In the local "tabac" (newsagent) there is a large poster advertising a local magazine and the leading article is headed "Luberon: Victim of its own success" (in French of course). Today we had a taste of what this is all about. The lure of its stunning scenery, pretty villages, ancient ruins, wonderful sunny weather, its food and culture - not to mention the plethora of books about restoring old stone farm houses in the area- has meant that the Luberon is pretty well inundated with tourists, both French and foreign, at most times of the year. And of course there are particular places that seem to attract the multitudes more than others - we were guilty of such behaviour today! Then with the Tour de France having passed through here a couple of days ago there are mad cyclists from many nations, all wearing their teams colours and puffing up severely steep hills in 38 degree temperatures! They arrive gasping in the middle of hilltop villages - the cafes do a roaring trade in cold beer. No doubt the locals, for all their grumbling, do a fine trade. Unlike the French Alps, the Luberon does not seem to have any hikers about at this time of year - sensible them - although there are wonderful trails through the mountains. I guess spring and autumn would be the best time for walking - or anything strenuous for that matter!
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| Jess the tourist - in Gordes |
Anyway, back to today's excursion. A brilliantly sunny day as we drove over the hills (Lourmarin is on the southern side of the range) and firstly to the (Plus Beaux) hilltop village of Gordes. It is a pretty place with beautiful stone houses clinging to the side of the hill, far reaching views over the Luberon Valley and surrounded by olive groves, vineyards and the occasional lavender field. High stone walls surround many of the properties - sadly often too high to peek over - but the distinctive silhouettes of pencil pines in the gardens cannot be hidden.
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| Gordes |
We strolled around Gordes, enjoyed the views, had a cold drink and chatted with some Aussie cyclists who were following the Tour. They seemed ecstatic about riding around in a heatwave - so bonne courage! It was nice to hear some familiar voices.
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| Aussie cyclist in Gordes - conqueror of Mt Ventoux! |
Gordes seems to be very popular with Chinese bus tours - swarming with them one might say. I was really interested to look through a little shop where they sell santons (little saints) made in the town of Aubagne (near Marseille). The santons are nativity figures, first made during the time of the French Revolution when many symbols of Christianity were banned. Not only were the traditional figures carved in clay, but also many characters from the local village- the butcher , the baker etc. The idea was that each family would have these santons for Christmas, but that they could be easily destroyed when the Revolutionaries arrived in town - thus the people would not suffer any consequences for displaying religious symbols. They are really fascinating and range in size from tiny to about 30 cm in height. All are beautifully dressed in traditional costumes. I bought a lovely lady carrying a basket of lavender - seemed appropriate for the area. Santons are only really seen in Provence, not other regions of France.
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| Luberon Valley viewed from Gordes |
So we left Gordes and drove about 4 kilometres into a secluded valley below to the Abbey de Senanque - the one you see on all the posters, calendars and other paraphernalia advertising Provence.
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| Abbey de Senanque |
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| Lavender fields and smoke bushes, Abbey de Senanque (and tourists) |
It is a truly beautiful place, despite the crowds at this time of year when the lavender is in full bloom. Even the presence of busloads of people cannot detract from the serenity of this lovely valley. It must be awesome when no-one is around.
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| Lavender fields of the Senanque Valley |
From Senanque we drove north to yet another of the Plus Beaux Villages, Venasque - again high on a hill and with great views of Mt Ventoux, the scourge of the Tour de France.
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| Mt Ventoux from Venasque |
We drove through Venasque but didn't stop to explore. Instead we headed for L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, famous for its Sunday antiques fair - lucky it wasn't Sunday. Tomtom had one of his moments and we took some rather wicked country lanes through very high hills - great views though - and eventually rolled into L'Isle right on rush hour. It is quite a big town and we could see how pretty the centre, located on an island in the River Sorgue, is. Not a car park space in sight in the town so it was on to our final destination for the day, Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, which is not far away. We had a lengthy walk here, firstly from the car park into the village, and then up the river to the source of the Sorgue.
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| Beautiful River Sorgue at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse |
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| River Sorgue close to the source - the cave at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse |
We returned to the village feeling rather ravenous and had dinner at a brasserie beside the river - just pizza and salad, but it was a delightful spot and the evening was very pleasant after such a hot day.
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| Riverside Brasserie at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse |
Our route home took us up over the hills through the old town of Bonnieux and then onto the hairpin bends of the road down to Lourmarin. The approach to Lourmarin is very pretty with the evening light shining through an avenue of huge old plane trees.
A pretty nice day out, all things considered. The Luberon is beautiful, but the magazine does have a very valid point. The pleasure of visiting many of its sights is somewhat dampened by the traffic, the parking difficulties, the crowds and the myriad of shops all selling the same souvenirs (Yes - guilty of some purchases along the way!). We will see what tomorrow brings.
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