And since I also have to wake up in 6 hours I guess I'm doing good to play catch up now.
Two weekends ago, I booked a day trip to some of the most beautiful villages in France. Literally, they have been awarded this coveted prize and let me just say it was well deserved. It was a long day so let me try and break it down...
Une: Fontaine de Vaucluse
At the base of the high and rocky cliffs (which I so graciously stumbled down) is a clear blue pool of water. But don't be fooled, it's actually one of the most powerful resurgent springs in the world that is fed by rainwater from high up on the Plateau de Vaucluse and flows through underground passages. Maybe it's a gravity thing, I don't really know, but it was great! After hiking up the steep path, and then climbing down some steep rocks hoping not to take a swim, I sat down at a nice cafe with a perfect view for a cup of hot chocolate sans marshmallows (only because they didn't have them!)
Deux: Sénanque Abbey
If you own a tourism book on Provence (which I'm guessing you probably don't) then you've likely seen the ever-popular photo of a field full of that purple stuff called lavender with an Abbey behind it (or a big, grey stone building because how would you know it's an Abbey if you don't own the Fodor's travel book, right?) It's a Cistercian abbey just outside the village of Gordes. Today it is occupied by only 5 remaining monks. There's also a really neat gift shop (I bought a Christmas ornament in case you were wondering) and the money made allows the monks to pay for the upkeep of the Abbey as well as pay a company to harvest the lavender each season. A peaceful and serene stop!
Trois: Gordes
I'm a firm believer that the best lunch spots come with the best views! An outside table at a small crêperie with the prettiest red leaf vine growing up the building delivering a panoramic view of the vineyards hit the spot...the food too. Pretty from the inside, I think Gordes looked even better from the hillside not far away where you could see all the buildings and houses with unique features all their own. I can truly see why it's dubbed a beautiful village. All the buildings in Gordes are made of dry stone wall...not because everyone copied their neighbor, but because it's required. The older buildings are real dry stone wall with no cement between the stones - the original owners had to hire special, highly-skilled builders if they wanted to sleep well at night knowing their home wouldn't collapse (because that would make for a really bad night - a nightmare even!) Nowadays, most build their home out of cement and simply the cover the bare walls in stones...such a faux pas, right?
Quatre: Roussillon
Famous for its large quantities of ochre deposits found in the village's surrounding clay. Way back when, people found work by mining the large quarries because there was such a high demand for rosy pigments in the textile industry. Today, all the buildings in Roussillon must be painted with this pigment from the ochre resulting in a village full of buildings that range from yellow, to orange, to burnt red. I thought it was so neat that you can judge the age of a building by its color. The darker the red, the older the building because it has an effect on the way the pigment is absorbed. Pretty red rad, huh?
Cinq: Bonnieux
Nothing like a quick photo stop on the top of Bonnieux with a nice view of the mountains and the village's rooftops lined with perching pigeons.
Six: Lourmarin
Situated between the small Luberon and the Grand Luberon mountains is Lourmarin which boasts its picturesque Renaissance castle. I'm afraid I don't have any interesting facts about this village but I did sit down for a coca lite and a carambar (the best piece of candy I've ever eaten - it's like a tootsie roll on steroids!)Oh, and a Russell Crowe film called A Good year was shot nearby.
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