We started our day wine tasting at Domaine la Fourmone. Jon and Yvonne had previously been here and had a great experience. When we arrived it was easy to see why they liked it – they had beautiful grounds and a small tasting room. It was only us with our server – and we really enjoyed the wine. At this point our suitcases are bursting at the seams and we were running out of bubble wrap. Because of the shipping costs we weren’t able to take much, Andy and I left with only one bottle.

From there we made our way to Chateau Saint-Cosme. We were greeted by our server who was originally from Colorado. She had a very interesting story about how she ended up in France and in the wine industry. At this point she was just working at the winery for the summer and wasn’t entirely sure what was next. She learned French from a childhood friend’s grandmother – which sparked her love for the culture.

Our next winery was closed until 2 pm, so we decided to forgo the last winery and make our way to Arles. Jon and Yvonne had previously stayed here and absolutely loved it. I read about it in a few books and really wanted to see it.

Arles has many Roman structures still left – a much smaller amphitheater (similar to the Colosseum in Rome) and then another outdoor theater. Both are still used today for bull fighting and other performances. The ticket includes admission to both – so if you’re paying for one, make sure to visit the other!

Arles is also where Van Gogh did a lot of his most famous paintings. “Starry Night over the Rhône” was one of them. We were able to find the vantage point from where he painted it. It was really cool to see – as Van Gogh is one of my favorites!

We drove back to our hotel and decided we wanted to find a happy hour. Once we find a place – we also asked them if they served dinner. Most restaurants (at least in our experience) don’t start serving dinner until 7. They graciously wrote us in the book and told us to come back to eat at 7.

It was a really great experience, it was called, L’Annexe. It was a fusion restaurant with traditional French food, burgers, and poke bowls. I don’t think you could go wrong here – and relatively affordable.

We head back to Paris next before heading back to the US.

Up Next:
-Drive to Lyon (catch the train)
-Train to Paris
-Versailles