Tuesday
We visited the market in the village of Gordes. Gordes is an old town at the top of a hill with stunning views over most of the Luberon region, accessed by one road.
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| Colourful shoes at Gordes market |
Every Tuesday morning they hold a market selling everything from exotic spices to sports bras to wooden whistles. The market is bustling with tourists and is a fun lively place to visit and to find gifts for friends. The ambience of the town is different to other hill top villages, that are mostly quiet during the daytime with a couple of cafes.
Gordes gives off the air of being somewhere for the rich and famous to visit in their convertible cars, from the €300 a night hotel with views of 30 miles of valley and mountains, to 5* restaurants. But down the side streets that come off of the main market square are smaller cafes, with views equal to that of the hotel, and little shOps selling post cards and clothes.
If you're in the area, especially on a Tuesday, I'd definitely recommend Gordes as a place to visit, if not for its over priced wares them its unbeatable views (both of the valley and the rather yummy guitarist at the market).
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| The Monastery at Saint-Saturning-les-Apts |
In the evening we drove to the nearby village of Saint-Saturnin-les-Apts and walked up above the village to the monastery. Not so much as religious pilgramage as my family don't hugely swing that way, but more for the view. From the top you can see around 40 miles of the Luberon valley - tiny hilltop villages surrounded by cherry and lavender farms, vinyards, and a lot of villas with pools! The valley is encircled by large mountains on all sides, which make a pretty spectacular backdrop for a sunset and watching an orange moon rise in the sky.
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| View of the village and the Luberon |
Wednesday
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| Roussillon, the ocre village perched on a hill |
A lazy day by the pool followed up by a meal in the hill top village (you'll notice this theme emerging...) of Roussillon. Roussillon is another place that is well worth visiting, with arguably the best time being at sunset. The village overlooks, and is built on, huge ocre cliffs that are bright red and orange and really catchs the sunlight when it is setting. Among the narrow streets lined with orange houses with colourful shutters, are little postcard and trinket shops, and arguably the best ice cream shop in the region! (Try their lavender flavour, sounds weird but is amazing! The personal favourite being melon flavour) A cute little village that was definitely worth a visit.
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