Ah, two weeks in Provence. Heavenly. I arrived in Marseille, feeling bushy-tailed if not quite bright-eyed. My delightful seat mates, two long-time female friends on their way to Moscow, included me in their constant flow of mini-bottles of wine across the Atlantic—of course I didn’t decline—and that camaraderie, coupled with the usual sleeplessness of such a flight, led to a noticeable red-eye effect when I landed. But nothing could dampen my enthusiasm about the adventures in store for me in la belle Provence. October is a wonderful time to visit Provence. The fall weather may require a sweater—even a coat if the Mistral really blows into town—but the sun is typically bright and a good table is always available at Café Gaby. In contrast to August, when we are often in Lourmarin, the size of the weekly market and the length of the day both shrink significantly but the peaceful ambience of the village grows immensely and more than compensates. A good friend, Brian whom I met in a French immersion course in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, happened to be in France and agreed to pick me up at the airport. It was a beautiful day. According to the Air France pilot who [...]