After years of dreaming about it, I finally visited Provence, seeing towns and villages that stretched from Avignon on the Rhone,
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to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie in the east, with the snow-capped French Alps in the distance.
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Although it was too early in the year for its famous lavender and sunflower fields, the Luberon Valley was bursting with flowers. In addition to the cheerful, beloved red poppies,
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there was purple everywhere: deep royal irises,
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and paler wisteria and lilac, perfuming the air. My greatest surprise was the sheer abundance of flowers — they were everywhere, planted in corners of fields and alongside roads, framing doorways and windows, in planters and atop stone walls.
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Provence was everything and more than I had hoped to experience: hilltop villages with distant views,
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narrow streets and steep stairs,
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inviting bridges and passageways,
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picturesque, colorful shutters.
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There were rooms of old-world elegance,
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others of more rustic decor,
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and quaint details everywhere.
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Beautiful old churches, rich in detail.
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Quiet courtyards, and fountains everywhere.
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A travelers delight in the unexpected,
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and in unplanned visits: to the lavender museum on a rare rainy day, and the historical perfume museum in Grasse, housed in an beautiful old building
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with a scent-rich garden of roses, wisteria, and citrus.
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(And a gift shop of fragrant indulgences to take back home.)
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Market days in nearly every town infuse the area with vibrancy and interest,
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and a relaxing cafe culture pervades all of Provence, offering a slower pace to life.
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Which perhaps accounts for the warm and welcoming people we came across everywhere.
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There was a real joie de vivre found in the lively conversations that filled the cafes, the delight in the company of friends.
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There was riverside dining in villages like L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a historic mill town with waterwheels still turning along its river.
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And a visit to the source of the Sorgue,
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a gushing fontaine that springs from the nearby mountains (and more riverside dining).
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There was the unique village of Roussillon that still bears the reddish color of its famous ochre that was once mined and traded afar.
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A nearby hike immerses visitors in the sculpted ochre hills, full of tall pines and purple phlox.
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And charming Moustiers offers beautiful views from every angle, every tiny winding street, at every time of day.
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Throughout Provence, the soft evenings retain a hint of the old and inviting and mysterious,
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and serve as a gentle reminder “to relish the charm of life” (from a previous post, “Beau Soir” https://wordpress.com/post/lindamahkovec.com/2278).
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My only wonder — why it took me so long to visit Provence.
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As usual, your photos are magnificent!!! Thanks for sharing!!
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Hi Chrysteen – thank you for your comment!
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Thank you for the amazing photos of Provence! A completely different world than mine that shows a lovely past!
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Hi Caroline – glad you enjoyed it!
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Beautiful pictures!!
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I’m so glad you got over there! Love the pictures. So beautiful!💜
Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android
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Thanks, Kris. It was a great trip.
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Ah, je suis amoureux !
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Merci!
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