Venelles and a picnic

We were recently invited for lunch at a friend's house in Venelles, a tiny town outside of Aix. We were traveling not from our house but from southwest of there from a dog show (I will write about that separately). According to my research, Venelles is so small it has only 8100 residents.

This spot was so remote that not even Emily could find it, but with the directions we had received and a few missed turns we were able to locate this lovely home in the woods. Avril had a wonderful time running the fenced property with their dog and slept very well that night.

It is always interesting to experience someone else's home in a different country. We had, a few days earlier been invited for drinks at someone's apartment near the beach in Juan Les Pins. In a building from 1972, the owners had just renovated the kitchen, which was beautiful and modern. By French apartment standards, it had a lot of room, a lengthy terrace, and minisplits for cooling. The sad part was even to go out for dinner, they had to close the security shutters, locking the place up tight.

In the Venelles woods, the large property was gated with a lovely swimming pool and a kitchen opening to the patio. We enjoyed very lovely company, largely university professors in various fields, grilled chicken and steaks, salad and bread, amazing goat cheese with a fresh figue confiture which our host accurately described as "a revelation." It certainly inspired me to try to repeat it at Le Cave au Fromages. The house was lovely and spacious, with various outside buildings too. A very nice way to live in the French countryside.

The company was lovely and interesting. As I continue to struggle with French, but I do notice now that I am able to understand much more, although speaking and having a real conversation is still a test for me. But I will persist in learning and return to classes in the fall.

We locked in the location so next time, Emily can find our way back to Venelles. And we arrived home tired but happy that we had been invited to participate in such a lovely afternoon.