As you have probably gathered by now we tend to enjoy spending our time in France cycling, visiting brocante market & vide greniers and drinking coffee, with the days passing by in a blur and us inevitably falling into bed each evening tired and satisfied after the day’s activities. There are certainly worse ways of…
Tag: cycling
A visit to Sault on Market Day
The pretty town of Sault sits on a rocky outcrop to the South East of Mont Ventoux and is at the heart of local lavender production. It sits above the valley that takes its name and the shaded Promenade opposite the Tourist Office on the road towards Aurel offers incredible views across the Southern flank…
Purple Provence – Where to see Lavender in the Vaucluse.
It’s this time of year that Provence turns purple when the Lavender fields start to explode with colour and the air fills with scent as the flowerheads gently brush against each other in the breeze. The air above them seems to shimmer with the colour and the constant buzz of bees and insects is a…
Poppies & Cherries – Provence has turned red.
Having arrived back in Provence a few of days ago I’ve been really surprised at how much things have changed in the last 5 weeks. First, and probably the biggest surprise, is that everything is looking incredibly lush and green. This a such a stark contrast to the bleached colours and dry fields and verges…
Another year flies by in Provence
This time last year I was writing about our first year in Provence, borrowing the title from Peter Mayle, who so sadly died earlier this year, having fuelled the dreams of so many people over the years (us included) with his wonderful stories of life in the Luberon. It’s hard to believe now that another…
3 ‘Small but Perfectly Formed’ Provence markets
There is something wonderful about a traditional French market and over the years we’ve spent a considerable amount of time ambling around them in different towns across the Country. The lively Saturday Market in Apt The nice thing is that each area expresses its own identity through its markets – with the wonderful seafood stalls,…
Coming out of hibernation – February sun in Provence
Since arriving back in the UK after Christmas it seems that it hasn’t stopped raining and most days we appear to have moved directly from dawn to dusk with what appears to be no actual sunlight in between. It just hasn’t got light and to be honest it’s felt as if we have been in…
Beyond the Veloroute #11 Mont Ventoux & the Gorges de la Nesque
I can honestly say that cycling in Provence is always a delight, but sometimes we do a new ride that just makes my heart sing & leaves me feeling as if I’m grinning ‘from the inside out’ and that’s just how I felt after doing this route earlier this week. I never thought I’d hear myself saying this, especially…
Beautiful light, colours, peace and quiet – it’s Autumn in Provence
The last couple of days I’ve been settling back into life in our little house in Provence and enjoying catching up with our eldest, who arrived in May & is still here – I think it’s fair to say he loves it and would love to make a life for himself here! Of course there…
Stepping back in time at Simiane La Rotonde
Over the summer one of our favourite cycle rides took us to the delightful Boulangerie at Simiane-La-Rotonde, just across the border from us towards Banon in the neighbouring Department of Alpes de Haute Provence. The Boulangerie itself is worth the hour long uphill cycle, but it’s not the only attraction as the village itself…
