was fascinating.  Stairway to Heaven was the last song played along with a photo that had been animated so that people in bubbles were floating up and off the top panels as though into heaven–Wow!  Allan took this video.

After watching the show twice, we left to find a lunch spot and stumbled onto L’Oustau de Baumaniere.   This restaurant was the most interesting I’ve been to in years, maybe ever!  Before we ordered they brought a ceramic olive tree with real olives attached, a small dish of aioli and some yummy sweet brioche-like bread with vegetables baked in–excellent!  Clay ordered vegetables to start, Clay and Connie each ordered squab and Allan and I each ordered lobster.  Before our ordered food, we were served a small savory soup–either scallop or snail.  Clay’s vegetables looked like lemon ice box pie!  They were perfectly baked compressed root vegetables (big slices of carrot, beets, turnip with a yummy sauce in between and over).  The squab was served with the dark split breast on bottom and a leg and thigh on top and covered with a brown fruit-infused sauce.  Accompanying the squab was spinach mixed with squab liver.  Our lobster was the entire tail (meat only) and a claw (meat only) with a very light and very tasty brown sauce.  I’ve never had lobster that I enjoyed more.  Our accompaniement was a lobster soufflé–light and airy and perfect!  Next we all were served a dollop of fruit (either apple or pineapple) sorbet and about 2 tablespoons of fruit juice.  For dessert Connie had the millefeuille (because she can’t make it); I had the cognac soufflé; Clay had 3 ice creams with chocolate sauce; Allan had slightly salted caramel ice cream with chocolate sauce.  After dessert they brought us each three tiny sweets and Allan and Clay had coffee. AND, as we left the restaurant they presented Connie and me with a small lemon cake for breakfast tomorrow.  What a lunch!  It is almost 8 o’clock now and none of us are even thinking about dinner.

We had a safe, easy ride back to Bleu and have been reading, writing, editing photos and talking about tomorrow since our return.  Tomorrow the gentle showers should be over and we will have sunshine the remainder of the trip.

Bon nuit!

Nancy