Provence - Lourmarin
Lourmarinn
Lourmarin is an old Provencal village at the entrance of the only passage through the Luberon range.
We had not planned to visit, but it was on our way to Gordes where we had planned to have lunch.
Well, fate had it planned differently...
We had picked up my sister from "chez Mum and Dad" in Salon-de-Provence and we could have been travelling north to Cavaillon and continuing north to Gordes.
Instead, we decided to go south of the Luberon via Lourmarin and the Combe (cleft) to reach Gordes in time for lunch.
I happened to realise that I had never taken my family to Lourmarin and everybody went oh and ah when we hit this lovely village where the first thing you see is the magnificent old church (see photo) in the middle of a large meadow, the road lined up with beautiful old platane trees, a fixture of Provence roads, planted there to provide shade from the heat for the carriages travelling through the province 300 years ago...
Fortunately, it was decided that we would just stop here for a quick look through the village, a quick lunch maybe as it was getting to that time and then up to Gordes for more solid entertainement.
Walking through the village, we first bump into the Galerie Didier Brousse and spent quite a bit of time chatting with the manager, who happens to have married a Scott and living in Edinburgh (!), but temporarily back home to help out a friend...co-incidences if you believe in divine intervention.
Ended up buying one of his pieces for my sister who had shown a keen interest in his work.
By then, it was really time for lunch and walking another 50m bumped into Michel-Ange, a restaurant "molto simpatico" where we spent the next two hours getting a (wonderful) two-course meal barely costing us 50A$ a head and really innovative and scrumptious.
The service was certainly on the slow side, but the owner who works "la salle" has a wonderful sense of humour and of his place in the world, which makes the wait an intersting part of the whole experience.
And we are lucky to sit in the air-conditioned dining room, as it is a cool 45 degrees outside...
By then it was almost four o'clock and Gordes seemed like an improbable objective...
So, we spent more time walking through the village, and arrived at the wonderful Isirdi gallery: lucky we had not spent all our money on lunch, as we fell in love with in crayon drawings and aquarelles and bought quite a few to decorate our place back in Sydney.
We eventually went to Gordes, so watch out for the story there...
We had not planned to visit, but it was on our way to Gordes where we had planned to have lunch.
Well, fate had it planned differently...
We had picked up my sister from "chez Mum and Dad" in Salon-de-Provence and we could have been travelling north to Cavaillon and continuing north to Gordes.
Instead, we decided to go south of the Luberon via Lourmarin and the Combe (cleft) to reach Gordes in time for lunch.
I happened to realise that I had never taken my family to Lourmarin and everybody went oh and ah when we hit this lovely village where the first thing you see is the magnificent old church (see photo) in the middle of a large meadow, the road lined up with beautiful old platane trees, a fixture of Provence roads, planted there to provide shade from the heat for the carriages travelling through the province 300 years ago...
Fortunately, it was decided that we would just stop here for a quick look through the village, a quick lunch maybe as it was getting to that time and then up to Gordes for more solid entertainement.
Walking through the village, we first bump into the Galerie Didier Brousse and spent quite a bit of time chatting with the manager, who happens to have married a Scott and living in Edinburgh (!), but temporarily back home to help out a friend...co-incidences if you believe in divine intervention.
Ended up buying one of his pieces for my sister who had shown a keen interest in his work.
By then, it was really time for lunch and walking another 50m bumped into Michel-Ange, a restaurant "molto simpatico" where we spent the next two hours getting a (wonderful) two-course meal barely costing us 50A$ a head and really innovative and scrumptious.
The service was certainly on the slow side, but the owner who works "la salle" has a wonderful sense of humour and of his place in the world, which makes the wait an intersting part of the whole experience.
And we are lucky to sit in the air-conditioned dining room, as it is a cool 45 degrees outside...
By then it was almost four o'clock and Gordes seemed like an improbable objective...
So, we spent more time walking through the village, and arrived at the wonderful Isirdi gallery: lucky we had not spent all our money on lunch, as we fell in love with in crayon drawings and aquarelles and bought quite a few to decorate our place back in Sydney.
We eventually went to Gordes, so watch out for the story there...
