TDY Gouge - France

Istres' (Le Tube AB) France - The Mercure Lancon is a nice place. The rooms range from decent to Honeymoon suite (complete with jacuzi shower tub). A must see on days off is the town of Cassis south east of Marseille (good scenery) which is a nice quaint town with a lot to offer. Also hit Aix-En-Provence and The Chateaunef du Pape wine country. We found a great pizza place in Lancon right around the corner from the Mercure (truckstop) hotel. It is a one man operation and the guy can cook a pizza in 2 minutes flat! The name of the place is Delice Pizza and the phone # is 04 90 42 93 00. He is Aircrew friendly but speaks only french. You can get a large pizza for 50 Franc (about $6.00) and you get two bottles of wine free with 4 pies. Hit Chateau Virant for Gold Medal Olive Oil. For wine, check out Les Baux and just outside of town is a place called Caves De Sarragon. Market-wise go to Les Isle le Sourge on Sundays (9-2). In Salon, Nostra Mama's has good deep fried Calzones and Au Trotter has good wood-fired pizzas. A must stop in downtown Martiques is Chez Lorenzos on Rue Ramada, he's aircrew friendly and will stuff you for about 100 Franc. For those trying to save money on per diem, outside Le Tube is a supermarket, and down the freeway from the hotel in Vitrolles is a Carrefore (French Super Walmart). Before you fly, got to Pierre's breadshop next to the ED market in Miramas on the way to the base. The best thing you can bring with you is a menu decoder/phrase book, the best $9 you'll spend... trust me ~For great steaks, try Chateau Barben. Slightly pricey, about $20/meal but well worth it. Its a short drive from the Mercure across the A7. A MUST do is the scenic town Cassis. The beach is rocky but the sights are unbelievable. Stroll down the promenade for great cafes and just grab a seat and watch the local talent. Definite stops should be Les Baux for shopping/castle ruins, Fontain de Vaucluse for the natural scenery and Aigues-Mortes, an incredible walled medievil city.