Provence Overview

Driving around Provence makes you realize that, like the United States, France has a number of different climatologically zones. The southern part of France is close to the Mediterranean Sea. It’s a lot warmer and more humid than Paris in the northwest.

Avignon, in the heart of Provence, was the home to the Pope in the 14th century. It’s surrounded by walls, ramparts and guard towers, built a century earlier, that protected the Pope and his court from 1309 to 1376 . Provence is home to numerous walled medieval villages perched on these mountaintops, with fortresses guarding long-dead residents from invading conquerors.

I had always pictured rural France as nothing but green farmland dotted with cows and sheep; you see that too in Provence. It’s a mountainous region, with geological changes occurring with increases in altitude. In some places there are white rocky outcrops and in others you’ll find bright red clay soil. Gorges and cliffs are everywhere as you drive through the region.

The altitude makes it a perfect environment for growing lavender and olives, the principal crops of the region. Tapinade, a spread made of pulverized olives, is a staple of the afternoon snack, along with wine, cheese and baguettes. I wish I had several weeks to spend in Provence rather than several days. But these have been glorious days, and I hope to return some day!

Some days you bite the bear, and other days…

After our first day of driving through Provence, we decided to explore some of the medieval French towns in the region. Early Monday morning Susan and I packed up another traditional picnic of wine, cheese and baguette and headed out for the Cotes du Rhone region of Provence. We headed north from Avignon through Chateauneuf de Pape and Sablet in our little red rental car.

The medieval village of Vaison la Romaine looked like a wonderful place to stop and picnic. But just as we were starting up the steep incline to the hilltop village, and entry gate swung shut and totally demolished the drivers window.

That was the end of that adventure. The only thing we could do was leave the pile of crumbled safety glass in Vaison la Romaine and drive the 40 kilometers back to Avignon.

The rental car company, National Citer, was very accommodating and provided us with a second car in about 5 minutes. I’ll have to file an insurance claim to be reimbursed to the 350 euros I was charged for the window. But, all things considered, it was a fairly painless exchange. And we can continue our driving adventure through Provence in our little black rental car.

Driving through Provence

A new kind of adventure began today, with a rental car and a GPS. I don’t know how we got around foreign countries with nothing but paper maps! I have nightmarish memories of driving around Mexico City for hours trying to find my way from the airport to my hotel, and trying to figure out how to get from village to village in rural England while driving on the “wrong” side of the road. GPS technology has really made traveling a lot easier.

Susan and I decided to go exploring in Provence today. We visited Musé e de Lavande (Museum of Lavender) in Gorde and learned about the different strains and why fine lavender only grows above 800 meters. The lavender harvest takes place in early summer, and of course I bought soap, hand lotion and a candle. I wish I could share the fragrance in this post.

We then wound our way through miles and miles of grape vineyards and wound up in the picturesque Provenç al village of Roussillon. We made a traditional French picnic of wine, cheese and baguette before heading back to Avignon. When we sidetracked several times to look at lovely vineyards and rustic old houses, our faithful GPS got us back on track so we were never lost!