A Week In Provence

Provence is a delightful endlessly surprising corner of the world. We drove down here from Paris and were very glad that we had a car to explore the hills and valleys of this quaint part of France. We stayed near Avignon so it was possible for us to wander an hour in any direction and discover a new hilltop town or bustling market.
The city of Avignon where the popes and anitpopes lived from 1309 to 1423 has a beautifully preserved historic centre with a Palace of the Popes and an ancient town centre inside its medieval ramparts, as well as the ancient Avignon bridge. To the north we visited Orange where the largest Roman theatre is found and to the west we spent a day swimming under the awe-inspiring Pont du Gard aqueduct, the largest in the world and only two metres less in height than the Roman Coliseum.

But we were in Provence to see the countryside so we traveled to the Cote du Rhone villages to the northeast and the Luberon villages to the east to discover the true beauty of this region. When we began our trip each day, we had no idea what awaited us. We had a town as our endpoint but along the way there and back we were ready to take any windy road that piqued our interest.
On our trip to Vaison la Romaine, we fell in love with the hilltop towns of Le Barroux and Seguret. Hilltop towns were never easy places to live (walking uphill all day isn't much fun) but when times were tough (during the Dark Ages or religious wars for example), people fled uphill for security from the barbarians or other invaders. These towns were empty until the about fifty years ago when northern Europeans discovered these rustic getaways and people started moving back up to them because now they could make a living off the tourist trade. We loved how creative people were in using every tiny space in these old towns to make their home beautiful. Speaking of tiny, at one point we were driving through Seguret and found ourselves on such a narrow street that we couldn't open either door. This is not the prairies!

We spent more time in the Luberon valley where we wandered through the lively markets of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, the cliffhugging towns of Gordes, Menerbes, Bonnieux, and Buoux, and fell head- over-heels for the ochre coloured town of Roussillon. Driving through Provence requires total concentration especially on the steep incredibly windy hill roads because they are often one lane and there are vehicles of all kinds as well as Tour de France wannabees flying around every corner.
Between the hills lie valleys dotted with vineyards. There is so much charm in every village square or market that you think they were set up for a special occasion. Then you find out it is just what they do on Thursday or Saturday in this particular town. A warning though. You will find it difficult not to stop every five minutes (or less) to take yet another picture.
Provence deserves more than a week. I guess that means we'll be back!