Land of lavender

Day 45 - Gorde to Avignon 

Another beautiful day in Provence as we start with the best coffee for weeks while admiring one of the most beautiful views in the South of France. 

We drove to the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque, just a few kilometres from Gordes. In the photos it's surrounded by lavender but at this time of year it has all gone.

We made a quick stop at the Village des Bories but the entry was pricey and they seemed a little similar to the dry stone huts we saw in Ireland so we decided to give it a miss. 

Our lunch stop was at the beautiful (we're using that adjective a lot in Provence) Fontaine de Vaucluse. The village is built next to a spring that's depth is not totally known, but has been measured to at least 308 metres. We walked along the river to see the spring but the last 50 metres was closed off due to rock falls.

We drove a little further down the road to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue a picturesque town with water wheels and ducks based around the river Sorgue that flowed from the spring we'd visited earlier. As we sat by the river eating ice cream we wondered how much longer this superb weather could last. Apparently the town has the best market in the region on Sundays, but we're happy we're here on a Saturday as we're not that keen on dealing with the crowds (or the parking).

We drove on to Avignon and checked in to our hotel right next to the Palace de Papes, which we plan to visit tomorrow. M went exploring, learning that the Avignon Marathon was on the next day - another major event we had no idea was on until we arrived.