Today was an early start to beat the rush at one of the largest Provençal markets in the region. A 07:30 departure from the villa was met with long faces but once the group saw the parking challenges at the market they were happy to have been early birds. Vaison La Romaine, once the site of one of the largest Roman settlements in France was previously a Celtic capital before the Romans conquered it and it has been built and destroyed 4 times over 25 centuries. Today the ruins of the Medevial city sit high above the new town which straddles the River Ouveze. The market is a summer attraction for tourists from across Provence and has everything anyone could ever want or need. From tools to knives, baskets to clothing, soaps, sewing notions, materials, carvings, food products, fresh fruits & vegetables. If you need something it’s here! We left the market and drove around the hills of Provence and the mountains of Montmirail (Mount Ventoux) before stopping in Malaucene for a wine tasting then on to Domaine de Durban where we enjoyed a picnic with the cold rose wine picked up there. Once home at the Villa we enjoyed the pool until Terry slashed his foot open on a slip on the sharp edge of the pool coping which required several of us to chauffeur & accompany him to hospital in Carpenteras, 15 minutes away, where he sat for 4+ hours to get mended with 7 stitches.
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