I loved the town of St. Remy. As we were there in winter, we got to enjoy more of a local flavor of the town, since most visitors come during the warm months. The main road just outside town is flanked by plane trees on both sides-- it was such a sight, I wish I had taken a picture. We happened to be in town on the day of the market so we took in all the fresh produce, olives, cheeses, herbs, spices, and other goods. We made sure to visit the famous chocolate shop, Joel Durand, for my brother, the chocolat connaisseur. The shop featured a wonderful array of flavors from Szechwan pepper to clove and lemon. The Earl Grey chocolate was spectacular, even for a sour candy kind of gal like myself. We then got trapped in a downpour and headed to a cafe for a long, drawn-out hot chocolate while we waited for the rain to let up. During a brief window of dry skies, we went into a shop devoted to selling umbrellas. It was a wonderful French experience as the shopkeeper was very serious about helping us select the most beautiful, sturdy umbrella (which cost a pretty penny I might add). I was so sad to leave it on a train to Belgium a month later. St. Remy had wonderful little boutiques where we found pretty locally-made ceramic dishes to take back home. We drove back to our mas on the same plane-tree lined road we came in on, this time under the night sky. It was as though we had stepped inside a Van Gogh painting.
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