After a week in Paris, we hopped on the TGV train again and sped down to Avignon in Provence, where we rented a car and drove over increasingly narrow roads into the Luberon, a beatiful valley with amazing food and wine and the loveliest little villages.
We stayed in Bonnieux at a pretty little bed and breakfast,
Les Terrasses du Luberon, where our hosts helped us find all the best local markets, restaurants, and sights. Compared to Paris, it was slower and more relaxed, and we couldn't get enough of the warm, sunny weather.
One of the little towns we visited was Gordes, one of the
most beautiful villages in France. It's built into a hillside with lots of winding stone streets, and it looks out over the Luberon valley, with its cherry and olive trees, vineyards, and fields of lavender.
Lots of cobblestone streets and dirt paths meant I was carrying my
Manolos (or just leaving them in the car) and sporting my
Matt Bernson flats the majority of the time--but I ended up wishing I had brought proper hiking shoes, too. There were so many great trails and walks in the area that would've been lovely to wander--they'll have to wait until next time!
I was still pretty adventurous in my ballet flats, though, which is good since most of the streets in these quaint villages looked like the photo below. We were constantly marveling at the way cities and villages were built with no thought to the automobile (obviously, since it didn't exist when they were built). It was so interesting when compared with I am used to at home in the U.S., where even the oldest cities have been overhauled and remodeled to accommodate cars, cars, and more cars. These cozy little streets and old villages made me feel like I was in a storybook!
We made a stop on our way out of Gordes at the gorgeous 12th century Abbey of Sénanque, where the monks have been growing lavender and producing lavender products for nearly a century. Although the lavender doesn't bloom until June, there was a hint of dusty purple at the tips of the plants--I can't imagine how gorgeous it must be when it's blooming. The Abbey is still a functioning monastery today, and the monks have taken a vow of silence, so the stillness and peace there were overwhelming. It was one of my favorite parts of our Provence visit.
Hope you've enjoyed my travel-centric posts for the last couple weeks! This is my last France post until we get our wedding pictures back--can't wait to share those with you. Hope you have a great weekend!
x, Tam
