Day 6: Roussillon, St-Remy-de Provence, September 4th

The day began with a pleasant breakfast on the terrace at Le Mas de Guilles.

After breakfast we grabbed our packs and headed back into the Luberon region following a charming forest trail before climbing up to the 3000 year old Le Fort De Buoux. The fort, complete with secret passageways, is perched high above sheer cliffs.

After we crossed this delightful swaying bridge, we saw fuzzy white sheep roaming through bushes on the side of the road.

Farther along the trail we came to a cave below a massive wall of rock. Everyone immediately felt the need for a photo of us holding up the rock!      

After a long walk, uphill and down, we climbed upward again toward the fort and were vastly relieved when we caught a glimpse of the gates through the trees. 

We continued to climb up the hills of the fort examining the ruins as we went. There was a common house, a chapel, residences, various other buildings, and huge stone cisterns for storing food.

stone cisterns in the rock

the stone chapel of the fort

The cliffs were as sheer as described - just steep drop-offs, dangerous to even stand near. As the dramatic signs illustrate, the ground could just crumble at any moment, dropping you to your death!    

Of course, after seeing the sign, I couldn’t resist having my picture taken near the edge of the cliff. (The fringe of the grass marks the edge of the cliff).  A fellow hiker took it for me, but only after holding onto my hand and asking me not to move a muscle while she took the photo.  Afterward she grabbed my hand again and pulled me quickly away from the edge of the cliff. (Note, I was never in real danger here. I wasn’t about to get any closer to the edge!). 

After the “harrowing” photo shoot, we continued up to the top of the fort, climbing through a vestibule leading to a “secret staircase” used by the soldiers to escape should the enemy appear suddenly in the dark of night. Although how a soldier would possibly find this staircase, never mind descend it, in the dark of night was beyond us. About half of us decided we couldn’t pass up this intimidating stairway (which was very steep indeed and now crumbling in places). While others made probably a wiser decision and returned back the way we had come.

    

At the bottom of the secret stairway we found ourselves in a secluded wooded forest again. We followed a path until we came to a grove of trees and picnic tables where our incredible guide Pierre was setting up our picnic lunch for the day. Charlotte later told us he had carried all of this in his backpack!   

After gobbling down lunch (it had been a long morning, after all), we walked back to our vans for the ride to Roussillon – a gorgeous hilltop town known for its radiant ochre cliffs.
 

Roussillon houses are painted with a palette of ochre sands ranging from pale yellow to crimson. Ochre is a natural earth pigment containing hydrated iron oxide.

 
After gathering at the parking lot in Roussillon, we were set free to explore the town on our own. We wandered around the picturesque streets and shops and found a nearby cafe for the ritual afternoon café break. After a quick cone of Gelato, we visited the old abandoned quarry to take the 30 minute tour before we had to meet up with the group once more. Walking the trails through the quarry was like walking through a rainbow.  The colors were so brilliant, they were almost unreal. Here are just a few.  

After a wonderful day exploring the old fort and Roussillon, we were back in the vans to travel to St-Remy-de-Provence, our destination for the next two days. We checked into the Hôtel Gounod, changed for dinner and were off again for an excellent 4-course dinner at Restaurant L’Estagnol.

Day 7: Les Alpilles, September 5th

The Alpilles chain is a small range of low mountains located about 12 miles south of Avignon. It’s an extension of the much larger Luberon range. The Alpilles are arid limestone peaks separated by dry valleys. It was very windy the day we approached the Alpilles, the wind - commonly known as the Mistral – is a cold northeasterly wind that blows into Southern France, most often between winter and spring. Because of the wind, it was a “red day” in the Alpilles, meaning we had to be out of the area by 11 am. The fear was that a fire down in the valley would be swept up into the mountain paths and trap us there. Our guides assured us this possibility was highly unlikely, but once a red day is declared the rule is automatically in place and and there is no way around it. So rather than walking from St Remy up to the Alpilles, we parked a bit closer and began our hike through the Alpilles on the steep, rocky roads.  As usual, the views were spectacular, but as you see from these pictures, a bit difficult to reach.  

As we made our way down the mountain, we encountered these beautiful woods.   

