The biggest trouble with the lavender fields is that they blossom at a certain season, so it has to be the last weeks of June or the middle of July depending on the area. Naturally, would it be not for the season issue, we would never set a foot in Provence in the hottest moment of the year, but here our hands are tied – lavender fields don’t care about your preferences for the off season travels.

We needed a plan of action, and the most obvious one that would allow us both to enjoy the trip and stay alive was switching to a different schedule. Here is how we lived through the whole Provence trip:

• 5:30 – wake up & breakfast
• 7:00 – 12:00 – wandering about Provence
• 12:00 – lunch
• 13:30-18:00 sleep & chill & sketching
• 18:00-21:00 – wandering about
• 21:00 – dinner and sleep.

Five days we lived in such a regime and our general feedback: that was the best solution and an awesome idea. Without such approach not only we would have boiled like eggs but also wouldn’t have enjoyed as much as we did – such hours allowed us to visit, stay conscious, avoid crowds, and, a special photographer’s bonus, get this soft light of the sunrise and sunset. That was perfect. Naturally, without our brave van Robbie we wouldn’t have been able to do it – being autonomous in terms of accommodation was crucial.

Avignon was a town I’ve been dreaming to see for ages – it is known for its beauty, sure, but it has also a particular history in the sphere of religion. Not that I am particularly into the medieval adventures of Catholic priests of France, but as a big fan of Maurice Druon’s books, I had to see the town of French Popes. Needless to mention, Avignon is a stunning place. We were also lucky to be there during the theatre festival – the streets were full of actors, performers and promoters who tried to attract the tourists to their own show. We have never seen anything like this. Even if it gave a very hectic image of Avignon, I truly loved it.

You know that we stopped sharing “useful info” from the tour guides but I want to put here a restaurant recommendation – Numéro 75. A gorgeous patio, beautifully served cuisine Provençale – that was a perfect start of our gastronomic experience.

This is not our first trip to Provence of the year. In May we went to a friend’s birthday in Bandol, so around that time I decided to finally read Peter Mayle’s “A Year in Provence”. I was sceptic about this book but it is damn GOOD! Naturally, I put all the places he mentions to our map and here we are – in the local “big town” enjoying our own morning coffee before the crowds of tourists (like us) invaded the streets.

Of course, along with lavender fields we were searching for those typical villages of Provence that one finds in lifestyle magazines – we got them all right. As usual, we followed our favorite list of “The most beautiful villages in France”, which featured Venasque, Rousillon, Gordes, Lourmarin and Seguret, as well as couple more that we couldn’t fit in our itinerary, but the thing is that all of the villages of Luberon are amazing. All of them could make a perfect cover for any magazine.

We will also remember Venasque as a place where Xavier left his sandals on the parking – he noticed it thirty minutes further up the road, so he had an extra hour to go back to fetch them. It was a funny episode along the lines of travel adventures everyone has to experience.

In this article I put every stop we made in a chronological order, so if you need some tips about organizing your itinerary, we were quite happy with ours. L’abbaye de Sénanque is the best introduction to the lavender fields we could dream of – cozy and beautiful, but also with a gorgeous little abbey opened to visitors with a great souvenir shop inside. The only predictable downside – many tourists crowding in white dresses and hats in the fields. If you are staying in Provence for more than two days, don’t be in too much of a hurry to queue for the pictures – there will be many other opportunities!

For good pictures of the abbey, make sure to arrive before the sunset – otherwise it will be in the shadow.

Okay, I’ve just said that every village of Luberon is beautiful, but the one that stole our heart and almost made us cry was Gordes. Especially during the twilight with the pink sky and the streetlights on. Looking at the Gordes panorama, I was struggling to grasp how people, as a species, could create THIS and start wars to destroy everything they can.

Rousillon is a place, where we were particularly happy about our morning schedule, especially for visiting the Sentier des Ocres – “Ochre trail”. Here is situated the biggest source of ochre in Europe, so for a long time local industry was relying on it. These days only one ochre mine is active, but the places where they used to dig for it turned into stunning walking trails. Make sure to be there as early as possible to avoid the heat and crowds. It’s a protected area with a paid fee, but definitely worth your time as well as the village is.

To be honest, we were expecting to see much more tourists. It was the highest point of tourist season but apart from the obvious places of interest, we found Luberon quite empty. Our doubts were confirmed by our waiter in Bonnieux, who also added that Provence was going out of trend. Circle of life, I suppose.

Lavender fields in Lioux 

L’Arôme – another exquisite gastronomic expérience provençale

In June we went to Lozère, where after one meal I thought I would die – sausage, cheese and potatoes is something that I can bear no more than once in several months. The cuisine of Provence is something very different. I will refer you once again to the book of the trip – “A Year in Provence” (writing this name already makes my mouth water), which exposes the local cuisine in all its glory. However, Luberon is not a budget-friendly destination, so we couldn’t afford eating out as often as we would love to, but shopping for local délices in the supermarkets and small groceries store satisfied our gluttony completely. Tapenade, anchoïade, poivronade, with some lavender ice cream – that was a paradise, no less.

So, if you were waiting for the true lavender dump, here it comes as from the moment we reached Saignon, I laughed to myself about how thoroughly I had been researching the lavender maps. Because the moment we reached Saignon, it became clear – there is no need for any particular effort, as the lavender fields are literary everywhere. From this point, we quickly evolved from stopping at every patch of lavender mixed with weeds to “oh well, just another amazing lavender field”.

It’s often said that Lavender fields are victims of their own success – hordes of tourists grill under the sun (and I remind you that lavender bloom equals hot July temperatures) in search of perfect Provence photos. We had no such problems – there is enough of lavender for everyone. It’s just important to remember that the fields are actually someone’s property and livelihood, so out of respect for other people’s work be careful with the plants. Also, they are guarded by ferocious bees if you misbehave!

Roussillon is not the only spot for a walk in the ochre landscape, a bit further near Rustrel there is a beautiful park, absolutely recommended for a visit. It’s an XXL version of what we saw in Roussillon with splendid canyons (thus the Colorado nickname). Make sure to book your spot for visit as during summer season the number of tourists allowed can be limited due to the fire hazards. By the way, several years ago without knowing the ochre story we saw such mines near Aix-en-Provence, I was completely smitten then!

Sault is the local lavender capital, so lavender is everywhere. Here we finally did some heavy souvenir shopping, including this bouquet, which is decorating our window in Toulouse at the moment. Unlikely other Luberon villages, Sault feels less like a tourist pearl and more like an actual town. It is less fancy and magazine-like, but we loved it for its Provence authenticity.

Aurel lavender fields

Lavender fields around Ferrassières

Before turning to the direction of Toulouse, we jumped quickly to Drôme – the neighboring department. The change of scenery and vibe was quite shocking as well as the oppressing amount of the fields. At this moment, I realized that what we saw was probably not the biggest lavender intensity one can see in the area, but it felt more like a different trip already. We will keep it for a different life.

By the point we reached Seguret – a tiny village but also in the list of the most beautiful villages, we were very exhausted and smashed by the heat. As it was the last day, we didn’t do our siesta and it was critically showing on our physical state. Only a huge box of strawberries from the local farmers could save us.

The very last half-stop of the trip was in Orange, but I would be lying if I said that we had visited it. I was determined to finish the film in Provence, so we made a quick stop for the last frames. Orange has a crazy Roman heritage, but we were hardly standing straight and besides, it felt like a totally different trip material. While we had to go home.