Andréa and I went straight to Le Vieux Castellet after lunch at Pauline's. If you didn't read my last post about it, Le Vieux Castellet is a medieval village. We had one stop in mind in the village, Les Bougies de Castellet (Galéjade). Andréa, Momo, and I fell in love with this shop the last time we were here. We each bought two fragrances. This time Andréa wanted to buy another room spray to compliment the one we already had. The new perfume also happens to be a mosquito repellent so it's perfect for this time of year when we're being eaten alive.
The same chipper woman was there. She remembered us and even Momo who wasn't there this time. Today, we found out that her name is Valentine. We found her in the middle of a conversation with another stranger who was going through some life obstacles. Valentine is the type of person that will give up her entire life's story to anyone. Nothing to hide and no regrets even though some things went sour. I like people like her! Andréa, Valentine, the other woman, and I all stood in a circle and conversed for a good hour. The women thought that Andréa and I had a storybook relationship. Ha haha, it's not always so magical but when people find out about how we met, they fall in love with our story.
The same chipper woman was there. She remembered us and even Momo who wasn't there this time. Today, we found out that her name is Valentine. We found her in the middle of a conversation with another stranger who was going through some life obstacles. Valentine is the type of person that will give up her entire life's story to anyone. Nothing to hide and no regrets even though some things went sour. I like people like her! Andréa, Valentine, the other woman, and I all stood in a circle and conversed for a good hour. The women thought that Andréa and I had a storybook relationship. Ha haha, it's not always so magical but when people find out about how we met, they fall in love with our story.
The bags were decorated with care just as the last time we came in. No matter the occasion, Valentine will always wrap your purchases up as if they're to be given as gifts. Just as well though, because they're normally gifted. Andréa bought a room spray for us, "Arbousier" which easily complimented the "Passion Impériale" we already had. He also bought a scent and diffuser for his step-mother who he didn't have time to see on Mother's Day. Valentine threw in a free candle as a thank you. The candle is absolutely delightful. The fragrance is soft yet has a strong presence.
After we made our purchases, we went onto a liquoriste to find a gift for our dads. Father's Day is tomorrow. L'Ambiance d'Anis was recommended by Valentine so there we went. This was another cute little shop, managed by a cute, little woman. The stool she was standing on behind the counter was deceiving. When she came out from behind it, she stood as tall as my chest. The way she projected her voice made her sound much bigger though. The shop had dozens of jars of homemade liquors/liqueurs--absinthe, limoncello, even whisky. It looked like something out of Harry Potter. Each jar had a tap on it for tasting. We must've tasted everything in there! Thank goodness they were small samples. I'm a light-weight so I was already pretty drunk after the last one. You would think that having a host dad like Didier and living in wine country would increase my tolerance, but no, I'm still a 2 beer/2 shot girl.
After much deliberation, Andréa and I settled on a pastis for Didier and a thyme liquor for Pièrre. We also got an aperitif for dinner tonight and some thyme liquor for the digèstif--for ourselves of course ;-) For each liquor, you pick one bottle out of the many beautiful styles. Each bottle has it's own unique price due to the volume. The bottle is filled, labeled, then sealed with a cork and heated-plastic wrap to ensure freshness. If you return to the shop with your bottle, you can get it re-filled with your liquor of choice for 6 euros less. It was so much fun to taste and discover the various ways one can make pastis, absinthe, and other liqueurs. The price was also very agreeable! I will definitely come back to find something to bring home to the states!
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