The next stop after Les-Baux-de-Provence on our Provence adventure was Eygalières.   Bruno had mentioned to take the small roads, direction Destet.   Our GPS didn’t recognize Egalières, or Destet, so we pulled out a map of Provence that he loaned us and did it old school.

During the drive, we saw some lovely Alpilles countryside.

Driving through the Alpilles countryside.   Very arid.  It looks like Italy and Greece. 

Jagged rocks in Provence

Vineyards abound.

Olive groves. Who knew France had a big olive oil production?  I sure didn’t until this trip. 

We parked the car and decided to head up the hill to check out the view.

Starting our climb.

The top afforded clear views of the Alpilles range

Remains of a church

After our hike, we walked down into the small little town.  There were three restaurants open as well as a bustling grocery, even though it was a French holiday, Bastille Day.

Restaurants ready for Bastille Day celebrations

We settled upon Café de la Place.   We ordered planchas – smoked salmon & goat cheese for me and cheese & meat for Gabe.   This was truly a local place.  We didn’t hear one word of English in this town.  Good thing our French is getting better!

It was fun watching all the townspeople come in and greet each other.  Our waitress knew every single person who walked up.  Poor thing couldn’t get much done for all the double cheek kissing she had to do with the passing friends.

We counted the number of baguettes that passed.   Everyone was out and about doing their shopping.   And typically, a person would have 3-4 baguettes tied in a bundle.    This is another common sight in France – lots of baguettes being purchased.

Le Café du Place was a nice choice for lunch

As we left, we drove past Chapelle Saint Sixte.

We really appreciated the recommendation from Bruno.   We were the only tourists in town and it was nice to get to see a true glimpse of small town life.

If you are traveling to Eygalières, make sure to pack a good map!!