Apart from the twenty or so guide books and maps that we checked out of the local library, the books below played an important part in the shaping of our holiday. This page is mainly a reference for us to remember the experiences we had.
	On the way down, we listened to Peter Mayle's rather disappointing Chasing Cézanne on audio tape. It seemed that the book was really a travel guidebook with a bit of weak, cliché-driven plot tacked on, but it got us interested in the sights that awaited us in Provence.		Much better written was Julian Barnes' England, England. I have admired Barnes' style of writing since reading Talking It Over , the book that taught me the word 'crepuscular'. This book was clever, though I thought it lapsed into sci-fi territory towards the end. Some funny lines, though.
Our third and final audio book was Dirk Bogarde's autobiographical A Short Walk from Harrods. We got the book because it details Bogarde's many years 'on the hill' in Provence, where he lived with his partner. The book at times was very depressing, but well told and, ultimately, uplifting.		I've had my eye on this book of erotic drawings by Cocteau ever since we visited the exposition at the Pompidou Centre in 2003. We were thrilled to visit the Cocteau museum in Menton on this trip, and there we bought our most exciting souvenir: an original lithograph that now hangs on our wall at home.	Our Cocteau lithograph. What could be more suitable? A naked man in the sun, holding a martini!
	Finally, I bought this cookbook from our favourite Paris bruch spot, Le Pain Quotidien. We eat there every time we visit, and love their tasty breads. As soon as I got home, I baked five of its old-fashioned style baguettes. Not as good as the original, though very tasty; we'll have to go back.

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