PROVENCE - La Fontaine de Vaucluse

Of all the places we visited in Provence, La Fontaine de Vaucluse was by far and away my favourite, and I’ll be back there like a shot if and when the opportunity presents itself!



The village sits on the banks of the river, with a weir and a mill. The river was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The colours were simply amazing – bright vibrant greens that seem almost unnatural.



The colour comes from the reeds under the water which I suspect are as a result of the weir which helps to channel the water to power the paper mill.



The mill itself is open to the public with free entry. They still make paper here in the traditional way and it was great to not only see that for myself, but also to see the group of kids who were allowed to join in. Each one made their own sheet of paper by sieving the mixture from the vat, and then made their handprint that they could take away when it had all dried out. What a great experience!



The upper part is predominantly calm and flat, so it’s no surprise to find the banks sprinkled with bars and restaurants where people were just chilling out. The lower part couldn’t have been more of a contrast and we were treated to a couple of adrenaline junkies in a canoe!





It wasn’t long before they realised we were there, and put on a bit of a show for us. The photos were amazing and looked almost like I’d been in the middle of the river, so I was well chuffed!



There is a promenade style path leading up from the village to the source pool approximately 20 minutes away. The path is lined on one side by the bars and restaurants on the riverbank, and on the other by an interesting collection of tourist shops.



I was seriously freaked out by the ‘Santons’ in one of the shops. According to Wikipedia, Santons (little saints) are small hand-painted figurines. In a traditional Provençal scene, there are 55 figures representing various characters from Provençal village life such as the scissor grinder, the fishwife, the blind man, and the chestnut seller.



Unfortunately, all I could think of was Chucky, the doll from the horror film ‘Child’s Play’. I was convinced that they were staring me out, so we backed out of the shop (literally – I wasn’t turning my back on them!), and continued on up.



The river seemed to get ever more interesting, and it was almost a disappointment to finally reach the source pool. This spring comes from deep underground and in the 1950s, Jacques Cousteau explored the depths with a submersible but could not find the bottom. Since then a probe has made it to a sandy bed at a depth of 308 metres but the spring itself comes from somewhere even deeper



With so many restaurants, it was difficult to chose, but we’d both been tempted by the reasonable prices and nice setting of ‘La Merinda’. There was only a handful of tables, but the service was friendly and quick.



We made a token effort on the diet front and chose salads, but sadly that was ruined when I ‘decorated’ mine with bacon bits and goats cheese. Not exactly low fat, but absolutely delicious!



So reluctantly we started our slow walk back to the car, and I could feel my feet dragging. We’d explored the other side of the river which is criss-crossed with walking paths and a museum, so last on the list was the church.

I was so busy taking photos of the outside, I forgot to look inside – what a wally!!

PROVENCE - Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

Think of a window, with sun-bleached shutters that must have once been bright blue, plastered walls in faded Mediterranean hues and plants tumbling out of the obligatory window boxes, and you’ve got Saint-Rémy-de-Provence





I suspect that Saint-Rémy-de-Provence is the Provençal town of most people’s imagination and we were determined to fit in a quick visit, on the way back to the port. Of course what we hadn’t taken into account is that even in Spring, the world and his wife want to do the same thing, so the parking is a nightmare!



The old centre of the town is mostly pedestrianised which is great (tourists – myself included – don’t tend to take account of road users when they are exploring!). We eventually found a free spot opposite the bakery, and headed into the narrow cobbled streets.





We managed to buy yet more soap – it turned into a bit of a running joke – as well as a few postcards for my collection. I rarely send them because postcards can be such miniature works of art, but I am full of good intentions when I buy them!



This was another town where we could have spent a fortune on all the local produce, from the wines of the Rhone to the jams, candied fruits, mustards and pates. I was even tempted by the coffee but slightly worried that the customs men would think I was smuggling something rather more unsavoury if I arrived with 15 packets in the boot!



What was nice about Saint-Rémy was that every turn of a corner seemed to reveal something pretty; an unusual pavement display, a charming old house or even a random water fountain attached to the wall of a house.





