Wednesday, 23 April: Leave Atlanta for a transatlantic hop into Paris and then on to Marseille.

Thursday, 24 April: Arrive in Marseille at 9:50. I will be waiting for you with a rental car to whisk you off to our first stop: Arles! I am SO looking forward to showing my amazing group of friends Arles! We will check into our house at 4, so until then we will fill our time with a peaceful long lunch and an easy walk around town, as well as picking up a few groceries at the nearby Carrèfour.

Friday, 25 April: Let’s go see Arles, shall we? Breakfast of coffee and pastries at Café de la Roquette, a wonderful “third place” in Arles where we will be able to observe the city and the locals beginning their day while enjoying a wonderfully fresh croissant and a café crème. And then we’re off, because there are Roman ruins that await! We will start with a walking tour of the city to orient us to all the things that Van Gogh saw and painted, and to all the astonishing artifacts left behind by thousands of years of human habitation in this little spot along the Rhone River. The entire inner city of Arles is a UNESCO world heritage site, so get ready. We will squeeze in what we can before lunch, but lunch is NOT to be missed because we’re headed to Le Gibolin (reservation pending), a little place in La Roquette that has that treasured “Bib Gourmand” designation. Time permitting after lunch, we can see a little more of Arles, but we should also allow enough time on our way out to hit the Arles LeClerc, my favorite of the large grocery stores, for provisions for the evening at our house in Vers Pont du Gard. Dinner either at home or near our house in Vers-Pont-du-Gard, to be discovered.

Check into our main house by 4 or 5.

Saturday, 26 April: Uzès for the market in the morning at Place aux Herbes, considered to be one of the best in southern France. In Uzès, tour city center, medieval gardens, the Duchy, Église St. Étienne, Cathedrale St. Theodorit, walk the medieval streets. Lunch in Uzès, to be discovered… Dinner at home with market purchases. More information about Uzès: https://fearlessfemaletravels.com/uzes-france-day-trip/

Sunday, 27 April: Today is none other than Isle sur la Sorgue, of course! Sunday morning is when this beautiful town becomes one giant flea market. There will be a food market as well, so while lunch will be along or near the emerald green Sorgue riverbanks in town, dinner will be back at our lovely house after a relaxing afternoon enjoying the beauty of the former convent that we’re staying in. Cooking in France with the best ingredients the world has to offer is such a pleasure!

Monday, 28 April: Pont du Gard by 9 am, then on to Nimes. Lunch at Aux Plaisirs des Halles (reservation pending). Tour Les Arènes, Maison Carrée, les Jardins de la Fontaine, Temple de Diane, La Tour Magne, Les Halles, Cathédrale de Nimes, and Place aux Herbes. Dinner at home.

Tuesday, 29 April: St. Rèmy de Provence: The sanatorium and Roman ruins in the morning and shopping after lunch at Gus (reservation pending). Les Baux later in the day for sunset, possible trip to Mas de la Dame time permitting. Possible trip to Chateau Romanin. Dinner at home or in Mouriès.

Wednesday, 30 April: Leave our beautiful former convent and head back to Arles! Check back into the same house as we were in before in Arles. Things we must do: Cheese tasting at Les Fromagères, go to as many Roman ruins as possible, stand in as many spots as Van Gogh did to see what he saw in his paintings, and find as many cute shops as possible. Pre-dinner cocktails at L’Arlatan, dinner at La Gueule du Loup (reservation pending).

Thursday, 1 May: Our last full day, so obviously we’re going to Cassis. Leave early-ish, shopping in the morning, lunch with Jean-Marie at Le Bonaparte. Possible cruise on the Med in the afternoon followed by more shopping to include the perfume factory. Dinner at Le Bon Temps on our way home to Arles (reservation pending).

Friday, 2 May: Head to airport in Marseille, turn in car, bid a fond farewell to our beloved Provence. Cry a little.