It's incredible to find oneself in the middle of where VVG did much of his paintings--it really…read morebrings the mental images to life. For that reason alone, Fondation Vincent Van Gogh is a striking place. But what is even more striking is to find that, when I went in the winter, the collection had gone on holiday. On my visit, only on VVG piece was left at the foundation. In fact, there was more to view in the gift shop than in the museum. That said, it wasn't a complete bust. The walk from where I had parked through the winding alleys was charming and the foundation itself has beautiful facilities. Nevertheless, probably best to not plan a trip there in the winter.

We came here after visiting Espace Van Gogh, which is beyond beautiful, but doesn't provide much in…read moreterms of historical information. While this museum only houses five Van Gogh paintings, we thoroughly enjoyed all of its exhibits. The Fondation is a new, modern building (with modern amenities) situated amid the picturesque streets of Arles. There's a nice courtyard and spacious galleries. When we visited, there was an exhibit on a Georgian artist--Niko Pirosmani--and it was fascinating to see the art of near contemporary of Van Gogh's (with a parallel life story) in the same space. There were a few other artists as well, but we liked the Pirosmani stuff best. Bottom line: if you want to see a bunch of Van Gogh paintings, go to Amsterdam. If you're interested in art in general, and want to celebrate its many iterations, then this museum is worth a visit.

Local artisan pottery store with some amazing selections potteries like different sizes of cups and…read moredishes. I bought two cups in the end. A must visit to anyone to Montpellier. This little university town is very pretty.

The first thing noticeable with this small store is the aroma. Located in a nice shopping area in…read moreMarseille, the shop has a lot of items to choose from, but local soaps and lavender were among the features. The soap is made with 72% olive oil, which dermatologists recommend for healthy skin. The store owner was very friendly and helped provide guidance on the products. From the conversations with the people coming in, it appeared several people were repeat customers and not just tourists looking for local items from Provence. If you are looking for local products to bring back to family and friends, I would recommend the large bars on the back wall. Good size and good price.

A shout out to the lovely employee Syrine, who made our day with her helpful hints and explanations…read moreof the wide variety of items this small shop had to offer. From tourist goodies of snow globes, statutes of the guardian saint of the city to all sorts of nautical items (Marseille being a port after all!) and quite a collection of household goods and soaps and lotions. Marseille is the capital to the French province of Provence, famous for its natural beauty and rolling hills of lavender and thyme (north of the city). Hence there are many soaps, lotions, perfumes and such that smell of the divine relaxing fragrance of lavender but other delicious scents also abound; jasmine, gladiola and rose to name a few. I settled for some beautiful post cards as personal mementos while my companion loaded up on some unique 100% locally made linens for his dining room table. They were quite simple (less is more) and very beautiful. Just outside the shop in the late afternoon is a makeshift open air market with at least 10-20 vendors peddling wares that you may not need, but will find it difficult not to want!