Everywhere we wandered, the narrow cobbled streets were filled with boutiques and interesting little shops selling all manner of lavender themed souvenirs, tablecloths covered with olives and sunflowers, artisanal pottery and of course the singing cicadas which seem to be the main export of the region.



Time was getting on, and I can’t say that cobbles do much for my feet when I am wearing my trusty flipflops, so we decided to head back towards the car and find a café on the way. Fortunately, they also sold ice cream…

PROVENCE - Les Grottes de Thouzon

After completing our tour of the Colorado de Provence in almost record time, and a spot of lunch in Apt, we decided to consult my sometimes rather stroppy GPS lady for places of interest in the area, and this time she came up trumps!



I love caves, and whenever I’m on the mainland, I always try and visit one. France has a fabulous network of subterranean places to explore and Thouzon was no exception.



Whilst it wasn’t the size/depth of Aven d’Orgnac (Ardeche), and not as unusual as the Gouffre de Padirac (Dordogne), Les Grottes de Thouzon did offer something that neither of those did, which was the right to take photos – HURRAH!



The walls and ceiling looked almost as though they were melting, and offered a nice combination of ‘drapeau’ style stalactites and ‘fistuleuses’ which are also known as macaroni stalactites as they are only about 3mm in diameter and often hollow. In fact, there were so many of these ‘macaronis’ that in some places it looked almost like the cave had hair!



We were told off a couple of times for lagging behind because although you’re allowed to take photos, you’re not allowed to delay the group, and I did manage to headbut another visitor while offering to take a snap of them together (he was rather tanned and it was dark!), but unlike most of my other cave visits, this one passed off relatively uneventfully…

PROVENCE - Apt

Years ago, we stopped off for lunch in Apt on the way back from a visit to the Gorges du Verdun, but it was November, so we didn’t spend long exploring. This time it was different.



First stop was an interesting looking shop filled with all sorts of typical Provençal bits and bobs such as bundles of heavenly smelling dried lavender, scents, local delicacies and singing cicadas.





OK, so the singing cicadas lost their charm after the first few minutes and if I’d had a spade in my handbag (scarily, that’s not outside the realms of possibility!), I probably would have smashed them to bits if I’d worked there!



The beautiful church was attached to the old walled area of the town where we noticed that unusually the bell tower was no enclosed, and so the bells were open to elements, protected only by some ornate iron framework. As our tour continues, we realised that actually this is peculiar to this region.



Eventually we found ourselves in the People’s museum in one of the side streets. I have to confess that this was mainly due to the need of a loo rather than any real curiosity on our part, but I was intrigued by the dyes and colourants.





Apt has been known for its basket- and wicker-work and hat industries since the 17th century, but the area was, and is, very important for the ochre industry, and many of the colours are naturally produced in the surrounding villages such as Roussillon and Rustrel.

PROVENCE - Rustrel & the Colorado de Provence

The Colorado de Provence is actually what prompted this trip to Provence because I’d seen Florence’s fabulous photos from their trip in November and thought to myself ‘I want some of that!’



First stop was the village of Rustrel because in true travel professional style, I hadn’t bothered to print directions to the site – ho-hum! On the plus side, the market was on which gave us the chance to indulge in a spot of soap buying, and a quick coffee on the square and a chat with the proprietor (who was not dissimilar to René from ‘Allo ‘Allo) confirmed we were on the right track.



Basically, this is an area of enormous earth pillars, quarries and amazing colours in all shades from white and ochre through to deep blood reds. One of the most surprising things is that the site is free, yes FREE! We paid just 3 euros to park the car and could then have happily spent the whole day there.



There are three different marked trails which take anything from just under an hour on the shorted route, to about 3 hours for the longest route which incorporates the two shorter trails as well as a few extra bits and bobs



We’re both keen walkers, so we decided to follow the longer path. I was glad I’d put on my fab new walking boots rather than trainers, as there were a few sections at the beginning with loose stones, but essentially this is one for all the family.



