It’s the season of lavender blooms in Provence! I’ve made it in time to capture some scenes of this captivating region. I’ve yet to reach the core historic cities (Arles, Orange, Avignon) but I’ve thoroughly toured everything from the Gorges du Verdon to the Luberon, basing myself out of Aix-en-Provence.
Aix is a lovely city that has plenty of comfortable cafes and old squares. It has no must see museums or historical sites of interest, but it makes for a perfect place to return to after a tiring day under the sun in the countryside. The heatwave currently afflicting France is manageable for me, but has certainly made this trip more tiring and a couple of moments more dreary.
The Luberon hill towns are magnificent. Gordes looks great from the outside but honestly I found the actual town a little lacking. Roussillon is incredible and deserves all the love, especially with its ochre cliffs and orange architecture. I wanted to visit Lourmarin primarily for its connection to Camus, and the town was enjoyably calm. Going through the fields is half the joy of being in the Luberon.
Valensole is a must do. The lavender fields are exceptional. My favorite town of all in Provence has to be Moustiers-Sainte-Marie. The view of the mountaintop and the cascades make the experience incredibly lovely, plus the market is one of the best I’ve been to. Make sure to try a tomato from Provence, it’s incomparable to ones where I’m from. If you’re already in the area, go see the Gorges du Verdon and the lake, it’s a shade of blue green I’ve only seen a few times.
I’m saving Marseilles, the Calanques, and the Camargue for a future trip :)
Anyway, go see the lavender before it’s gone in a few weeks!
1 - Valensole scintillates with purple
2 - Bees and lavender in Valensole
3 - Gordes is incredible from afar
4 - Aix-en-Provence’s Rotonde is filled with bikers and traffic
5 - Aix’s historic streets remain undefeated
6 - I believe this is a statue dedicated to le roi Rene? Aix’s statues are too many to count
7 - the Abbey of Senanque is usually very crowded, but it’s like that for a reason
8 - Roussillon’s orange dazzles
9 - the Sentier des Ochrs features incredible formations
10 - A pastoral scene in Lourmarin with castle and mules
11 - Another lavender field in Valensole
12 - Moustiers-Sainte-Marie welcomes you with a towering
13 - An Italianate bell tower in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie
14 - Emerald waters pour out of the Gorges du Verdon
15 - the Lac de Sainte Croix shimmers in the sun by a nice village
16 - Roussillons looks like New Mexico
17 - A clock tower in sleepy Ansouis
18 - Bonnieux rests atop a hill
19 - Lavender in the Luberon
20 - Roussillon’s memorial to the sacrifices of WW1