Our guides had planned a delightful lunch for us just off this path at Mas de la Pyramide – a 400 year old farm house owned and operated by its 91 year-old owner, Lolo Maron.

Lolo in the farmhouse kitchen

Lolo conducts tours of his ancient farmhouse, and along with several friends, prepares delicious farmhouse lunches and dinners for tourists by prior arrangement. We had appetizers, charcuterie (cold cuts), an entrée of leg of lamb, a tempting mushroom omelette cooked by Lolo himself, followed by the required cheese course, and fresh fruit for dessert. All this in a quaint little farmhouse deep in the woods. Amazing!

After a short rest in the sun to digest our meal, we were free to explore the nearby attractions. My friends and I chose to visit Maison de Santé Saint-Paul, a mental hospital. Van Gogh committed himself here after cutting off his ear in Arles. To this day, there are accomodations available for those needing mental health care.

He painted at least 142 pieces here over the course of two years, two of the most famous were Starry Night and Irises. There is a replica of his bedroom in the building as well as several copies of his works exhibited on the walls of the institution and in the gardens.

We found our way back to town by following the Van Gogh Walk – a sidewalk lined with copies of Van Gogh’s most famous paintings along with short explanations of each. Once back in town we checked out several shops, found another cafe for our afternoon beverages and watched a wedding at the end of the street. After a busy afternoon, we returned to our hotel to prepare for dinner. 

 
Dinner that night was at L’Aile Ou La Cuisse, just a few blocks from our hotel. I’m sure the dinner was lovely, but it was the desserts that are fixed in our memories. Charlotte told us to choose our desserts first because they disappear so quickly. Our selections were put aside and held for us until we finished our first 3 courses. They were well worth the wait!

Day 8: Les-Baux-de-Provence to Avignon, September 6th

Saturday night was our last meal with Charlotte and we were all sad to see her go. Unfortunately for us, she was scheduled to begin another tour in Avignon on this Sunday morning so Stuart showed up to take Charlotte's place and help Pierre guide our group through another hike in the Alpilles. Because the winds continued, it was another "red day". We parked near the trailhead and hiked up more rocky trails to the ruins of an old fort. The foundations for huge catapults (trébuchets) were visible on what remained of the fort floor. The catapults had been mounted to fire on enemies below.

at the ruins of the old fort

From the top of the fort, we could see the small medieval hamlet of Les-Baux-de-Provence down below. 

 Les-Baux-de-Provence

We continued downhill from the fort and came out onto a road just a mile or so above Les-Baux on our left. We turned right to an abandoned quarry site and enjoyed our last memorable picnic lunch among the ancient ruins.  

After lunch we returned to the road, walking up to the small village of Les-Baux-de-Provence.

  
At one time Les-Baux had over 4,000 inhabitants; today there are merely 22 full time residents. Known as one of the most picturesque villages in France, it’s now devoted almost entirely to the tourist trade with quaint little shops, museums, churches and cafes. We spent the afternoon in the usual pursuits - exploring the shops and museums, and sipping our last café in the sunny outdoors.

road up to Les-Baux on the hill

entrance way into the village

the scene looking down from Les-Baux into the countryside below

 

the last cafe.....

As we left Les-Baux at 4pm that afternoon, Pierre cheerfully told us we simply had to see another Abbey. Though the Abbaye Saint-Michel de Frigolet was in nearby Tarascon, we were exhausted and not sure any famous edifice would be worth another stop. Fortunately, as usual, we were proved wrong. It was the most elegant abbey we visited, the ornate architecture contrasting sharply with the austere interior of Sénanque Abbey earlier in the trip.

The grounds were as striking as the Abbey itself. We walked around in ones and twos, marveling at the views.

It was with a bit of sadness and nostalgia that we dragged ourselves back into our vans that afternoon for our ride back to Avignon where we would again stay at the hotel where our adventure began. We checked in and prepared for our farewell dinner at La Cour D’Honneur in Avignon. I'm sure it was a great dinner, but I didn't get to enjoy it. Unfortunately I awoke that morning with laryngitis and during the dinner my condition continued to deteriorate. After appetizers and salad, I said a quick goodbye and returned to my room. I am still saddened that I never got to say a proper goodbye to my fellow travelers but I hope we’ll all keep in touch now that we’ve become friends. 

The Group