A windy day's journey to strudel.

DATELINE: Vaison-la-Romaine, events of Friday, Oct. 6

The wind had started to pick up on Thursday evening. Friday morning, the skies were clear and the sun was bright, but the trees danced more frantically as time passed by. Wind chill made the air feel colder than it was.

Our little stone house, insulated on three sides by abutting buildings, became reasonably warm after I fiddled with the heat. We stayed at home after breakfasting here and skipped lunch.

We made only two expeditions, both to the town plaza, called Place Montfort. First, we looked into the little Casino market for a few things we hadn't found yesterday at the big supermarkets. Though small, the store had been greatly remodeled and re-stocked since last year. It did stock those items, plus almost everything else we HAD finally found at those larger emporia. We could have gotten it all just a short walk from "home" (though carrying it back would have been a challenge).

Our second venture out was to another establishment facing on Place Montfort. L'Arbre à Vins (The Tree of Wines) is run by a young man we met and liked on our first visit to Vaison, in 2014. Since then, Mathieu has opened this new wine shop and in 2016 started a series of Friday evening dinners there. The fixed menu is different for each event, and he emails it to the "regulars" several days ahead of the meal, which draws a loyal crowd. We're on his email list too, and go every Friday when we're here.

Mathieu does all the work -- shopping, preparing, and serving the food -- then cleans up after the event.

Chicken cooked in beer

Strudel

This Friday night featured Alsatian cuisine: chicken cooked in beer with vegetables and dumplings followed by a dessert of apple strudel. Two wines were suggested as well, though diners are free to order anything in the shop. The meal price is fixed, but your choice of wine can affect the final total. All the prices are reasonable.

Most of the diners sit at a long table down the center of the shop. It's a great place to meet new people. This night we had a good talk with a somewhat younger couple, both of Malaysian heritage. Their careers had been mostly in Australia, but they were avid travelers and settled into a house near Vaison when they retired recently.

Good food, fine wine, and new friends: a perfect evening to cap off a so-so day.