The scent of Lavender, Provence

I've been in Provence for a long weekend and even if my body is back home, my mind and my heart are still there, dancing in the purple lavender fields, inhaling the scent, rolling over in the grass and learning the art of living...

This region has so much to offer and it is hard to describe everything and not forget something: lavender fields, apricot orchards, olive groves, vineyards on hillsides, cedar forests, regional parks, mountains, the most charming villages in France, truffles (80% of France national production), tons of butterflies and cicadas, Cavaillon melon, Carpentras strawberries and cherries and fine rose wine and so on... It is the garden of Eden! And on top of that visual image created here, Provence is about sounds and scents and feelings. It is a place where all your senses, even the numbest, will wake up and giggle.

    Place de l'Étang, Cucuron

    Ochre cliffs in Roussillon (The Ochre Trail)

    Abbaye de Senanque

If you want too see and smell the purple fields, you have to know that lavender starts blooming in June in the lower and warmer places and it goes until the end of August in the higher places when it's harvest time. I was surprised to hear that there are 150 species of lavender in the world. In Provence, all the beauty around comes from only two species: fine lavender and lavandin. The essential oil from the first is used to obtain luxury perfumes and in aromatherapy and the oil extracted from the second is used in common perfumes such as in soap or other household products. If you want to learn more about lavender, you could pay a visit to one of the many distilleries there (Les Agnels).
There are many itineraries in the lavender area in Provence and you can choose to see them by car, by motorcycle or by bike, whatever suits you. The area is also a paradise for walkers, cyclists and climbers. More information at Routes de la lavande or you can stop to any information office in the villages.
For beautiful scenery of lavender I can recommend you this itinerary: Sault - Aurel - Ferrassieres - Revest du Bion - Banon - Simiane la Rotonde - St Cristol. No matter what vehicle you drive, I can assure you that you'll stop very often on your way to constantly inhale the perfume and rediscover the delights of blossoming lavender... just relaaaax! Provence gives you this chance to have all the time that you need for yourself.

Sault, Manosque, Menerbes are beautiful villages.  However, Gordes and Roussilon built into the sides of the mountain range, only 40 km away from Avignon and about 80 km from Marseille airport (if you want to start your journey from the south), stole my heart. The ochre and stone facades bathing in the sun, the light blue, white or purple shutters, the narrow paved streets, the fountain and the church are all telling you the story of their history and their ancestors...

With its endless charm, small bistros and plazas and tranquil farmhouses that surrounded the village, it's no wonder that Gordes was just the perfect natural setting for films. Ridley Scott movie, A good year with Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard was filmed here... and a lot of other great movies were born in this beautiful area called Vaucluse, in south of France (The Horseman on the Roof, Surviving Picasso, Swimming Pool, Jean de Florette or Manon de Sources).

What a wonderful world!