Another Day, Another Beautiful Village

We arose early Wednesday and enjoyed our coffee outside on the porch and then drove to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, another one of Provence’s most beautiful villages. It is surrounded by canals and the streets and shops are charming.

We had lunch in a cafe and watched the people pass by, a really fun way to spend a few hours. We also did a little souvenir shopping and a lot of browsing.

We completely forgot where we parked our car and were turned around from walking the city, but the server at our cafe was kind enough to help us. All we had to remind us where we parked was a photo we had taken of an odd flower planting. Fortunately, it was memorable enough that the server knew exactly how to direct us.

 People watching from our table

 A view down the street.

 The cover of the menu

 Salmon with arugula and a mustard seed citrus sauce…and some kind of creamy dollop that Betsy really loved.

After an afternoon around the pool and naps, we went to dinner in a nearby village, Venasque. Our VRBO host recommended the restaurant, and it did not disappoint. The drive, however, was one of the scariest yet. I drove us to the restaurant, but Betsy brought us home safely in the dark.

 From left to right, that’s some cod with a lemon something on top, green olive tapenade, cheese with herbs, olive tapenade, rabbit (I know…I didn’t like it) and a red pepper stuffed with lamb.

This is tomato pie and it was fabulous.

 This is a beef dish both of the sisters ordered.

This is a lamb dish with potatoes anna that Betsy ordered. It was good. I didn’t get a photo of my fish dish.

 A medley of desserts…chocolate cake, a tiny creme brulee and frozen nougat.

 The name, Les Remparts, at the entrance to the restaurant.

Sunset from the restaurant terrace where we sat.

And finally, this is cat country. We’ve seen two or three wandering around the villa, but yesterday was the first time we’ve been out in a village after dark, and lots of cats came out. There was one on the terrace with us…that we fed, of course. She liked my fish dish. There were several around the town, too. Then, on the way home we saw at least 10 in our own village. All seemed healthy, not skinny or starving. Just before bed last night, one came up on our porch and she was friendly and loving while most of the others have been skittish. We offered her some leftover quiche, but she turned it down.

There is one in the nearest window and another in the far window that can’t be seen, as well as three at the bench…many others were roaming the street.