Sunday, July 22, 2007

LUBERON - PART ONE

GORDES & ROUSSILLON - MAY 2005

The Luberon is probably one of the most spectacular parts of Provence, and you know already how fantastic Provence is. The Luberon is home to vineyards and orchards with fascinating hill-top perched villages, lighted by the glorious luminosity that fascinated van Gogh and Cezanne. On this post we'll deal with Gordes and Roussillon!

After Fontaine de Vaucluse, we headed to L'Isle sur la Sorgue, a small town located where the Sorgue River splits into two streams. The Venice of Provence, as it is often named, owes its nickname to the crystal-clear, emerald water that flows through it at 13 degrees Celsius, the temperature it springs out of the source at the nearby Fontaine de Vaucluse. L'Isle sur la Sorgue is better known, however, for its antiques; actually, for the last decades it has become famous as the antiques capital of France, with the exception of Paris. But we left all the antiques for Isabella, who made L'Isle sur la Sorgue the base for her adventures in Provence... Regrettably, I've no photos of L'Isle, so let's go to Gordes!

***

GORDES


"GORDES was built on the foothills of the Monts of Vaucluse, facing the Luberon, and is one of the most famous hilltop villages in the region. This happens because its privileged situation, exceptional charm and typical architecture made it one of the Most Beautiful Villages in France (official); and also because of the important contribution that Chagall, Vasarely, and other artists - who spent some time there - made to its fame"


"COUPLE - One of the few photos we have together; an American couple, to whom we showed the view, took it"



"CLOSE-UP - Gordes, 38 Km east of Avignon and with circa 2100 inhabitants, is somehow the capital of the Luberon. It seems that the local was originally inhabited (since the Neolithic) by the Vordeuses, who named it Vorda, the root to get to Gordes. The castle, the Bories village, the Abbey of Sénanque founded in 1148, and the St. Firmin church of 1704 are to be visited"

***

ROUSSILLON


"OLD OCHRE QUARRY - Situated in the heart of one of the most important ochre deposits of the world, Roussillon owes its celebrity to its magnificent ochre cliffs and to its impressive careers of ochre, in contrast with the green pine forests"


"ROUSSILLON, with 1200 inhabitants, has seventeen shades of ochre painted across its houses, drawn from the palette of the old ochre quarry next door"


"TECHNICOLOR - The flamboyant reds, yellows, oranges and pinks merge one into the other for the glory of Roussillon"

29 comments:

Neva said...

You are an awesome "sight seer"--I love that you find out so much about where you are--you would be an absolutely fabulous history teacher!
I assume it is a menu in the last photo and I want whatever you and the lovely bride are having.
Thanks for visiting ...you are a HOOT!

Annie said...

You look so happy there. And who wouldn't be. You've shown me scenes that I remember from my visits to these two towns three years ago. What wonderful memories you've provoked in me.

Thanks, GMG.

lyliane six said...

Magnifique village que j'ai visité aussi il y a un moment, le petit Colorado français l'est vraiment petit, à côté de celui des USA, mais sa grandeur est en proportion de celle du pays.

Lilly said...

I feel like I've been on a little tour with you. Thank you for a lovely post.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

the rare couple pic was a delight and loved the post...it's a lovely, lovely place :)

Shrink Wrapped Scream said...

Goodness, what a charmed life you must lead! Loved the pic's - you obviously have an eye for a shot..

Peter said...

... and the nice trip through my favourite region continues! ... and you visit it and describe it so well!

Nikon said...

A beautiful region. You're very lucky to get to so many interesting places!
Thanks for stopping by Hemingway's site.
Have a good trip to the next stop :)

Nabeel said...

wow, what a beautiful scenery .. great pictures.

Gattina said...

Thanks for your comment on my travel blog ! I have to admit I neglected it lately and still have to write about my roundtrip in Turkey in May !

Aditi said...

for some reason i was eager to see what the streets looked like and i wasnt disappointed.. i loved the street shot

travelphilippines said...

oh wow those hilltop villages are amazing... i would love to live or atleast spend a vacation there.

Kalyan Panja said...

Some spectacular shots of this beautiful place with all the info. you provided along with it...Well done!

Ash said...

Beautiful place and beautiful images!

blueboat said...

what a lovely post - you're so lucky to visit all these wonderful places.

Janet said...

You really get around! Glad I found your blog also.
I have never heard the "Stars Fell on Alabama" record, but I have a copy of a book by that name.
Thank you for visiting selmaala.blogspot.com.

Shionge said...

