Fountaine de Vaucluse

Ruins of the Bishops of Cavaillon chateau - 14th century

Recently we've made 2 trips to Fountaine de Vaucluse which I have written about before. This little village of around 600 inhabitants is usually inundated with tourists during the summer months and it's easy to see why.

The huge spring that originates right next to the village is the source of the Sorgue River that runs through the center of town which is dotted with many shops and restaurants. The village is one of the most picturesque in the region and sits in a valley surrounded by towering cliffs on 3 sides. Our first trip  was to give our guests a chance to see the area and our 2nd return trip was to take the trail up to the Bishops of Cavaillon chateau which is the ruins of a small medieval castle that overlooks the town. That "trail" at times was nothing more than a narrow path with some climbing involved. Those paths sometimes hugged the side of the cliffs which are a straight drop down to the valley below....good hiking shoes and watching your step are definite requirements for the trip to see the castle ruins.

I've posted some photos of the village with more photos of the chateau ruins in my next entry.

Part of the river is diverted with dams along the way before passing through the village. A nice park to the right that you enter by going through a tunnel carved out of solid rock.

Notre-Dame et Saint Veran church - 11th century 

A small park just downstream from the spring that feeds the river.

People relaxing and enjoying a nice meal next to the river. 

Very near the beginning of the Sorgue river. 

This shop greets you as you enter the village with many items from the local area. 

The front of the shop "La Marmite des Saveurs"...The pot of flavors. 

Evening settling in as more people enjoy the many restaurants along the Sorgue

A full house.....

Yes, a full house around here lately with Alicia's mom visiting from Peru and her daughter & family from northern France spending some vacation time here as well. It has given us the opportunity to show them some of the places we've already visited which is good as there are always things to do and see that we didn't experience during our previous trips.

Saturday they wanted to take in the market in Apt and then tour what's called the Provencal Colorado which is an old mining area of ochre near the village of Rustrel. The ochre here was mined above and below ground. The colors here go from white to brick red and I've read that there are actually 25 different shades of color in the hardened clay. The ochre is a very soft clay type of rock that is eroded by rain, wind and the elements that take their toll very quickly.

What is left from all that erosion is multi colored sand dunes, rocks and cliffs. The last century saw a steep decline in the use of ochre due to the use of chemicals to color paint and textiles. Ochre is still used to some extent to color paint and plaster and can also be found in cosmetic powders and pastes.
Anyone who visits the area knows that you'll need to wash your clothes after a hike there as those 25 different shades of colors seem to be attracted to clothes....and skin.

I continue to be amazed with all these chunks of cheese. This vendor had cheese and some sausage to the left. 

Different vendor....more cheese. 

Provencal Colorado near Rustrel

Just like walking on a sandy beach except with more color...but not a drop of water to be found. 

Just about in the center of the photo you can see where the eroded clay turns into that colored sand.

Vedene Carnival Saturday night. This was my favorite ride....well, it would have been but they said I was over the weight limit.....just slightly though. 

Yes, they do have cotton candy in France too. 

Roussillon and ochre.....

Recently we returned to the nice little village of Roussillon which sits on a hill in the valley between the Vaucluse and Luberon ranges. The town is famous for its ochre deposits which are actually hardened, multi colored clay formations that were once mined for use in textiles and paint. The pigments from the mined ochres range from yellow, orange, red and white.

Mining of ochre in this area is now prohibited in order to protect the remaining sites and quarries. Tourists from around the world come here to view the colorful cliffs and to enjoy the town's many restaurants and shops. The buildings around the village still reflect the mining era here as they are multi colored as well.

The early evening sun reflecting off the ochre cliffs.

Almost looks as if someone took a paint brush to this cliff. 

A little shop near the center of town. 

Roussillon - "Centre Ville" 

Church at the highest point in the village. 

Looking northeast from Roussillon

Saignon and some more lavender....

Last Saturday we made a return visit to Saignon which is a small village perched on a hill and behind a very steep rock cliff that has some excellent views of the valleys below. The town itself is small but has alot of character although not many shops or restaurants. No trip to Saignon is complete without a hike to the rock cliff and just spending some time in the small town square.

The village of about 1000 inhabitants also has a 12th century church called Notre-Dame de Pitie and on the day we were there a wedding had just taken place. Of course I pretended I was a guest and mingled through the wedding crowd and took some photos....my first French wedding photos. :-)

From Saignon we descended north into the valley below to some lavender fields we had seen from above and then on to Roussillon. Since I've posted quite a few photos from the Saignon area I'll post the ones from Roussillon in my next entry.

Rock cliff above Saignon  

Some lavender fields below 

Vintage rental car 

Saignon from the rock cliff. Notre-Dame de Pitie to the left 

Lots of green covering the front of this house.

Near the center of town.

The small village square 

Old rock farm house surrounded by lavender 

More lavender in the distance 

Looking north from the rock.  

More lavender...this field below Saignon had an electric fence around it. I've noticed that some of the fields next to the more heavily traveled roads have these fences installed - to keep lavender thieves like me away I'm sure. 

The same vintage rental car with alot of the color removed.  The top does come off to give you that convertible feel.

A similar car - Not for rent. 

This local man and his dog were selling a few trinkets. He had posted a sign that any photos taken of him would cost you 5 Euros. I guess I was far enough away that I didn't get charged. 

One of the restaurants in town.  

The happy couple right after the ceremony.

Sunflowers and a visit to Roquemaure....

I guess you would call this guy an MBM...Master Bubble Maker 

Avignon - One very ornate and fancy merry-go-round 

Avignon - The walls of the buildings were covered with posters of all the plays and performances taking place during the festival. 

Inside the 13th century Collegiate church in Roquemaure 

Collegiate church 

City Hall - Roquemaure

Fortress ruins in Roquemaure....if I was a resident I think I would be a little concerned about the structural integrity of the place.

This past Friday I visited the town of Roquemaure which is about a 15 minute drive north of Avignon. The area which borders the Rhone river is dotted with vineyards and fields of sunflowers. Not many sunflower fields where I come from so this was really my first time seeing them up close. What I noticed was that all those sunflowers slowly moving with the breeze seemed to be quietly and curiously staring right at me. The only thing I could do was admire them and stare right back....and of course take a few photos in the process.

Then it was on to Roquemaure which is a town of about 5500 people which sits right next to the Rhone river. This was my first visit there and it seemed like a nice place, busy with people coming and going from the many small shops in and around the center of the town. The area is known for its very fine wine as well as the annual "La Festo di Poutoun" which means the Festival of Lovers and Kissers.  The festival takes place every year around St. Valentine's Day and attracts about 20,000 visitors. During the festival many of the area residents are all dressed up in Victorian era costumes.

Friday night we traveled to Avignon and went inside the old walled part of the city. This section of the city is located right next to the Rhone river and is still encircled by walls from the medieval age and within those walls over 12,000 people still reside. From 1309 until 1377 it was essentially the seat of the Catholic church because the pope decided to reside there. Seven popes called Avignon their home until 1378 when the papacy moved back to Rome.

The Festival of Avignon which runs for 3 weeks started the day after our Friday night visit. Already the city was gearing up for its huge arts, culture and theatre festival and many people were already flowing into town.

Saturday we traveled to the villages of Saignon and Roussillon and I'll post some photos of that trip
later in the week.

Sunflowers near Sauveterre France 

A sea of yellow and orange....staring right at me.

This guy seemed to be sticking his neck out to get a better look at the guy taking photos.