Spring in Provence

A view up to Gordes from our B&B

The lavender may yet not be out, the cherries far from ripe but, this April, Provence lacks none of its blue shuttered charm. In some ways, it is all the more beautiful. It feels like the calm before the tourist storm - the cobbled streets are quiet, the shopkeepers are friendly and patient, and the sun still shines. Like many people, ever since reading Peter Mayle's 'A Year in Provence' my mum has wanted to go and, with my french a levels coming up, it seemed the perfect excuse to treat ourselves to a visit. Well I can safely say, it's the most I've ever enjoyed french revision.

I just had to take a photo!

We based ourselves at the foot of Gordes at Les Terrasses de Soubeyran - truly the best, friendliest place I've ever stayed... read more in my post about it here. From here, if you're brave enough to take on the french drivers (yes they will gesticulate, flash and overtake if you are driving at a speed anything lower than life threatening!), you can cycle to lots of picture-perfect limestone villages... or a (small) hire-car would do the trick if you want to truly take it easy (I will confess now that this is what we opted for). Goult, Bonnieux, Menerbes, Joucas, Roussillon and Murs are all within a 20 minute drive. Roussillon is a little more touristy as it is home to the canyon-esque Ochre path, but still well worth a visit. Goult and Bonnieux were my personal favourites, both containing a sprinkling of lovely bakeries, restaurants and groceries, tucked in amidst the honey coloured streets. In Bonnieux, at a wooden-fronted bakery on Rue Victor Hugo, we were even invited behind the counter by the baker, to see how he made his bread - who said the french were unfriendly?! Here (Bonnieux) we also came across a very 'off the beaten track' Morrocan restaurant called Les Portes de l'Orient, run by an incredibly friendly man who originated from Fez, Morocco. The food was traditional, delicious and well priced. We were actually the only people in that evening so we were even offered extra food to try. In the corner of the restaurant he himself was eating with his partner, so offered us three portions of a fabulous vermicelli soup that they were sharing.

The french markets are also a must in my books, especially the marchés paysans (farmers markets), I found this website (click here to follow link) particularly helpful, but check when you arrive as some markets are seasonal and this is not indicated in all cases (for example, there was no farmers market in Goult when we went, as indicated, on Monday afternoon). As with all markets, there will be some overpriced/gimmicky stalls for the tourists, but just follow the locals... if a stall's busy and all you hear spoken is french, it's probably pretty good. We came across one fish stall in Gordes where there were only a couple of english customers, instantly planting a seed of doubt in our minds. Our worries were then heightened when a sole french woman arrived, tutted at the stall (in a very french way of course!), and walked away - so we followed suit (albeit without the tutting... reluctant to make any enemies so early on!)

One of the many pretty buildings in one of the many pretty villages... this one in particular was taken in Roussillon

The market at Gordes

We did a lot of home cooking with this market produce, but we did venture out for one unforgettable lunch at Au Fil du Temps - read more in my post about it here.

There is a lot more to say about Provence, but I have a pretty large batch of homework to finish, so that's all for now... I'll be back soon to add more.