Saturday morning we woke up early to get everything packed up for our next location. We left Avignon and headed south to the little town of Saint Remy en Provence. This is where Van Gogh supposedly painted Starry Night (my favorite painting). There wasn't much to the town but they did have a tiny market happening so we checked this out and bought a butterfly-shaped bakery item. My dad thought it would taste like beignet from New Orleans but it was heavier, with a strong orange-blossom flavor that made it almost taste soapy. Not as good as we'd hoped. We also found the hotel where the opera Mireille was written in 1863 by Charles Gounod. Neither of us knew the opera but it was a cool historical fact that we happened upon.
Our next stop was the Abbey of Sénanque, which is supposed to have beautiful lavender fields. We made our way past the town of Gordes and then turned into the hills. The town was beautiful, perched on the top of the hill and cascading down the side. Next time I'm back to look at lavender, I would stay here. It's adorable. We planned to walk through the town after the Abbey. We arrived at the Abbey fairly early, around 9:30am and already there were other tourists. But the lavender was beautiful. And everything smelled amazing! We toured around the inside of the Abbey, which was very simple. It was founded in 1148 but during the Wars of Religion and then the French Revolution the lands were taken and the monks expelled. In 1854 it was repurchased for an order of Cistercian monks, but they were later expelled in 1903 and departed to their headquarters near Cannes. A small community returned in 1988 and have been residing in the Abbey ever since, working and praying as their way of life. They tend the lavender fields as well as fruit trees and bee keeps and sell all the produce locally.
After the lavender we checked out the village of Gordes. There was a wedding in progress at the church so we couldn't explore that but they had a pretty sweet getaway car ready for them after the ceremony.
A little over an hour drive away from here was the city of Aix-en-Provence where we stopped for lunch. I had heard about Les Deux Garçons cafe which was started in 1792 and has hosted a number of notable figures throughout history including Cézanne, Zola, Picasso, Piaf and Churchill. It is always busy but we managed to find a table and the food was good. One of the best hamburgers I've had in awhile (including in the States...though it doesn't quite beat Bud's burgers). And a very good rum baba for dessert that my dad was very excited about. The main street also has lots of neat fountains down the center, many overgrown with moss.
After our lunch stop we headed to our final destination...Le Lavandou. We wanted a beach town that had open hotels within our price range and this fit the ticket. Beautiful views from our balcony, and also amazing views from the harbor at dinner time. Looking forward to my beaching time over the next two days!!!
Our next stop was the Abbey of Sénanque, which is supposed to have beautiful lavender fields. We made our way past the town of Gordes and then turned into the hills. The town was beautiful, perched on the top of the hill and cascading down the side. Next time I'm back to look at lavender, I would stay here. It's adorable. We planned to walk through the town after the Abbey. We arrived at the Abbey fairly early, around 9:30am and already there were other tourists. But the lavender was beautiful. And everything smelled amazing! We toured around the inside of the Abbey, which was very simple. It was founded in 1148 but during the Wars of Religion and then the French Revolution the lands were taken and the monks expelled. In 1854 it was repurchased for an order of Cistercian monks, but they were later expelled in 1903 and departed to their headquarters near Cannes. A small community returned in 1988 and have been residing in the Abbey ever since, working and praying as their way of life. They tend the lavender fields as well as fruit trees and bee keeps and sell all the produce locally.
After the lavender we checked out the village of Gordes. There was a wedding in progress at the church so we couldn't explore that but they had a pretty sweet getaway car ready for them after the ceremony.
A little over an hour drive away from here was the city of Aix-en-Provence where we stopped for lunch. I had heard about Les Deux Garçons cafe which was started in 1792 and has hosted a number of notable figures throughout history including Cézanne, Zola, Picasso, Piaf and Churchill. It is always busy but we managed to find a table and the food was good. One of the best hamburgers I've had in awhile (including in the States...though it doesn't quite beat Bud's burgers). And a very good rum baba for dessert that my dad was very excited about. The main street also has lots of neat fountains down the center, many overgrown with moss.
After our lunch stop we headed to our final destination...Le Lavandou. We wanted a beach town that had open hotels within our price range and this fit the ticket. Beautiful views from our balcony, and also amazing views from the harbor at dinner time. Looking forward to my beaching time over the next two days!!!
Did you know that Les Deux Garcons was one of my hang-outs when I lived in Aix, and it was a favorite meeting place for students. I'm so glad you guys made it to Senanque and Gordes. Le Lavandou looks gorgeous! Enjoy!
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