Who?
Guus and Elly

From?
A Dutch couple, living in Chicago

Elly: Today [Tuesday] is market day. I've been to the market before, but Guus hasn't. I thought he should see it.

Your impressions?

Guus: It was very crowded, even now in October. But there was a very relaxed atmosphere, the merchants took the time to talk to customers.

Does that surprise you?

Yes. We were in Saint-Tropez last spring and I thought that was enough. What we saw of Saint-Tropez then was the glitzy town, the mega yachts, the expensive outdoor cafés. Yet today at the market we found a kind of everyday reality that we hadn't seen before. I imagine now that we'll come back in the future.
Elly: Also those classic wooden boats in the port added to the atmosphere. A much nicer picture than those super yachts. I heard there is a regatta going on.

Have you seen more of Provence beyond Saint-Tropez?

We've just come from a two-week vacation in Italy, Tuscany. 

If you compare the two regions

First impression: in Tuscany the people are more laid back,  friendlier even. But the driving in Italy is madness. In France it's much more relaxed, by comparison. The food in Italy is very good and relatively cheap. Of course, we have no complaints about the fare in France! 

And after Saint-Tropez?

Tomorrow we'll be going to Cassis. We've been there before, some fifteen years ago, and just loved it, the port, the calanques. The weather promises to be great and we look forward to it.

Will you be back in Provence?

Definitely. Then we will do some of those places we haven't seen yet. Top of the list: the Gorges du Verdon.