My husband %26amp; I would like to take my 80 hr old Mum to Provence late April/early May - her first trip to France. Mum likes the countryside and likes to paint, but can%26#39;t walk too far. So we were thinking of a nice gite or decent hotel for the week, with views/in the country. The idea is for all 3 to take a drive in the mornings %26amp; in the afternoons Mum could read or paint the scenery back at base, while hubby %26amp; I explore.
Any ideas would be welcome!
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Hi JodyT
Sounds like a good plan. Last year we stayed in St Remy de Provence for a week. Possibly a good base as its pretty flat, unlike some places in the Luberon area. Also, just outside St Remy is St Paul du Mausole, an asylum where Van Gogh spent much time. As you walk in they show copies of paintings he did from the vantage point he painted from. Fantastic. There%26#39;s also the ruins of Glanum which would probably be of interest to all, as well as painting opportunities.
There%26#39;s much to see further out also. We loved it.
Good luck with your trip.
Sue
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Thanks a lot Sue - much appreciated.
Does anyone else have any ideas where we could stay - either gite with ground floor bed or hotel with lifts, but not too modern. It would be great for Mum to have the %26quot;french%26quot; experience that we also love!
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Susioz took the words out of my mouth. There is lovely scenery round St Remy, esp the Alpilles, a series of limestone crags and also it%26#39;s the sort of place where you could leave your mum to look around while you did something more strenuous. There%26#39;s also a gorgeous market on Wednesday morning and it%26#39;s within an easy drive of Arles, l%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue, Fontaine de Vaucluse (which is by the Abbaye de Senanque) and the Luberon if you wanted to venture that far. I%26#39;d definitely recommend the garden at the monastery of St Paul de Mausole, completely stunning and probably the time of year you are going would be good for the bed of flag irises there.
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Hi ChicCHantel - that%26#39;s brilliant - thanks so much. We%26#39;ve been looking on line all day today, and Mum is getting excited already.
Thanks a lot,
Jody T
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Susioz and ChicChantal are right on target, Either St. Remy or somplace like Maussane-les-Alpilles, about a 12-15 minute drive from St. Remy and smack dab in the midst of Les Alpilles would be perfect for you, your husband and your Mum.
There are many wonderful sites that the three of you can easily explore within no more than an hour%26#39;s drive that don%26#39;t necessarily require alot of strenuous walking and are scenic enough so you Mum can spend some time every day either sketching or painting what you saw in the morning or, if you stay in Maussane, what she is seeing from wherever you decide to stay. Maussane sits right at the base of Les Baux, and has spectacular scenery all around, whether it%26#39;s Les ALpilles themselves, or the beautiful Olive groves and vinyards that sit at their base.
AlpillesGal
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Hi --
If I understand you rightly, your mother is elderly and doesn%26#39;t walk well - does that mean she can%26#39;t read a guide book and let you know what interests her and where she would like to go?
The first thing I would do is ask Mum, and then come back to the forum with the parameters that rise from that conversation.
When my mother was only 80, she%26#39;d have refused the trip rather than have no input at the beginning of planning - that feistiness (and good genes) is probably why she lived on well into her 90s.
My siblings and I would never have dreamed of making any plans until mother was up and running with the possibilities and could take part in the decision making process. We had some of the greatest trips, every year - and more fun than should be legal, right up until a month before she left us.
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Chic Chantal, Fontaine de Vacluse and the Abbaye de Senanque are not nearby. The abbey is in a valley below the town of Gordes. Fontaine de Vaucluse is the source of the Sorgue river slightly west of Isle sur la Sorgue. L%26#39;Isle sur la Sorgue is a great little town on the Sorgue river, with markets twice a week, the Sunday one also having small and larger antiques. It is very picturesque, with rivers/canals, waterwheels,wash houses etc, as well as lovely cafes and scenic squares and quats. Your mother may enjoy painting it.
Some photos here
www.nickbooth.id.au/France08/LIsle.html
4.bp.blogspot.com/_Exec4KwR448/SKESf5zVLrI/AAAAAAAAALw/AclLRiFxIzY/s1600-h/Cafe+de+France.jpg
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Sorry, slightly south east of Isle sur la Sorgue, not west. I%26#39;m geographically challenged.
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