What do you do on a rainy day in Provence?

The answer is....

 enjoy a good lunch and a spot of retail therapy. 

Where? 

 Aix-en-Provence.

You know that delicious feeling when you wake up and suddenly remember that today you can do whatever you like - that was my feeling on Saturday morning. After weeks of picking olives this was pure heaven. I didn't mind that the rain was pouring down because I was in no rush to be anywhere at any particular time. I lazed a little, read a little and drank too many cups of green tea (I know...not as good as a coffee fix, but that is over for me at the moment).

My friend Carla had arrived the night before to spend the weekend and she too was happy to luxuriate in bed and make a slow start. We both love visiting Aix-en-Provence and have been there many times together, both for work and play. Saturday was all about play. She has a launch for her new book, Paris Tango on Thursday night, so a little retail therapy was definitely called for. It is not every day that a girl gets to show her work on the rue de Rivoli in Paris.

(more about the book launch later in the week)

We girls shop best when we are well fed and Carla and I both craved a little Vietnamese food - whenever we are together we try and search out a Vietnamese restaurant. On one of our previous visits to Aix we found the very cute Le Dalat in the winding back streets, down towards the fountain La Rotonde, at the bottom of the Cours Mirabeau. (sorry for the dodgy directions but that is not one of my stronger points) If you have a hankering for Vietnamese food and are in Aix you can actually find the address by clicking here.

Le Dalat is a decorative 'rhapsody' in red and 

I know it is not what most people would travel all the way to Aix-en-Provence to see, but if you live in France and sometimes feel the need to escape the brasserie and forgo the entrecote and frites - this is such an eastern fantasy and taste sensation.

Look at this adorable little chicky beckoning with her chopsticks and rice bowl - who could resist this pagoda palace?

Inside it is heaven -buddahs, shrines, lanterns and red everything.

The food is delicious and we always order the same thing, Bo Bun Nems. Served in a large bowl, it is a delicious mixture of salad - lettuce, mint and carrot - vermicelli noodles and topped with shredded beef and slices of spring roll. Okay, it doesn't sound so great written like that but it is super delicious and you can have a vegetarian option if beef is not your thing. Accompanied with jasmine tea - it is a real feast.

Contented as anything we left the restaurant and made our way to our other favourite Aixoise paradise - no, not to one of the many fabulous museums or galleries to further stimulate our senses and improve our minds, but to Andre.

Andre is a major French shoe brand with shops throughout France. Originally established in 1896 it is known for it's inexpensive footwear. The company had a revamp several years ago and is now producing some really cool shoes with the help of young designers. It is like many chain stores in that it has as much undesirable merchandise as desirable, but on occasion there is the fabulous find. Carla and I were lucky, she found a pair of fab long flat boots and I found a pair of Christian Louboutin knock offs. If you are in Paris check out these Andre stores.

It is difficult to see in this pic but my shoe/ankle boots have three little buttons on the side and a great platform so I think they will be quite comfortable - ha, I can't believe I said that. Since when have high heels ever been comfortable...don't care I love a heel almost as much as I love a LBD.

Carla's boots are made of gorgeous soft grey/black leather and look great tucked into skinny jeans or worn underneath any pair of pants or skirt. 

We laughed as we took these pictures of ourselves - how they highlight our individual natures. What use are these heels for farm life? And Carla still doesn't have her heels for Thursday night! Pity we are not the same shoe size as we could easily have  swapped... Anyway we don't care we are two very happy girls with our new shoes. Nothing like a new pair of shoes (equal with a new lipstick) to put a smile on the face - especially when they were such bargains.

To round off a perfect day of girly indulgence we went home, lit the fire and watched Indochine, a French film starring Catherine Deneuve and Vincent Perez. Viewing bliss....

So you may wonder why I am telling you all this random information.... because in the last few weeks I have been graciously awarded and tagged by Callie, Mel and Ewa

and being tagged or awarded means telling lots and lots about yourself. 

So there you have it. xv