The third week in October, two companions from the United States, and I, from Jerusalem, traveled to southern France for a three day cooking school at a charming French farmhouse. The weather was divine and of course, the autumn French countryside was beautiful. Please review the website. It is as good as any travel article from a newspaper or magazine: http://www.provencebedandbreakfast.com/

We were picked up at the Marseilles airport by our host, Michael Altman, and for three days we toured the region with him in his van, boarded at his inn, and had cooking demonstration / class in the evening. At the end of our visit, he drove us to Aix-en Provence, where we continued our journey on our own.

We had a wonderful time, ate fabulous lunches in the country, as part of the initial fee, and had delicious dinners in the evening with additional guests that were boarding on their own at the farmhouse. We attended the local Sunday market, visited a cheese factory and saw all the animals, toured a Provincal winery, and also learned everything one needs to know at an olive oil factory.

The three days flew by. I would definitely recommend this lovely vacation either as a three day cooking school or a place to board for touring. My room was an apartment with a fully equipped kitchen. The room was very simple, no televison or telephone but hurrah- there was wireless internet from the main house so I had my radio and newspapers that I could read online.

Bettina, visiting in New York