Travelogue - Weekend in Provence (July 2002)

My summer weekend trips have come back-to-back this
year, as I just returned from a weekend in Provence.
The driving decision behind going at this particular
time of year was the fact that the world-famous
lavender fields are in bloom from June through
early-August. The fragrant flower is harvested during
the latter part of this period as well. I mentioned
the idea to my friend Philip from Zurich, and he was
interested, so I invited him to join me.

On Friday afternoon, we flew from Basel to Marseille.
Upon arrival, we picked up our sporty Alfa Romeo
rental car and headed 15 km northeast to a hotel on
the outskirts of Aix-en-Provence. I had not
previously visited this city of 140,000 - famous as a
university town, and known for serving as the cultural
heart of Provence. We strolled through the pedestrian
areas of the vieille ville (old town) and soaked in
the beauty and ambiance of the charming town.

Saturday morning, we started the day with breakfast on
the terrace by the pool, with the bright, morning sun
streaming down on the beautiful garden surroundings.
We then drove over the hills north of Aix-en-Provence,
into the Luberon valley - the heart of the lavender
region. Our mission was simple - find a lavender
field in full bloom. En route, we came across a
beautiful sea of sunflowers, all in perfect alignment,
dutifully facing Ra.

After passing through Apt and heading further
northwest, we came upon the perfect setting: a
lavender field in peak bloom, where a farmer and his
teenage son had just started mechanical harvesting. A
large piece of farm equipment straddled the rows of
ripe lavender, clipped the fragrant stalks and left a
trimmed hedge of the base/roots of the plants. The
lavender was then packed down in a bin, and
transferred to a larger truck for transport to the
processing plant. The lavender straw is steam pressed
so that the oils are extracted and used for fragrance.
Having long been a fan of lavender, it was a pleasure
to watch its harvesting in progress.

Next we came upon the Abbaye de Sénanque, an abbey
dating back to the 10th century which is nestled in a
narrow canyon of the Vaucluse plateau. Unfortunately,
the monks had already harvested their ample supply of
lavender, which fills the fields leading up to the
religious complex. Still, the grounds were beautiful,
and the giftshop provided a wealth of goodies for
eager tourists.

Our day trip took a decidedly different twist, as we
transitioned from the sacred to the sadistic. We
headed back east toward Apt to the tiny town of
Lacoste. Atop the hill behind the village lies the
chateau of the notorious Marquis de Sade. The estate
now lies in ruins (except for the S&M chamber in the
cellar - ha-ha!), but served as a retreat during the
1770s for the kinky aristocrat following his expulsion
from Parisian society. The stroll around the grounds
failed to provide a sense of titillation one might
expect, but the novelty of the visit was fun. Feather
flagellation fetish, anyone?

We proceeded westward to visit Les Baux de Provence -
a hilltop enclave of chalk-white bauxite outcroppings
which rise up from the surrounding Rhone river delta
plain. This area was originally settled by the
ancient Greeks, and later by the Romans - the latter
of whose characteristic landmarks (arenas, aqueducts,
etc.) still dot the region. Worn out by the hot
afternoon sun, we cut short our visit to Les Baux and
headed back to the hotel in Aix for a refreshing dip
in the pool.

A couple of hours later, we ventured 20km south to
Marseille. The city that has long held the reputation
of being a seedy, dangerous port, has cleaned up its
act in recent years. Yes, Marseille still have a ways
to go, but the waterfront area of the historic Vieux
Port provided a wonderful backdrop for an evening
stroll and wonderful, fresh seafood dinner. Another
walk after dinner yielded some refreshing, cool
maritime breezes coming off the Mediterranean.

Sunday morning, we returned to the coastline,
southeast of Marseille, to visit the Calanque de
Morgiou. The calanques are a series of narrow inlets
from the Mediterranean sea, stretching from Marseille
some 20km eastward to Cassis. The calanques are
girded on both sides by high chalky-white hills. The
water of these inlets is a beautiful turquoise color,
with amazing clarity. Swimmers, sun-worshipers and
fisherman line the narrow coves and coastline
outcroppings.

After a quick jaunt back through Marseille, it was on
to the airport for our return flight back home to
Switzerland.

Provence is a beautiful and unique region of France
that should not be missed. It affords tourists an
amazing array of activities, ranging from visiting
historical landmarks to bike riding past lavender
fields and olive tree groves, to hiking, swimming and
sunbathing. The area has such a wealth of offerings,
and embodies the richness of what life has to offer,
from beautiful surroundings to wonderful climate to
incredible cuisine. Rich, bold, vibrant hues of
yellow, orange, red, green and blue comprise the
provençal palette, and can found in abundance in the
surrounding scenery. It's no surprise that Provence
has lured so many artists and philosophers as
residents, among them Van Gogh, Cezanne, Nostradamus
and others. How could Van Gogh not paint the amazing
brilliance of a starry provençal night or a blazing
field of sunflowers?

Vive la Provence!

Happy Travels!

Mark

p.s. The Lonely Planet book "Provence & the Cote
d'Azur" served as an important reference source for
this trip. I'd highly recommend this as an addition
to any francophile's personal travel library.