Provence, France - Roussillon, June 20, 2015 (I had my very first lavender ice cream here!)

Provence, France  Roussillon, June 20, 2015 (I had my very first lavender ice cream here!)

 

So, this is the last of the 3 villages I visited in Provence today. I had a hard time picking out a photo that I liked to showcase this town. The defining feature of this town doesn't show up so much in this photo. This town, Roussillon, in on a hill and can be seen from a distance.

Also, Roussillon is built on red rock.

and the houses are multi-colored unlike Gordes where the houses are all cream colored.

Each town has it's own unique feel and character. 

 

That's what makes it so interesting to walk through these towns!

 

These are trellises that are built over many of the patios here. During the winter there is nothing on top. But during the summer, they have beautiful grape leaves. And a lot of French people love to eat "Al Fresco" (outside). Great food, a beautiful environment, a great view and great conversation. Sounds good to me! 

This was a little nook on the side of a house that the owners
"beautified". Beauty and art everywhere you look!

 

And, here is the view from up here. Pretty spectacular, isn't it?

Just a little more beauty that I captured here.

 

Sorry, 2 more photos!

 

I have taken over 4,000 photos on this trip and now you see why. Breathtaking beauty!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Provence, France - Abbey of Senanque, June 20, 2015 (One of the things they produce here is lavender oil. I bought some!)

Provence, France - Abbey of Senanque, June 20, 2015 (One of the things they produce here is lavender oil. I bought some!)

Ok, so I have to say that I am pretty proud of how this photo turned out. But I cannot take all the credit! Benoit (my tour guide) told me exactly where to stand and exactly where to put my camera to get this shot. I took another shot of this abbey but the lavender field doesn't show up very well.

 

So this is what you see as you are coming down the canyon to this abbey. There are only 50 monks that live here now. It used to be more heavily populated.  They grow all their own food and, they grow lavender to sell. A bigger picture of the hills around this abbey shows that their are vineyards and gardens for the crops that they grow. I bought some lavender oil that was produced here.  Heck, how many times am I going to get lavender oil from the Abbey of Senanque?

 

 

So here's my less than perfect photo of the Abbey. Now you know why I showed the other one first. The lavender doesn't show up near as well in this photo.  The monks put up signs along the edge of the lavender saying to beware of the snakes and scorpions.  I asked Benoit if there was really snakes and scorpions. He said, "nah, but it used to help keep the tourists from picking the lavender." He said some tourists would come out of here with armfuls of it!

 

 

 

 

 

Provence, France - Gordes, June 20, 2015 (I learned about the varied tastes of many differnt olive oils and bought 3 very different types here)

Provence, France - Gordes, June 20, 2015 (I learned about the varied tastes of many different olive oils and bought 3 very different types here)

 

This is Gordes. It is over 2,000 years old. When we stopped to take pictures coming into the city, this site took my breath away. It was magnificient! I cannot show you how incredible this view is in 2 dimensions. You need to be there. The Romans occupied this area at one time.

 

 

The homes in this town are all one color. That creamy beige color. Also, the homes in this area are multi-million dollar homes.

 

The views up here on the hill are spectacular! This area is known for its "Le Mistral" or, the winds. It is windy a lot so the air is clear, and fresh, a lot! A very desirable place to live.

 

Here is an olive grove growing by the side of the road.

 

There are also beautiful landscaped yards along the way.





I think I mentioned in a former post that I went on a tour of Provence when I was in Avignon. There are 4 directions to travel outside of Avignon, and I went to the east. There are 3 villages that I visited and Gordes is one of them.

This is a well where they used to draw water for home use. If you look closely, you can see 2 metal rails coming out from the fountain to the wall of the fountain. These were used because the vessels to carry the water were very heavy so the person gathering water could rest the vessel on the rails while filling it up. 



Here is my wonderful tour guide, Benoit Vincent of Avignon-PrestigeTours (Avignon-prestigetour.com).

He knew exactly what sights I wanted to see,

where to take the best pictures,

where to taste and purchase the best olive oil. I tasted 3 kinds of olive oil. They all had completely different tastes and uses. I only knew of one taste and one use for olive oil before!

 

Benoit really knew his trade and I was very grateful to have him guide me through this beautiful and amazing countryside!

 

 
 
 

Montfavet, outside of Avignon, France and Restaurant Le Bistrot, June 20, 2015

Montfavet, outside of Avignon, France and Restaurant Le Bistrot, June 20, 2015

I have been out of town for about a week and out of communication for about 2 weeks because some friends from the U.S. came and we hung out in Paris then drove to Barcelona. I stayed on, myself, then came to Avignon - French Provence!

I am staying in a little town called Montfavet, which is right outside of Avignon but not close enough to get into Avignon without a Taxi or knowing the bus system - in French!

So, I am trying to call a taxi company and, by the way, they don't speak English, and tell them where to pick me up and my apartment isn't in the normal taxi stop locations.  

I am staying in a furnished apartment with regular neighborhood "stuff" around so I go to the restaurant right next door to my apartment and ask if anyone speaks English. One guy there speaks up and says "Yes!" 

Well, that one guy is Sebastien, the "Director" of the restaurant, (we call them managers in America), and I tell him my predicament. He immediately gets on the phone and helps me get a cab and describes to the driver how to get here. My hero! But it doesn't stop there. He also gave me a drink while I was waiting and kept calling the taxi company to make sure that they were, in fact, coming, and then when the finally arrived (and he ended up calling another taxi company to make sure I got picked up!), he spoke with the drive to make sure that he would take good care of me and that I could get a taxi back to my apartment! And he made sure that I had a taxi to pick me up on Sunday to get to the train to get back to Paris. That's 3x he was my hero!

Then, (there is always drama in life, isn't there?) when I was booking my train back to Paris I saw that the last train to Paris left before my taxi was going to pick me up on Sunday so I had to make other arrangements. So, I called Sebastien. He saved the day - again!!! 4x times my hero!!! HE, personally, drove me to the train station on Sunday morning (his day off!) OF COURSE I PAID HIM WELL! What a prince he was! He saved me!!!

Well, on Saturday night I told him I would come back from Avignon and eat dinner at his Bistro. The food was fantastic!

 

 

 

First, all guests get small toasts with a delicious olive spread. (Sorry! I already took a bite. Yum!)

 

 

Then I ordered the sampler because my moto is "I better try it now because I don't know when I will get back here again!"

The sampler has a mini scallop "burger with a lemon citrus sauce, a wonderful salad, (you haven't lived until you have tried real Dijon French dressing!), A foie gras pate (I normally would say that I don't like that but it was delicious!), a goat cheese with carmelized onion, (great!),  the last one I can't remember but I think it was a white fish, like bass, with a sauce and slices of fresh apple on top. so creative!!

 

 

 
I asked Sebastien about the desserts and this one is a chocolate with, I believe, hazelnuts inside. And of course, their signature "B" for Le Bistrot.

 

I had mint tea to top off my dining experience.

If you look out into the background of my photos you will see that it is light outside. I had dinner at around 8:30 pm. It doesn't get dark here until around 10:20 p.m.!!  So you have lots of time to enjoy your evening dining experience!

Thank you Sebastien and Le Bistrot! You are a special memory for my trip to Montfavet!