Les Baux de Provence

Avignon dropped to number 3 on my favorite places in France...Les Baux de Provence took number 2. Stunning views of the French Alps, a medieval castle, stone village, and fields upon fields of vineyards, this place is a "must see" and a Francophile's dream come true. So far, I have had an excellent Easter weekend. I hit it off going to Les Baux. Les Baux de Provence is about an hour away from Avignon, near Camargue, and I went with the study abroad group in a bus. However, when we arrived, everyone went her or his separate ways to explore the town independently. I arrived and immediately went straight through the town and ascended the mountain to tour the castle ruins (my logic was to save the town for the descent; mountain views always come first). I have hundreds of photos; everywhere I turned, there was an opportunity for a photo. This place was just awesome. I watched, also, a demonstration of how a catapult works (and yes, they were real catapults, and they launched well). After spending a couple hours on top of the world, I went into the tiny village to mingle around and buy myself (very French, I know) a crepe. I snuck into an old church, walked down little, hidden alleyways on the cobblestone roads, and of course peeked around in the shops. Leaving Les Baux was difficult, but our program director said he had a surprise for us. All I'm going to say, was the place we went to completely sealed the deal for me--I'm kidnapping my family (is that possible?) and relocated them to France. After all, why decline mandatory vacations and free healthcare? Politics aside, I'm leaving this place a secret/surprise until I return to show you the videos and photos. It was absolutely stunning... After [INSERT SECRET LOCATION NAME], we went to a vineyard in Van du Gard (this also sealed the deal). "superb" is a word that could not serve the wine justice. FYI, in the U.S., I believe I read somewhere that the average percentage of alcohol per volume in wine is between 9-14%. In France, from what I've seen, it ranges from 14-17% (depending on how aged/the region/the vine/etc.). The vineyard was absolutely stunning; however, the grapes are only just starting to grow, so they're kind of bare right now (but still they adorn the fields wonderfully). Tomorrow, I'm going to dive into the violent side of France and go to a bull fight in Arles (this shall be interesting). And in two weeks, I'm going to a surprise location (hint: it's out of the country; that is, France). I miss all of you; stay tuned. Ciao!