Provence June 2014

June 23 - 30, 2014 - impressions of Provence 

As with our time in Corsica here are our most significant impression of are visit to Provence

• the vibrant fields of lavender - the aroma and buzzing of the bees
• the one field of sunflowers in bloom
• the turquoise lakes
• the view down the valley from Auberge le Robur
• our meal at Auberge le Robur
• rose wines
• La Parare - in particular our Chapel room dating from the 1600s
• our Le Lavande room at Le Colombiere du chateau
• breakfast at Mas Perreal
• our private terrace at Mas Perreal
• the market in Lourmarin
• the quaint stone villages of the Luberon
• people watching while enjoying a drink/citron pressee
• the fields of lavender

Our return to Provence was all we expected, particularly with the lavender fields in full bloom.  Another great trip - both Corsica and Provence.

June 30, 2014 - Chateauneuf-Villevieille to Nice airport to Montreal to home

     Our last day, well morning as most of the day will be at airports and in airplanes.  We awoke to clear blue skies, finished packing and sat down to another nice breakfast under an olive tree.  A nice bread board, yoghurt, freshly squeezed orange juice, a soft boiled egg and Swedish pancakes.

     We were told the drive to the Nice airport was easy, other than the 15 switchbacks to get from Chateaneuf-Villevielle to Contes in the valley below although we drove the road down and up yesterday, and should take approx. 45 minutes.  And it was.  With a stop to re-fuel it was 40 minutes after-which we easily found the rental car return and made our way to Terminal 1.  The plane sat on the tarmac for approx. 45 minutes (no idea why) which caused us to arrive late in Montreal.  To Air Canada's credit when we arrived at the luggage connection area new boarding passes were waiting for us on the next flight to Halifax, as we had missed our connection.

The view from the terrace just outside out room at La Parare.

     Another morning; another nice french breakfast.  A brief shower brought breakfast inside but it soon cleared up and for the most part was a nice day.  We left Brignoles for a relatively long drive to Chateauneuf-Villevieille, in the hills north of Nice.  The initial route took us through an area of vineyards north-east of Brignoles.  A stop at a patisserie made our mouths water with the enticing pastries and pies available.  The relatively flat drive through the vineyards soon changes as we approached the foothills of the Alps-Maritimes, passing through Grasse and then Vence.  Although we did not stop we drove past what appeared to be the interesting (and touristed) village of St. Paul de Vence.

     There is a valley running north-south on the west side of Nice, requiring a long and sometimes steep descent down the ridge, made all the more difficult by the fact there was a cycling race taking place.  Across the valley (not particularly attractive with considerable industry) and it was immediately up again, turning and twisting as we ascended another of the Alps-Maritimes spines, finally making it to our destination La Parare, in Chateauneuf-Villevielle. 

     La Parare, originally an old stone farmhouse dating from the 1600s, is now a very tastefully renovated boutique guesthouse.  Our bedroom, appropriately named La Chapelle, was small with convent like ceilings while the living area had a massive fireplace.  But the most impressive aspect of our room was the bathroom.  As Karin said with a house this old with thick stone walls one has to work with what one has.  The bathroom was the largest room of the three with both a modern rain-shower and a very large bathtub.  Interestingly the entire unit was done in a giraffe theme, which worked very well.  While the most expensive (164 euros) place we stayed on the trip this is a first class boutique hotel.  Although we did not have time to use it the small but beautiful pool set against stone walls was attractive.  Set on a hillside La Parare has excellent views of the surrounding mountains although less so of the valley.  The village of Chateauneuf-Villevielle sits on a ledge high above the river valley, with the 12th century church being the significant landmark.

     Karin recommended we eat in the village of Peillon, only 14 km away, considerably less as the crow flies but over half an hour given the need to again drive a number of 'lacets', or hairpin switchbacks down into another valley and then back up the other side.  The picturesque village was exactly as promised, very medieval looking on top of a high narrow rocky peak with a compact collection of grey stone homes and narrow little streets winding up and down through low, vaulted passages and sometimes by steep stairs.  After an afternoon shower approaching the village was spectacular as the early evening sun served as essentially a spotlight on the village.

     After a short wander through the alleys - being a pedestrian only village one can't really call them streets - up and down the steep stairs through a maze of stone buildings we made our way to the Auberge de la Madone, for our final dinner.  Too cool to eat out on the terrace we enjoyed an aperitif of the on-site made bitter orange wine.  The views from the terrace and the décor of the indoor restaurant were both impressive.  Service was great.  Unfortunately the appetizer was really not very good - a fried zucchini with virtually no zucchini and a sad excuse for a salad.  My guinea fowl was quite good and the chef did go out of his way to make a pot of a large variety of vegetables for Gayle.  Dessert was good and the wine, while expensive was very good.  Regrettably the meal was over-priced for what it was but when one factors in the location and service it was a nice finish to our trip.

