When you think of Provence in France do you think Lavender fields? I know I do and yet despite being here before we have never been in summer which means the lavender has not yet been or flower or has already been harvested.
A quick bit of research tells me we are only 100ks away from Lavender paradise, let the journey begin. We pack our four bottles of water, two straight from the freezer. I may have mentioned previous that its very hot. We don’t need food because in the allowance that holidays afford I have decided that when in France breakfast is wasted calories when coffee and cake are a necessary thing around 10ish, (to be honest the coffee here I can definitely leave) but the cakes, tarts, pasties whatever you want to call them are divine. I tell myself I am on a quest for my aunty, who shares my liking for raspberry tarts, and I must find the perfect one so that I may text her and tell her of my triumph. I have come close but my quest remains.
I digress. We head to Valensole, evidently an instagrammers lavender dream and after travelling for an hour I begin to think that perhaps the magical fields will remain elusive and then there they are.
The smell is delicious, the sound is actually quite intense as 1000’s of bees feast in what must be pollen paradise, and it is a travel moment that I shall recall with all my senses. We wind our way around the roads and past the fields and of course stop at a pretty little village for raspberry tarts and a cold sugary drink.
We park along way from the town as we are still traumatised of arriving in places we are not supposed to be, so the first P sign we see, we are in, and make our way on foot. It’s another reason I can quiet my mind in regard to raspberry tarts for breakfast. The walk is always fascinating through the cobbled lanes and alleyways. Remembering that people live their lives here and it is not a labyrinth fairy tale for me to wander.
By the time we make our way back to the car, uphill, the lanes lose some of their appeal as the sun beats relentless, and the cars air-conditioning is more than welcoming. We drive through picturesque countryside when I ask WH to stop (yet again) for another great photo op and I take my shot of the day. I am not sure if it is that great or if it is the fact that I had to walk all the way back up the hill and down the side road to take it which at least to me, makes it more special.
Just in case you would like to see a few more ………
