Today we took a well deserved break from shopping in Provence and headed to Cooking School! We knew it would be in a French Chateau, but as we drove up the drive, we said "It couldn't possibly be Here!" But yes it was! We were greeted by Mark, owner of the chateau and French Chef. He led us into a huge dining room filled with antique pots and crockery .....
And a 12 person dining / classroom table...
Mark, an enchanting teacher and host, proceeded to show us how to make a fabulous Provencal chicken dish, a special rice and an apple dessert. He also gave us ancient recipes for Provencal salt and herb mixes.
We were excellent students............
While the meal was baking sweet Mark took us on a tour of the chateau , the out buildings, grounds, and the "Park"...
I don't really know what to say...This home has been his family for generations, We simply were not prepared for what we were about to see..... The solarium....
One part of the 21 bedroom chateau.....
The old "servant's" quarters (Please let me be your servant!!)
The back yard and "pool" area
Oh My Goodness!....are we dreaming???
This was a round, domed room called a "cool down" room. It used to have water flowing from all of the spouts into a pool in the middle. It is ancient and rare, and is on the French historical register...
Beauty was everywhere. There was a building for pidgins, a building for livestock, a building for the plants to winter. We were volunteering to live in the goat house!
We almost reluctantly returned to eat our wonderful meal....
And to sadly say goodbye to our new found friend, Mark.
Though, at that point we could have all gone home because we had basically visited Heaven, our lovely guide Jill had a few more surprises for us. First was a quick visit to a beautiful village of Cucuron.
Then a home visit to the amazing abode of journalist (and friend of Jill's) Bibi. On entering Bibi's drive, you see a sign that says "Jardin Remarquable"
And truly it was. Though dimmed by the waning of fall , the sculpted gardens were amazing..
And on the property was found an ancient Roman bath from 100 AD!
Our next visit was to the beautiful village of Lourmarin. Loved this little car that greeted us...
And another Interiors tour, to a good friend, Bernadette, who owns a B&B called Villa Saint-Louis. Jill calls it "Where Shabby Chic was born" and it has be featured in hundreds of design magazines. We are IN OUR ELEMENT!
A few of us finish off the night at fun restaurant....
As we walk back to the hotel after an absolutely blissful day, the fountains of Aix-en-Provence light the way to our dreams..........
A few treasures that will be available at our Oct 30th sale. All have French inscriptions...
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