     The return drive (down and up the effectively one-lane road mountainsides) in the dark took some nerve but we took it slow and returned with no problems. 

Our first glimpse of Peillon, almost as if a spotlight is shining on the village.

... and as we get closer, continuing to ascend the "lacets" (hairpin switchbacks.)

We were told the village of Peillon has many more cats than inhabitants.

Enjoying our apertif on the terrace overlooking the valley. form the Auberge de la Madone.

     While every breakfast was good certainly the most varied and interesting were at Le Mas Perreal.  From cherry pancakes to quiche to a Maitfaim, and apples filled sort of omelet, along with all the standard breakfast items - fresh bread, croissants, juice, café au lait, jams etc. makes for an enjoyable start to the day.  There may be some culture shock when we return home to our normal coffee and a piece of toast. 

     Again it was difficult to leave such a nice place but leave we must.  Rather than take the most direct route we chose to drive a bit north, around Forcalquier and then straight south to Brignoles, our stop for the night as we needed to return to Nice over the next two days.  The drive of course took us past some more lavender fields but the real bonus was a fully in bloom sunflower field.  Other than the odd sunflower here and there this was the only full field in bloom, and it was spectacular.  We can only imagine what the fields will look like in a couple of weeks.

     The afternoon was a drive through both open fields of wheat and corn and some forested areas, winding through moderate mountain gorges to Brignoles where we were very pleased with our stop at La Bastide de Messine, dating back to 1850 when it was a prosperous wine property that also included silk worm farming by the Ladies of the Bastide.  General de Gaulle, a friend of one of the Generals who was one of the owners of the Bastide, slept here several times when he came to visit his friend in Provence.  The Bastide has been operated as a guest house for 11 years now.  We had some time to relax in the afternoon so I took a dip in the pool and soaked in the afternoon sun. 

     We were somewhat concerned about Nelly's dinner recommendation based on the lack of diners - there were only two other table in quite a large terrace, let alone the indoor area.  But we stayed anyway and glad we did as I had perhaps my best meal of the trip (although the first family dinner in Corse and the Michelin meal in Robur would be close behind).  The chevre appetizer (Gayle had the same) was good, although not all that large, which had me a bit worried about my plats.  But my lamb main course as beyond excellent - a large serving presented beautifully with vegetables in each corner, and the desserts - both were outstanding, again both in presentation and taste.  An excellent dinner.   

A carved cantaloupe then filled with a cold cantaloupe soup.

For me possibly the nicest dinner of the trip, with excellent food both in terms of presentation and taste.

We know you are no doubt tired of more lavender field photos but it is lavender season in this regions of Provence and they are generally in full bloom, these next to grapes vines so more lavender pictures you will have to endure.

We stopped into a cafe (outdoors of course) for a couple of drinks - citron presses.

The French certainly know how to look after their dogs - especially those that can read.

The French are known for setting up a picnic just about anywhere.  This one was actually in the parking lot when we returned from the market.

     So much for the sound sleep.  Last night there was a huge lightening and thunder storm with heavy rains - we understand there was significant damage due to floods in Grasse.  We enjoyed another nice breakfast, this one with some meat and cheese and a Swiss meusli with a couple from Germany and four young ladies from Taiwan.  We spent a considerable time chatting with Tom and Barbara about Les Colombiere - a 'colombiere' is a pigeon with the pigeon coup part of the building having been apparently quite prized, being granted in the day by none other than the king, and the Taiwanese girls about their traveling, Taiwan etc.  Before we knew it it was noon.

     And then the first phase of our drive turned out to be quite slow as we drove by fields and fields of lavender, the next more photogenic than the last as well as a number of small quaint villages.  After Manosque and Apt we turned north to just outside Saint-Saturnin-Les-Apt where we will spend the next three nights at Mas Perreal.  The farm is beautiful with a beautiful decorated room, a great private terrace and a nice pool.  We enjoyed a welcoming drink along with a couple of pastries we bought in Apt and some cherries we purchased from a fellow selling along the road - a kilo of delicious fresh cherries for only 3 euros.

     Being a nice warm sunny evening we decided to walk the half hour into Saint-Saturnin-Les-Apt, taking us by vineyards, cherry trees, some very nice stone homes and a windmill.  We had a nice, although not fantastic dinner at a small family run restaurant.  The walk back (this time downhill) to Mas Perreal provided some much needed exercise.

Every field seemed more impressive than the last, and had us stopping numerous times.

Roadside wild flowers on the hills overlooking Lac Ste Croix - and yes the blue behind the flowers on the left is the lake, not the sky.

We have not seen any other windmills but there is this one in Saint-Saturnin-les-Apt dating from the 17th century we came across walking to our restaurant.

 June 24, 2014 - Roure to Les Colombiere du Chateau, Saint-Laurent-du-Verdun

Lavender in full bloom.  Not much time made with all the photo stops.

The delicious breakfast at Auberge le Robur.