Hey GMG since it is so near to orchard & vineyards I bet you have fresh fruits & wine all the time huh?

Lovely place indeed!

Stella Bella said...

Lovely photos! ;D

The blue sky is so beautiful!!! I'd love to go there some day. :)

Anonymous said...

you've been to some really beautiful places....

Marie said...

I think my region is still more beautiful in your photos than it is in reality. I have never visited Gordes.....

Lori said...

This place looks amazing. I love that hilltop village and the ochre colors of the town. I feel like I take a little vacation every time I visit your site!

isa said...

Glorious photos, Gil! You and the Mrs look positively fetching ;-)

Did you happen to dine in the cafe high up, overlooking the ochre quarry? What an amazing view!

lv2scpbk said...

Those photos of the city are spectacular.

Anonymous said...

Neva,
Thanks. I always liked history, actually; and becoming a tourist guide when retired is always an option...
The lovely bride (for only 37 years and 3 months today – we met on April 25th, 1970) also thanks for the compliment! ;)

Annie,
Glad to return you some wonderful memories. No wonder in such beautiful places...

Lilyane,
Le Colorado français peut être petit par rapport au américain, mais les villages n’ont rien à craindre de la comparaison; en fait elles sont incomparables...

Lilly,
Shrink...,
Thanks for your first comments (of many, I hope) on Blogtrotter.
I agree: when I travelled much more, life had much more charm...

Moi,
That’s not an easy task to get couple pics, unless you carry a tripod, which I wouldn’t!

Peter,
I’m daring to venture in your territory. Thanks for the endorsement!

Nikon,
Thanks for your first comment (of many, hopefully) on Blogtrotter.
Loved to see your Papa’s blog. Hemingway is one of my favourites, and I made some trips to the mandatory spots: the Key West home (with the Sloppy Joe’s "fountain"), the Bodeguita, the Floridita...

Nabeel,
Thanks for your first comment on Blogtrotter. Provence seems to be attracting new visitors!

Gattina,
You’re welcome. Look forward to seeing some more fantastic pictures from Turkey!

Aditi,
Glad didn’t disappoint you. Anyhow, next time I’ll pay more attention to street details. This time I was always carrying my video camera...

Travelphilippines,
Hilltop villages in Provence are outstanding. Prepare for the trip: Autumn and Spring wouldn’t be bad for the visit!

Kalyan,
Ash,
Thanks. Happy to see you two back here!

Blueboat,
Thanks. You also have your share of wonderful places;: still remember your Santorini post...

Rambling round,
Thanks. Again a first time comment! You may listen to Stars Fell on Alabama, by Jack Teagarden here: http://www.dailymotion.com/redhotjazz/video/x280v2_jack-teagardenstars-fell-on-alabama
Enjoy.

Shionge,
Truly orchards, no Orchard Road! So, fresh fruit and Cotes du Rhône, Cotes de Provence, Cotes du Luberon? Yes! But also herbs of Provence, tapenade, bouillabaisse, aioli, pistou, anchoyade, pissaladière, ratatouille, pastis, truffles, foie gras, champagne... hehehe!
Anyhow, missed your recipes... ;))

Stella Bella,
That blue sky is really fantastic; made many painters (and other not so arty) happy!

Piika,
You have been to some beautiful places too. I’ve seen the pictures in your blog... ;)

Marie,
Jamais à Gordes? C’est pas possible!

Lori,
Thanks. Happy for the collateral effects of this blog... ;)

Isabella,
Thanks. We are so enthralled...
Saw that café, but was crowded and there was a band making such a noise that we headed away. We had lunch at a restaurant overlooking the market place (crazy day). Great food and busy view.

Lv2,
I believe the villages were much more spectacular than the pictures...

Anonymous said...

hmmm your honey looks sooo happy in that photo!!

Dorothée said...

Bonjour! Je découvre avec grand plaisir Blogtrotter ! J’envoie sans tarder le lien à des amis américains qui vont venir visiter cette superbe région en septembre. Merci pour ce très beau tour provençal très utile et intéressant en même temps qui a le parfum de la lavande :-)

Anonymous said...

Niki-chan,
everybody looks happy in such place, and in such company...

Dorothee,
Merci. J'espère que tes amis auront un beau séjour en Provence septembre prochain, même si septembre est quelquefois pluvieux...

Irina said...

Beautiful old towns! Most wonderful place for a walk...

Anonymous said...

Hi Irina, I'm glad to see you back. It's a wonderful place to visit, but it's hard to walk: one has to climb those hills to get to the upper part of those perched villages...