Provence cont'd...

The story of Provence continued...

We had such beautiful weather that we ate out on the terrace whenever we could. Different villages had their market day throughout the week so our mornings were often spent checkin out the fresh local produce & the people.

 

 

 

 

 

I have this weakness for lavender... i love sniffing it. To me, Provence is the only place in the world where lavender smells like it should.

 

 

 

 

 

we got food & wine... & chilled out in the sun! Indulging ourselves in 2-hour lunches & dinner... we ate & drank & slept... only to wake up to eat again.

in the afternoons, we read & enjoyed each other's company amidst the sounds of the countryside.

Dearie is absorbed in Robert mckee while I nurse my Marc levy addiction. Besides a heap of french magazines, I also bought enough books to complete my Marc levy set :))

Wanted to get this Furla pet in sg but i saw it in french Elle & couldn't resist gettin it in cannes.

 

We also made time to visit Fontaine de Vaucluse which is a medieval village tucked away in the plateau de Vaucluse. There are dams & waterwheels & a lovely river runnin thru the village centre.

At the "base of high, rocky cliffs, a deep pool of seemingly still water is actually a full-fledged river gushing up out of the depths." Of course we hike to see that deep pool but dearie makes it farther than me. Reason being...

i really tried my best. at least i saw the pool *beams*.

The river is beautiful and there's a certain sort of tranquility that even tourists can't take away.

We also check out a bigger town Apt which has some pretty good restaurants. Provencal folks take their food seriously. I'm kinda proud we did not get lost even once during our stay.

The next day, we explore Lourmarin, a little village which requires dedicated driving through a winding mountain road that cuts thru the Luberon. The castle in the village is the main attraction but i found it a bit of a ripoff since alot of the rooms were closed to public. Nevertheless, it's still pretty.

I also find out that Peter Mayle, author of A Year in Provence, has MOVED!!!!! He has sold his by-now famous house in Menerbes & moved to Lourmarin, where he met Gerald Auzet the baker & got the inspiration to write Confessions of a French baker. There. I think it's pretty big news. To me, at least.

We grab a drink at a terrace cafe... people-watching... soaking in the sun. We then head home for a nap/reading before we go to nearby Bonnieux for dinner. The food is amazing... the view fantastic.

We feel like we're in the middle of nowhere... but my mobile links me to the rest of the world, including mummy in greece & my sis in poland. The wonders of technology.

I still have so many pics to share but I guess I shall leave it to u to discover the wonders for yourself. Provence is still a place that may not be high on Singaporeans' list of to-visit places (everyone thought we were japanese), but this is my second visit there & I still love it. hope you like my story of it too.

Provence

A land of immense blue skies & breathtakin landscapes. where Paul Cezanne lived and found his inspiration to paint. click on pics to view larger size.

we arrive at Avignon TGV station and rent a small peugeot. The roads are impossibly narrow & dearie has to reach out & fold in his side mirror when another car passes us by.

but the view and vines on either side for as far as the eye can see make up for small inconveniences!

we reach our hideout... it's perfect for us.. with our own private terrasse & plenty of sun. which we all know can lift one's spirits!

our neighbour with the Luberon mountains in the back.

our first visit to l'Abbaye de Senanque - an abbey where the Cistercian monks of long ago practised a life of poverty, work & prayer. They sold lavender & honey, in exchange for this isolation deep in the valleys of the Vaucluse region. They lived and worked in silence and only talked once a day! And i thought goin to church once a week was tough!

we stop for lunch at the picturesque village of Gordes, one of many villages scattered around the Luberon. Can i just say the olives in Provence are huge & juicy... not the puny half-hearted ones here. yummy.

Roussillon - famed for its ochre cliffs and orange-hued houses. We hiked up the cliffs but i'm tired after a while cos my birkies are not great for hiking AT ALL.

Dearie gamely manouvres the sandy paths & explores the nooks and crannies but i just wanna sit down & watch the world go by... which we do, alot here in fact.