From Lourmarin to Gordes
There is only one passage through the Luberon, and it is spectacular! Carved in the limestone over the ages by the Aiguebrun river, an ancient footpath along the river has been transformed into a small and winding road which rises up to the Montfuron pass at 649m of altitude.
A fork in the road gives you the choice to go north east to Apt or north west to Bonnieux and Gordes
Just found this motorbike video of the road down from the pass, filmed in August...
You will appreciate why I recommend to visit in May/June or September/October! Pretty scary but definitely worth the ride
A fork in the road gives you the choice to go north east to Apt or north west to Bonnieux and Gordes
Just found this motorbike video of the road down from the pass, filmed in August...
You will appreciate why I recommend to visit in May/June or September/October! Pretty scary but definitely worth the ride
Provence - Luberon - Gordes and ...
Gordes is probably one of the most famous villages in Provence (up there with Bonnieux, courtesy of " A year in Provence" by Peter Mayle) and in France, in competition with Rocamadour, but that's for another day...
My grandfather used to own a house at the entrance of the village and I have many recollections of happy times there with my extended family.
The village was far from being the totally renovated, almost brand new - upmarket - village it is today.
It was a lived in place with markets twice a week and not many tourists. The nearby Abbaye de Senanque was still inhabited by quite a large congregation of monks, of whom my grandfather was the official photographer. This granted us special access to the then fairly secluded place, and its produces, mainlyhoney, lavender and its derivatives, as well as a lovely liqueur called "La Senancole" which was produced by the monks...
(I suppose one has to have some consolation for abandoning the external signs of life's pleasures...). It is now made by someone else and is available from http://www.snooth.com.
My grandfather used to own a house at the entrance of the village and I have many recollections of happy times there with my extended family.
The village was far from being the totally renovated, almost brand new - upmarket - village it is today.
It was a lived in place with markets twice a week and not many tourists. The nearby Abbaye de Senanque was still inhabited by quite a large congregation of monks, of whom my grandfather was the official photographer. This granted us special access to the then fairly secluded place, and its produces, mainlyhoney, lavender and its derivatives, as well as a lovely liqueur called "La Senancole" which was produced by the monks...
(I suppose one has to have some consolation for abandoning the external signs of life's pleasures...). It is now made by someone else and is available from http://www.snooth.com.
Senanque
The monks had left for a while to the Abbaye of Lerins, but have now returned in larger numbers and once again produce honey, lavender products and so on. You can help with their ambitious renovation programme by visiting their online shop (eh oui, even the monks are on the Net!) at
www.senanque.fr.
But to come back to Gordes, this is now a very empty place apart from tourists, as most properties belong to people who do not live here permanently, still very beautiful, almost too clean and aseptised by decades of renovations, but still a very good place for shopping because of the very wealthy temporary locals and visitors.
Dream of your next property at Rosier Real Estate (http://www.gordes-immobilier.com ), find a ring or a nice dress for your loved one.
But don't forget to visit the castle, and the Village des Bories just outside the village: I used to roam unattanded there with my sister for hours, inventing stories, building our own bories with loose stones or paying hide and seek...Kids today would not get a chance to play in these well fenced ruins!
www.senanque.fr.
But to come back to Gordes, this is now a very empty place apart from tourists, as most properties belong to people who do not live here permanently, still very beautiful, almost too clean and aseptised by decades of renovations, but still a very good place for shopping because of the very wealthy temporary locals and visitors.
Dream of your next property at Rosier Real Estate (http://www.gordes-immobilier.com ), find a ring or a nice dress for your loved one.
But don't forget to visit the castle, and the Village des Bories just outside the village: I used to roam unattanded there with my sister for hours, inventing stories, building our own bories with loose stones or paying hide and seek...Kids today would not get a chance to play in these well fenced ruins!
Gordes to Oppede Le Vieux
Edith Mezard - Lumieres
One would think that after such a busy day, we would have rushed home for a quick bite and a good sleep...
Well, detrompez-vous!
We decided for a quick detour to Oppede-Le-Vieux...easier said than done, as it is a convoluted way up there. More so, as my wife insisted to go via Lumieres to see the linen shop of Edith Mezard, which was closed by the time we got there, but got a good photo of her castle!
