France, Part I – Provence

I am certainly one lucky chick that my mom and aunt let me tag along on their amazing trip to Provence and the Loire Valley in France – talk about the experience of a lifetime!

We started off with six days in Provence, a region in southeastern France known for its fabulous soaps, abundant lavender and gorgeous countryside adored by such painters as Van Gogh and Cézanne.  Our home base was the charming town of Saint Remy de Provence {where Van Gogh painted more than 150 of his works}.  We stayed on the grounds of an old chateau just two blocks from the center of town, which was a huge treat.

Our first day began in L’Isle sur la Sorgue, a beautiful town criss-crossed by a lovely river.  We ran straight for the flea market – and let me tell you, French markets are awesome!!  The sights, smells and hustle & bustle were more than I had hoped for.

My obsession for chocolate croissants began in L’Isle sur la Sorgue – I think “deux pain au chocolat, s’il vous plait” was my mantra throughout the entire trip!

After oohing and aahing to our heart’s content, we made our way to Les Baux de Provence, a former fortress that is now known as an artist commune.  The views of the town from across the valley were simply spectacular.

On day two we headed out to Arles, the historic town where Van Gogh painted Starry Night, The Cafe and a host of other well-known paintings.  Along the way we stopped near Tarascon to check out the Les Olivades fabric factory and outlet, and after walking the Van Gogh trail in Arles we drove through the Camargue to the seaside town of Saintes- Maries-de-la-Mer.

The Camargue is well-known for its wild flamingos, black bulls and white horses.  Who knew?

Day three was a bit of a rain day, but we were not to be deterred.  We headed to the market in Vaison-la-Romaine, enjoyed a tour of the L’Occitane factory and got thoroughly wet along the way!  Still, a great day.

On our fourth day we enjoyed the market in our own little town, St. Remy.  It’s funny, after just a few days we definitely felt like it was home!  The market was fabulous, and once again we bought just about everything in sight {I think we’ve bought each other’s birthday and Christmas presents through 2012}.  The afternoon was spent in Avignon enjoying the 16th-century walled city most famous for its Palace of the Popes.

On day five we were hot for lavender, Provence’s claim to fame.  At the Musee de Lavende in Caustellet we learned the difference between lavende {fine lavender grown at high elevations whose essence is extremely costly} and lavendin {the more common and less-expensive lavender used in everyday soaps, etc.}.  In our pursuit of lavender we drove through Village de Bories which featured spectacular dry stacked stone walls and houses that looked a bit like beehives.

Later that day we enjoyed walking through the gorgeous hilltop town of Gordes, known to be the home of some of France’s celebrities.  Next came Rousillon, a surprise stop that proved to be well worth it – the buildings in this artist mecca were bright red from the pigment in the soil that the town is known for.

The lavender trail became hot and heavy around Sault – even though the lavender wasn’t yet at its peak {late July and early August are prime lavender times} the lavender fields were gorgeous and it was unbelievable to see how they dominated the landscape.

Our last day in Provence was spent at the market in Carpentras, and ended happily back in St. Remy where we wandered the town, met a local artist and enjoyed saying goodbye to our temporary home.

The very next day we hopped in the car and drove to the Loire Valley to check out the chateaux!  Coming soon…

P.S.  My mom was the designated photographer for this trip, so most of the pics can be credited to her!  My aunt was the amazing trip planner {her true calling in life, I think}.  I was just along for the ride!