France jour 5 - the girls go brocanting!

I think we shall call day five "le jour de Kasey" as it seems I have a number of photos of her. And honestly, could this girl not be a supermodel? I mean, really. She is so. incredibly. comfortable. in front of the camera. This would be one area where we are NOT alike... Thus, endless darling photos of her~

Jour 5 was brocante day! We ventured about 45 minutes away to Isle sur la Sorgue - the *most charming* little town in the south of France. It was a gorgeous day and perfect for perusing fabulous old treasures.

We had such fun, found some wonderful items to bring home, and then enjoyed a fabulous lunch. The outdoor dining area was situated right on the river - beautiful blue water flowing by. We were entertained by a very animated accordion player who seemed to really enjoy his job!

After our lunch, our glass of wine, and our cafe creme, we wandered the streets taking photos and peeking into various little shops. I think we could have stayed there for days - it was that cute~

I would like to take this opportunity to point out that while I did the driving, Kasey was definitely the calm voice of reason. I admit, I will, on the *rare* occasion, get slightly stressy. Kasey - not so much. That is yet another reason that she is one of the perfect travel partners for me.

On our way back to the Mas, we stopped in St. Remy to walk around and - yes - take more photos. We headed into the first patisserie to buy a treat for ourselves - and met this darling garçon. He was so lovely and happy to pose for photos for us~ He was friendly and had the cutest smile. What is it about those french men...?

St. Remy is an absolutely fabulously sweet little village. It has gorgeous buildings with beautiful doors and windows. It has cute shops, delicious patisseries, and even the people are darling. If we hadn't already fallen in love with the south of France, we did that day~

I also found my next home - right in the very center of St. Remy. They were even kind enough to have my car parked and waiting for me. Aannd... it matches the shutters. I know, perfect. I would look fabulous driving that car!

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!