“Misty watercolor memories……..’
…of the Luberon and beyond with my friends last week. Luckily, I have the pictures to remind me of our time there. Sadly, they hold a distant second place to the actual experience. So, you won’t know just how beautiful it was and how much fun we had. But, for me, the pictures will fondly remind me of my time in the Luberon and help the memories to linger on. Over time, the memories will fade like a watercolor painting, but for now…..they are in technicolor! I’m going to share them with you while they are still bright and shiny.
We spent about two days in total exploring the small hill towns of the Luberon after a short stop in Avignon and a couple of stops for the wine tasting I told you about in the last post. I had visited Avignon a few years ago and toured the Palais de Papes and The Benezet Bridge. But, my friends were on their maiden voyage to France, and Avignon is a “must see” when in the area. So, we spent one day touring the “ville”. I was glad to have the refresher.
In Avignon, we stayed in a cute and historic hotel that was directly across from the Palais de Papes. As we were planning the trip, we decided that we would try to minimize cost by sharing a room. Our room there was ideal, although it was quite small. I will add here that both friends that joined me on this adventure were “newer” friends. One works with me at Adelaida Cellars and the other was a friend of hers that I had never met. I will say that we got to know one another in a hurry and had a lot of laughs as we negotiated luggage and took turns getting dressed and showered in the morning in a tiny space. It was like a pajama party for grown-ups. Fun!
After Avignon, we moved along to our first Luberon adventure. For the next two nights, we stayed in a bed and breakfast in the small mountain town of Goult. This little town is off the “beaten path” and in the off season was very “sleepy”. The bed and breakfast, which was in an old restored mansion, was delightful. We had a small suite on one side of the house and were the only guests during our stay. So, we had the “run” of the house, which we all loved. We spent a lot of time in the very large dining room. They must do some things in the evenings there in the busy season, because it had a sound system with great speakers. We were able to hook up my iPhone and access my collection of music on iTunes so that we could listen at the end of our days of touring. I can’t say that I have ever seen something like this before. But, it was nice to have some fun music in the evenings while we reviewed the events of the day. I will also add that our hosts were also lovely people. The young woman who we dealt with most of the time is an art therapist. We had some interesting discussions about people and their responses to the arts. Interesting gal!
For our exploration of the Luberon, we chose to visit some of the smaller, lesser known towns, Saignon, Sainte Saturnin les Apt, and Casaneuve. They are quite similar in many ways, so I will describe them in general and just point out some of the highlights. Each of the towns is situated on the top of the rock formations along the side of the mountains, so you can imagine that the views were spectacular in any direction we looked. I have mentioned several times about the beautiful fall leaves in provence. It was no different here. It was a feast for the eyes of vibrant colors mixed in with some remaining green in the vineyards, olive trees and pine trees. The muted colors of the mountain rock added yet another dimension. Spectacular!
The small towns themselves were typical small, old villages with winding cobblestone streets that lead up (mostly) into the towns. There was usually a small town square with a church in the middle. We also found a few cemeteries that were interesting to wander through. My traveling companions are also interested in the old churches. So, we saw all of them. Because we were a little off the “beaten path” and because if was the off season, we didn’t find a lot of “kitchy” tourist shops. There were a few, but not many. We were left to simply appreciate the towns as they were without all of the trappings of tourists. It was great….and quite relaxing I must say.
We spent the most time in Sainte Saturnin les Apt. One of my traveling partners had her “Lonely Planets” tour book with her and we were using it as a guide for the small towns The book highly recommended this small town because of its charm and the remains of a castle at the edge of town that we could walk to for some amazing views. All of us have issues with backs or knees or something else. But, despite it all, we decided that we needed to climb the path to the castle. I think we would all agree that it was well worth the effort. And, we all felt good about being able to do it! Again, the views were breathtaking And, we were there just as the sun was setting. The sky was filled with ribbons of pink and orange as we looked over the landscape from the castle.
We also had the best meal of the trip in Cassaneuve. On our first day out before we left our bed and breakfast, we asked the owners whether they could recommend a good place to have lunch. They suggested and helped us with a reservation to one of their favorite places in one of the small towns. When we approached, it looked like just another ordinary bistro type restaurant with some tables and chairs out in the front for Alfresco diners. However, when we entered the restaurant, it was a different story. There were white linen tablecloths and very upscale surroundings. We looked at each other and agreed that we wouldn’t worry about cost, but would have what we wanted and enjoy the experience. The meal began with an “amuse bouche” and then went on to a three course meal consisting of squash soup; a main dish of Iberian pork done with an amazing sauce and a little sweetness added by bananas; and then a Baba au Rhum. The rum was in a small tube that was stuck into the side of a mound of cake sitting on some creme anglais. It was pretty and delicious….a meal to remember. The chef served us and posed for a picture with us at the end of the meal. He was very gracious! In my opinion, the quality of the food was at the same level as some Michelin rated restaurants I have been to. It wouldn’t surprise me to know that they had a Michelin Star, although I don’t think they did.
We also spent some time at the Fountaine de Vaucluse. Again, I had been there with a group from the school. There was a lot more water in the gorge this time than when I visited previously, as we had some rain during the week. And, there were a lot more changing leaves….and, a lot fewer tourists. So, it was a totally different experience from my last visit early in October. What a peaceful time.
The three of us returned to my apartment in Aix en Provence after our trek through the Luberon. I introduced the group to the markets in Aix and the Granet Museum.
On our last day together, we took a day trip to Marseille, a return trip for me, but a first time for them. We visited the Cathedral Notre Dame de la Garde. It is one of the grandest churches I have seen anywhere. It sits on the top of the hill overlooking Marseille. The church and the views from the church are quite spectacular. From our vantage point, Marseille looked like a town made from “legos” all stacked one on top of the other sitting on the edge of the turquoise water. It was quite a scene.
We finished the day with an interesting middle eastern lunch of couscous mixed with a broth of root vegetables and chicken. Just great!
My friends have gone home now and I am on to the next adventure here in Aix en Provence. But, the memory of our time together will linger on. In one of the cemeteries in the Luberon, I found a headstone that had this saying on it, which I think sums it all up…..roughly, it means “Memories are like a book that we read without stopping and which never closes”.
On to the next memory!
Travel With Betsy 
November 22, 2014 at 9:39 am |
Tres Bon! Love your blog, loved traveling with you!