Francer Travel - Flamingos and so much more

In the weeks leading up to our first trip to Provence, we pored over guidebooks, reacquainting ourselves with images immortalized by Cezanne and popularized by the films "Jean de Florette" and "Manon of the Springs." We fully expected to see fields of lavender, Roman ruins and old men playing petanque, and to feast on hearty stews redolent of garlic, tomatoes and thyme.