Oppede Le Vieux is not signed until you are almost there, but Oppede is. Which add to the confusion, as you don't want to go there.
You have to go through Menerbes instead and resist the temptation to stop for dinner at Cafe Veranda - it was almost 7.00pm when we drove past, and the terrace was very well appointed already... - and find the tiny road up the mountain.
You will have to park the car away from the village and walk up and up and up to the 12th Century church. Every step is a discovery, sometime spectacularly renovated house, old porches ready to crumble, sometime getting a glimpse of the tragedies and battles of the past.
If you are a seer, watch out, you will meet a number of lost souls there...
L'Isle sur la Sorgue - La Fontaine de Vaucluse
La Sorgue, and L'Isle..., would not exist without La Fontaine de Vaucluse, a fiery resurgence at the bottom of a few hundreds meters high cliff cut by the force of these waters over millions of years.
L'Isle is a charming village 7 kms down the Sorgue, full of nice old buildings and very famous for its antique shops.
There is a market around the 15th of August which attracts antique dealers from around the world and it is well worth fighting the crowds that particular week-end.
We found a set of cuttlery designed by Gae Aulenti (she designed the Musee d'Orsay museum...)that were used in a restaurant in Monaco in the 1940's
But, in my opinion, the antique shops are overrated on a normal day, and you will have a hard time finding something worth the money asked.
But strolling through is still an interesting exercise and well worth a visit.
Have lunch at L'Ousteau de L'isle or chez Philip in La Fontaine.
L'Isle is a charming village 7 kms down the Sorgue, full of nice old buildings and very famous for its antique shops.
There is a market around the 15th of August which attracts antique dealers from around the world and it is well worth fighting the crowds that particular week-end.
We found a set of cuttlery designed by Gae Aulenti (she designed the Musee d'Orsay museum...)that were used in a restaurant in Monaco in the 1940's
But, in my opinion, the antique shops are overrated on a normal day, and you will have a hard time finding something worth the money asked.
But strolling through is still an interesting exercise and well worth a visit.
Have lunch at L'Ousteau de L'isle or chez Philip in La Fontaine.
Provence - Alpilles - Maussanne
Just a quick note on Maussanne for a visitor to this site from America.
Hopefully, it will be valuable for everybody...
We spent two weeks there in July last year as a base to (re)visit Provence and spend some time with my parents.
Crawling the Net three months before, we had found three properties that seemed suitable.
My sister kindly offered to visit them and give us her impression.
On her advice, we chose this lovely old house on the outskirts of Maussane (we are talking a few hundreds meters here...) very private, and full of history. The house has been in the same family for four generations and the original occupant (the grandfather of the current owner, if I remember properly) was an inventor, involved in the first radio receiver and also the bycicle wheel with spokes as we know it today.
I built my first crystal radio when I was 15, and my son is a down hill mountain bike fanatic, so it was the perfect match!
See some photos below.
If you are interested in renting it, you can do so by visiting "Coins Secrets" here
We had the best time, as there was a lovely fruit garden, where I could go and pick fresh figs for breakfast, a bike to ride into town to get the baguettes or croissants - there is a choice of FOUR bakeries in the village... - it is lovingly furnished, the kitchen is very well equipped and you can have your meals outside - there is fabulous BBQ - or on a big table inside when it is too hot outside.
It felt like if it were our own place...
Hopefully, it will be valuable for everybody...
We spent two weeks there in July last year as a base to (re)visit Provence and spend some time with my parents.
Crawling the Net three months before, we had found three properties that seemed suitable.
My sister kindly offered to visit them and give us her impression.
On her advice, we chose this lovely old house on the outskirts of Maussane (we are talking a few hundreds meters here...) very private, and full of history. The house has been in the same family for four generations and the original occupant (the grandfather of the current owner, if I remember properly) was an inventor, involved in the first radio receiver and also the bycicle wheel with spokes as we know it today.
I built my first crystal radio when I was 15, and my son is a down hill mountain bike fanatic, so it was the perfect match!
See some photos below.
