HOME TOUR

This last September I had the opportunity to take a solo trip abroad. A creative retreat and antiquing in France with Boxwood Ave. I have never been on a group trip before with strangers and was worried it would suck. I got married at 23 years old and have traveled exclusively with Matt and then the kiddos for the last 18 years of my life. But my love of travel started when I studied abroad solo in college. I fell in love, singularly, with the romance of varied cultures and architecture, I found my voice as a women abroad, on cobbled lanes and overnight trains. I’ve been trying to get pregnant, pregnant or nursing for the last decade+ of my life. So to rekindle that feeling– that I can indeed travel solo again, was empowering. I was also very much looking forward to a trip that I didn’t have to plan–a luxury for me as I plan most of our trips abroad.Provence in the fall was a luxury indeed.

So off I flew, Boston to London Heathrow to Marseilles (with a few travel snaffus thrown in there because what is a trip abroad with out them!). High winds and thunderstorms closed Marseilles mid-flight so we circled for several hours above the airport waiting for it to reopen. When fuel became an issue and after a failed landing attempt (which scared me), we diverted to Nice, France. Which would have been lovely if I was supposed to be there. A taxi wanted 700 euros to drive me to Provence, I couldn’t figure out the bus schedule and wanted nothing more to do with British Airways.

I rented a car, something I was nervous about, but extremely thankful for in the end. Because what empowering solo trip abroad doesn’t involve figuring out road signs? It allowed me to pull over 78 times on my way to Lourmarin to take pictures.

LOURMARIN

Lourmarin was my favorite “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France” when we explored France two summers ago with the family. Read all about that lovely trip here. Matt and I left the kids at the farmhouse with my in laws and had dinner here. I remember wandering the cobblestones and thinking, “Oh I could live here.” I stayed at Le Moulin for one quick night, had a lovely breakfast by myself and then walked the town before the creative retreat with Boxwood Ave. started around the corner at their sister property La Galinier.

PROVENCE WITH BOXWOOD AVE.

After introductions and getting settled in our rooms at Le Galinier, we drove over to L’Isle Sur La Sorgue for antiquing and their market day and then over to a vineyard for some Rośe tasting. I was so invested in antiquing I have very few pictures of it. Just a wall of soap.

GORDE

Market day in Gorde was lovely. One of the more well known “Les Plus Beaux Villages de France,” the market did not disappoint. We toured with a lovely chef who taught our cooking class later in the afternoon. I grazed my way through the market and brought home one of my favorite purchases of the trip, olive wood tongs.

POTTERY CLASS

I was really excited about this one. To be deep in the French countryside and working with my hands was a delight. My little vase sits proudly on my shelves in my kitchen. We had a delicious lunch in their garden.

ANSOUIS

While others took a tour of Bonnieaux, I opted to head back to the chateau and then out to wander a bit on my own. Part of the gift of a rental car. France has designated over 150 villages with a “Plus Beaux Villages de France” and I would love to see them all. I went ahead and bought this book on Amazon so I can plot my future travels. So far I’ve been to 6. Ansouis is one of them and a quick 15 minute drive away from Lourmarin. Mid-week, off season and in the pouring rain, this was a very quiet little village indeed. I barely saw a soul but did find an open bakery, bought some macarons and wandered eating them in the rain.

Here’s some unsolicited and authentic (no one is paying me to say this) advice: If you’re on the fence about an organized group trip with an influencer you love, I’d say do it. Do it for your heart and the creative pulse that tends to get lost in the muck of everyday life. At least the ladies I know tend to pour themselves out, day in and day out into other people and something like this, time away in a beautiful, creative place is a very meaningful gift. My mother in law and husband picked up the slack while I was gone so I could do this for myself. And frankly, I could really use another solo trip right now after the heck of a start we’ve had to 2024. After this retreat was over, Matt met me in Paris for a few beautiful nights away, a belated 15th wedding anniversary trip. More on that soon.