Provence: Relaxation, Wine, & Beautiful Drives

So the May holidays are over, but June treated us with another 3 day weekend holiday right away. Nick and I headed to the Provence area of France, and decided to take an extra day to be able to drive. I was very excited for this trip and anticipated loving the area. We definitely did, but not for the reasons we thought. Wine played less of a role in what I loved about the area, and instead I fell in love with the varied scenery and easy-going way of life. We can't wait to go back, and it's now our favorite area of France!

Our time on this trip can pretty much be divided into 3 categories: Town exploring, Beatiful drives, and Relaxation. 

Town exploring

Although Provence is known for the numerous Roman sites and ruins that you can tour, we chose to not make this the emphasis of our trip since we have seen so many other Roman things in the last year. I'll sum it up for you: Basically, the Romans were a big deal...they controlled pretty much all of Europe. 

We did check out Avignon, which while cute and contains some beautiful views and buildings, wasn't exactly to our tastes. Perhaps a few too many teenagers wandering aimlessly around the city. 

We really didn't visit any other big cities, which I'm really glad about because the small villages were my favorite. On our two drives (more below) we saw a ton of little villages, all with a different feel.

The one "must-see" we did visit was Pont du Gard, which was definitely worth it. After taking our obligatory tourist photos, including a hike up to the top in 95 degree heat, we were ready to experience it like the locals. We spent the rest of the afternoon rock jumping, swimming, and sunbathing. Pretty awesome!

Beautiful Drives

Saturday morning we drove through the Cote du Rhone region and around the Dentelles. It was beautiful and relaxing. We stopped in a few towns and for a few wine tastings, but found most of the wine a bit too thin for our tastes (which is weird because we often enjoy this region's wine from the grocery store). The were numerous vineyards advertising free tastings, but we decided to focus on the views instead.

We also ate a wonderful dinner one night up in the hills of Dentelles.  It provided some beautiful views and the food was excellent, as well!

Sunday morning we started in l'Isle-sur-la-Sourge for their market. I had heard so many wonderful things about Provençal markets that I couldn't wait. The most incredible part was that it took up the entire town, which in itself was charming with the canals. However, I think living in Paris has desensitized me to markets a bit, as I felt this market was great but only contained a few things I can't find in Parisian markets. However, I did note that the produce seemed more local here!

The thing that surprised us the most on this drive was how different the scenery was to that of the day before. Despite being separated by 40 than miles, this climate felt more similar to Israel and Greece.  Lots of olive trees and rocky terrain. Brought back some great memories!

Village of Gordes

Roussillion was definitely the most unique city, full of red colored buildings and cliffs from the ochre here. Gordes provided stunning cliff views of the city and the valley below. 

Of course, Provence is most well-known for its lavender which generally blooms in late June and early July. Although we were a little early, we were actually able to find a few fields that were stating to bloom. So beautiful and fragrant and I can't imagine how much more beautiful they will be in a few weeks!

Relaxation

I really think this is the best part of a trip to Provence, and you can tell that the lifestyle here is more laid back and lends itself to relaxation. It helped that the place we stayed was made for relaxation. (Shout out to my cousin, Dugan, and his wife, Erica, for this recommendation!) Located just a few minutes outside of Orange, Our room was part of a French couples cute countryside home. We also had a private terrace overlooking the vineyards and mountains and a little kitchenette. This meant breakfasts and some lunches, dinners, and wine was spent in the beautiful setting. Their house also had a stunning pool that we had to ourselves the entire weekend. Perfect way to spend a hot day!

View from our terrace

We both loved this place and can't wait to go back. Be sure to check out more of our pictures here. We both agree part of the charm is staying in a place that puts you in the mood of the lifestyle here. (We highly, highly recommend Mas du Clos l'Escarrat. And it's reasonable!) Next time we go back I would definitely spend a week and just do 1-2 things per day. A car is a must in this area, but it's worth it for the views I promise!