For me, the best bit – well, the most unusual – was the area known as the ‘Sahara’. This is where the earth was deepest in colour. You can climb up to the cliffs and walk along which was an amazing experience. You don’t realise how high they are until you look down and see people as the barren landscape doesn’t give much perspective.



My top tip is don’t try to talk up on the cliffs as you’ll end up eating a mouthful of dust if it’s windy! It was almost like being in a sandstorm, and I was glad I’d though to put my glasses on, even though it wasn’t particularly sunny.



There were a couple of curiosities along the way including a little mud man that someone had carved into the rock. On the one hand amusing and I’m sure the kids liked it, but at the same time a shame to spoil such an amazing site.

All in all, we managed to do the full circuit in just over 2 hours. We didn’t dawdle and we are both keen walkers so we probably did it quicker than most, but equally we had to allow time for my OCD photo taking, so they probably over-estimate the times of the walks a bit in the pamphlet

PROVENCE - l’Abbaye de Sénanque

Just a few minutes from Gordes is the l’Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque. I’d seen photos of this abbey surrounded by fields of lavender so that, coupled with my unnatural obsession with monks, meant that this was our first stop of the day.



We hadn’t realised that to visit the abbey you have to join a guided tour and that these only go at certain times of the day, so we were faced with a decision of waiting 40 minutes and joining two coach loads of tourists, or conducting our own visit of the outside.



We decided to have a mooch around the gift shop while we made up our minds. After a short contre-temps with a grumpy French man who wouldn’t let us in (he thought we were part of his coach party wandering off!), we had a flick through the souvenir books and discovered that the inside was relatively bare.



As we were debating, one of the monks made an appearance and I was in hogs heaven! I’m not sure what it is about them, but I was completely fascinated and almost asked to have my photo taken with him, but in the end I was worried that someone (mentioning no names) might not approve!



In the end, we decided to conduct our own tour of the outside and have a nosy at the monkery (I’m pretty sure that’s the right word, but I can’t remember what they call the places that monks live!). At the very back, we found a tree that was completely split in half but somehow still living. Perhaps a touch of divine intervention?



On the way back to the car, we both got an attack of Tourettes. What is it about religious places that make you just want to spout all manner of blasphemous words and phrases?? I just couldn’t help myself, and even when I switched to French I managed to come out with ‘Milles Tonneres’ which is roughly translated as ‘Hell and Damnation’ – there is no hope really…

PROVENCE - Gordes

I’ve been to Gordes before on a trip to the Alpes Maritime and it was beautiful, so I was keen to go back again on this visit to Provence.



The village itself is very Provençal in flavour and has a huge imposing castle at the centre, but the mistake most visitors make is to think that that’s it. Wrong! For me, the most interesting parts are tucked away behind the chateau where is a beautiful little ‘piazza’ with a fountain and a few restaurants.



We’d managed to find a typical Provençal style hotel which – perhaps rather unsurprisingly – was called ‘Le Provençal’. Won’t forget that one!! The room was fairly simple but scrupulously clean with a few nice extra touches like the miniature bath/shower gels and body lotions.



As well as being superbly situated at the very heart of the village with a restaurant, the other big advantage of this hotel is the view over the castle which dates back to 1031. These days, it is home to the Pol Para museum (Flemish contemporary painter), but we were more interested in the natural works of art such as the stunning panoramic view over valley and mountains of Luberon.



Sadly, the pathway around the edge of the village dips and climbs quite alarmingly for someone wearing flipflops and the wind was amazingly strong so I was slightly concerned that I might get blown over the edge, but fortunately I had eaten enough at dinner to weight me down even during a force 10 gale!



The afternoon had been a bit cloudy which was slightly disappointing as I know how beautiful Gordes is when the sun shines, but as night fell, we were treated to a beautiful sight as the castle was lit up below, which gave us a only a tiny insight into how imposing it must have been in times gone by.



We didn’t have time to visit the ‘Village des Bories’ which is a collection of small dwellings constructed in drystone walls of limestone. The village is fascinating, and worthy of half a day, but as we had so much else to see and do, we just couldn’t spare the time…