Sunday, September 4, 2011

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!





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