One of our most memorable days in Provence was our tour through the hill-towns of the Luberon. Julie set us up with our fabulous guide, Philippe. He picked us up bright and early at the hotel and drove us through each town, sharing stories and insider info about the region along the way.
We started the day with a stop in the melon capitol of France, Cavaillon, to pick up picnic provisions from the Monday market.
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| This farmer knows how to sell his wares! The perfect spread of French breakfast radishes, butter, and flaky salt! |
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| First cherries of the season! Did you know it’s tradition to make a wish with the bite of your first cherry of the year? A fun tidbit we learned from Philippe. |
We also stopped in a local cheese shop, because what’s a picnic without cheese??
The French sure know how to do their butter…..
With picnic supplies in hand, we drove into the heart of the Luberon, driving through Menerbes (the inspiration for Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence”), Goult, Gordes, with stops at the Abbaye De Senanque, Lacoste, and Roussillon.
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| While we may have been a bit early for lavender season, we caught poppy season in all its glory! |
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| The village of Gordes in the background |
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| View of the Abbaye from the hill above |
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| The town of Lacoste is practically desolate except for students visiting from the Savannah College of Art and Design which holds it’s study abroad program in the town. |
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| Mom cleaning our beautiful French radishes, we first learned how to clean radishes at our cooking class at the Cook’s Atelier last year! |
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| I can’t even imagine these fields of lavender come July – there were certainly pretty as they were |
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| The famous ochre deposits that give the town of Roussillon its name. |
Our last stop of the day was to the local goat farm in St. Remy. We were lucky enough to meet the farmer himself and a few of the babies just born this spring.
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| As fresh as it gets! |
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| I have a whole new appreciation for chevre after tasting through this farm fresh cheese! |
If you’re planning a trip to Provence I would highly recommend spending a day with Philippe. The hill towns are rather spread apart and to be honest we probably would have lost interest after visiting one or two on our own. The insider knowledge and history he provided really made the experience!
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Thanks for such a lovely post. It's alwaysa pleasure for me to share my Provence. And it was so special with you. All the best. Philippe