Eating in the south of France: Highlights from the markets & cafes

For me, one of the most exciting parts of traveling is checking out the local food scene. We did just that on a recent trip to the south of France, with stops at markets and outdoor cafes in every city and town along the Cote d'Azur and the Rhone River that we visited.

Candied fruits at the Saleya street market in Nice.

Oversize artichokes and "coeur de boeuf" (beefsteak) tomatoes--which, incidentally, David Lebovitz says are a sham.

Luscious zucchini flowers still attached to the veg.

White asparagus, inexplicably beloved by Europeans, still at Saleya.

A pain au chocolat and cafe au lait at a charming bakery and cafe near Saleya that was decorated with pink tulips in the windows.

Local honey, so pretty in the sunlight, at the huge street market in Arles, once home to Vincent van Gogh and (briefly) Paul Gauguin.

Amazing little macarons in every color and flavor, including strawberry, lime, pistachio, vanilla, coffee, mint, etc.

Piles of spices, including a mixture made with rosebuds in the foreground.

A "living" wall known as the mur vegetal on the outside of the Les Halles building that houses the indoor food market in Avignon.

Delicate sea creatures harvested from the Mediterranean, for sale at Les Halles in Avignon.

A picnic lunch procured at a street market in the Croix-Rousse neighborhood of Lyon, and consumed in the Parc de la Tete d'Or. It included a spicy saucisson, green olive tapenade, creamy Saint-Marcellin cheese, a bottle of local Lyonnaise rose wine, and of course, a fresh baguette.

Two glasses of Montrachet wine, costing nearly $20 each and worth every penny, accompanied by olives and cheese, at an outdoor cafe in Beaune.