France jour 4 - les filles head south~

Paris had to end, as there were trains to board and gorgeous southern french villages to visit!

We hugged Simone goodbye (yes, there were tears on my part - aren't there always?!?) and headed to Gare Lyon. While there was a strike on, many of the trains, ours included, were still running and on time. We grabbed a cafe and boarded our train. It flew through the French countryside, with beautiful homes, chateaus, and rolling hills. Before we knew it, we were pulling into the station in Avignon and leaving the train in search of our rental car. We signed on the dotted line and loaded up our luggage. We were off to St. Remy!

As neither of us had driven a stick shift in a number of years, it was decided that I would drive as I felt a bit more confident at that point. Kasey was the designated navigator and she was truly a pro when it came to navigating the round-abouts and spotting local patisseries! What else did we need?

We stopped for a snack and to ask directions in St. Remy and as we sat at our little table, in the sunshine - with our quiche, croque monsieur, and eclairs, we both looked at each other and sighed. We were HERE! We did it!

After we enjoyed our dejeuner, we hopped back into our car and headed for our French Mas. We were so excited to see it, and we were not disappointed. If you are ever in St. Remy de Provence, Mas de Carassins is the place to stay. It is fabulous! The mas itself is beautifully done, the grounds are amazing, and the food - honestly, divine.

~the gorgeous entry

~the beautiful courtyard where tea is served every afternoon

~the name of our room "magnaneraie"

~we *loved* our room!

~the sitting area of our room - complete with wine

~every afternoon was spent sitting next to the pool...

~the dining room was beautiful - we fell in love with the linens

~the menu the first night - it was superb!

~everything was so rustic, and this beautiful shade of grey - and goregous.

While there, Karine took such good care of us. She provided us with maps to the brocante, as well as endless information. We were however so. very. sad to have not had the chance to meet Pierre. We had many conversations prior to our trip about our beloved Pierre, as I had talked to him before the trip and oh, that lovely French accent... Next time Pierre - we will book our stay for when you are there!