Market Day in Vaison la Romaine - Day 14

Today was supposed to be a relaxing day but as I review what we did, it doesn't sound so relaxing. Our little village is supposed to have one of the biggest and best market days in France. It has been going on here since the 1400's. It lasts from 8am-12noon. Rick and I arrived at 9 and it was crowded and immense. Like in endless. Parts of it reminded me of the flea market my mom took me to in Florida with discount clothing, purses, cologne, etc. There were literally at least a hundred booths with fabrics and lavender from Provence. Sausage booths. Cheese booths. Crap booths. You name it. We think there at least 500 booths all together. Just as we were heading back, we ran into Susan and Werner. We didn't think Werner would last long but we ended up staying until after 12 when they were closing it down.

There was a wonderful Gypsy Jazz band that was playing at the market. We thought of Katie's boyfriend, Robert when we heard them.

We had bought baguettes, cheese, olives, and strawberries and had a picnic in the hotel gardens. Those of you who know me pretty well will be surprised to hear that I'm enjoying the different kinds of olives here...one area that I'm being adventurous.

We separated and each relaxed in our own way. I sat in the garden listening to my IPod book.

Then Susan and I went for a swim and then a walk. We walked through and around the old village. We found a little road that took us up around the top where the "chateau" is. I think I was mistaken thinking it was a Roman ruin. The chateau was built upon the Roman ruins. You can see what I think is part of a Roman viaduct in this photo.

We saw a woman walking down a little path into the woods and we decided to try it. It took us from the very top down to the river. It was pretty steep but once we headed down there was no turning back. It was worth it. Here are a few things we saw.

Had a lovely dinner tonight. We are usually dining from 7:30-9:30. Susan has been picking the restaurants and while sometimes challenging to find something I'll eat. Tonight was great!

One last photo of the hotel sitting room where I can get internet service. It's lovely! A lot different than Rick's office at home!