#20 La Provence

13th-16th November 2021: La Provence

J. The next few days were spent visiting several villages east of Avignon. We had a number of recommendations and a list of village names. Without knowing what was there, we drove to some of them.

We were particularly impressed by Roussillon. Unlike most villages here, it is not beige/sand-colored, but orange. The houses, walls, and streets all glow in shades of orange, red, and yellow. This is because Roussillon is located on a mountain of ochre. Ochre was extracted from the landscape surrounding the village and was used to build everything here. There is a path that leads through part of the ochre landscape, specially designed for tourists. Here, the ground shines in shades of orange, red, and occasionally ochre. We were reminded of the Australian outback and I wanted to take thousands of photos at every corner because it looked so beautiful.

We also visited Gordes, a place that seems to be carved into the rock. Especially from the outside, the view of Gordes was beautiful.

We drove to the village of Lacoste because it reminded us of crocodiles and maybe a sewing workshop, but we found nothing that resembled textile production there. Instead, we found a beautiful little village that even has an outpost of a US art school, so that art students can be inspired by the idyll of Provence for 8 weeks. (Wikipedia says that the Lacoste brand is French, but it was founded by tennis player René Lacoste and apparently has nothing to do with this village.)

We did not follow the suggestion of my father to find out when the market day in L'isle-sur-la-Sorgue is and planned our route on our own based on the weather. But we were lucky: when we drove into the town on Sunday morning, we first noticed the many white vans on the roadside and then the masses of people with bags in their hands. The market was unmistakable and filled half the city. We bought cheese and vegetables, looked at antique furniture and artwork, tried various local specialties, listened to the many street musicians, and pushed our way through the streets with numerous other tourists. The market in L'isle-sur-la-Sorgue is definitely worth a visit.

After visiting the many villages and towns, we wanted to go hiking in nature and followed the recommendation from the tourist information to go to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. There, we hiked over hills with beautiful views of the surrounding countryside and the cliffs of the nearby town.

At the end of our hike, we had some time left on the parking meter and wondered what all these people in this small, inconspicuous village were doing, as all three of the huge visitor parking lots were full. We followed the stream of tourists along the village's only street, which was lined with restaurants, snack bars, and souvenir shops, and runs alongside the super clear Sorgue River. After a while, the river simply stopped and water gushed out of all sides of the rocks. However, this was not yet the source, as the path continued and ended in front of a huge cliff. To catch a glimpse of the turquoise water of the spring, which could be seen in a hole next to this very high cliff, you had to climb over the half-built fence and walk under the warning sign (in four languages) about falling rocks. But that didn't stop any of the people present.

On our drive through the Provence, we also visited the small village of Bonnieux and experienced a bit of originality there, away from the usual tourists.

On the way, we also passed by the Pont Julien, a pretty bridge built by the Romans.

We also spent two days at a campsite located on a farm, enjoying the silence, the crowing of birds, the bleating of lambs, the sun, and the hospitality of the owner. In addition to sheep, lambs, and some farm cats, the farm also has an almond tree and an olive tree plantation. As a souvenir, we took hundreds of flies with us in our car and were reminded of the farm in Provence days later.

Our conclusion: Provence is a beautiful area even outside the lavender blooming season!

Day 31 - Total tour 2,657 km

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