If you are interested in renting it, you can do so by visiting "Coins Secrets" here
We had the best time, as there was a lovely fruit garden, where I could go and pick fresh figs for breakfast, a bike to ride into town to get the baguettes or croissants - there is a choice of FOUR bakeries in the village... - it is lovingly furnished, the kitchen is very well equipped and you can have your meals outside - there is fabulous BBQ - or on a big table inside when it is too hot outside.
It felt like if it were our own place...
Cassis
Although technically not on the French Riviera, as it is a few kms east of Marseille(s), it will give you a good impression of the Mediterranean coast and life. Its gorgeous setting in the midst of limestone cliffs and fjords - Les Calanques - it is a great place to sail, walk, climb, shop, eat and dance...in great style. Beautiful houses hidden between sea and pine trees, that you will best see from the number of small cruises that criss-cross the Calanques, rocky beaches, magnificent hotels, great restaurants and shops for all - beautiful and rich - or just like you and me - enjoying the finer things in life and ready to splurge occasionally when we come accross unique objects or tableware or clothes. You will find all these and more in Cassis, without the snobism of say St Tropez or Cannes. It can be quite busy on the week-ends as it is the choice destination of most people living in Aix or Marseille.
My favourite restaurant is Chez Gilbert, mostly because I have been going since my childhood and many a time since, including last July.
It is a very good place, with a nice view, good food - see the dessert in the photo below - and nice service - seafood de rigueur - bien sur, and you can't pass a white Cassis wine to complete the package!
My favourite restaurant is Chez Gilbert, mostly because I have been going since my childhood and many a time since, including last July.
It is a very good place, with a nice view, good food - see the dessert in the photo below - and nice service - seafood de rigueur - bien sur, and you can't pass a white Cassis wine to complete the package!
Grasse - the perfume capital of the world
A beautiful little town bravely encroched to the mountainside and surrounded by the most expensive fields in the World - where all these delicate flowers are grown and harvested at dawn to be expertedly distilled for our narcissic pleasure...
You need to visit the International Museum of Perfume, The Musee des parfums et bijoux and the Fragonard factory, at least...
That will leave you time for a nice lunch and some shopping and people watching as a bonus!
You need to visit the International Museum of Perfume, The Musee des parfums et bijoux and the Fragonard factory, at least...
That will leave you time for a nice lunch and some shopping and people watching as a bonus!
Uzes, la ville qui monte!
Uzes has long been a forgotten stop on the tourist maps.
But for a few years now, its relatively unknown status has attracted new people looking to invest in Provence, but without the price tag of the Alpilles or Luberon regions. So money has been poured into restoring (and I was tempted to say, restauring...) this sleeping beauty.
It is a traditional village with the core of the old city tucked inside a ring street where most of the shops and restaurants are (and an inordinate amount of banks!).
There is a fabulous central plaza - Place aux Herbes - where the market happens every Saturday. It has been labeled "le plus beau marche de France" and it is certainly quite special becuase of its location and the quality, diversity and freshness of its produces, all locally sourced (locavores, what are you waiting for???). Check it here
Just walking the streets is quite entertaining, as there are lots of small passages and ruelles, old buildings and no cars.
Also, you will find a lot of nice shops selling homewares, provencal fabrics, and artwork, and bien sur the famous "pots d'Uzes", one of them proudly made it to Australia and sits nicely on our terrace!
But for a few years now, its relatively unknown status has attracted new people looking to invest in Provence, but without the price tag of the Alpilles or Luberon regions. So money has been poured into restoring (and I was tempted to say, restauring...) this sleeping beauty.
It is a traditional village with the core of the old city tucked inside a ring street where most of the shops and restaurants are (and an inordinate amount of banks!).
There is a fabulous central plaza - Place aux Herbes - where the market happens every Saturday. It has been labeled "le plus beau marche de France" and it is certainly quite special becuase of its location and the quality, diversity and freshness of its produces, all locally sourced (locavores, what are you waiting for???). Check it here
Just walking the streets is quite entertaining, as there are lots of small passages and ruelles, old buildings and no cars.
Also, you will find a lot of nice shops selling homewares, provencal fabrics, and artwork, and bien sur the famous "pots d'Uzes", one of them proudly made it to Australia and sits nicely on our terrace!
