Exploring the Luberon Region

After a lovely sit-down breakfast in the dining room, Patrick, our new driver-guide, picked us up for the drive to Avignon, where we would board our ship for our France’s Finest cruise. Today’s itinerary included a drive through the Luberon region with a stop in the village of Roussillon, a visit to the village of Gordes and the Abbey Notre-Dame de Sénanque, lunch at La Bastide de Pierres, and a private transfer to our ship in Avignon.

This time, I remembered to ask to sit up front so I could better appreciate the beautiful countryside. The Luberon region of Provence is famous for its lavender fields, perched hilltop towns, and local markets, and we would experience all three. We encountered very little traffic on our Sunday morning drive, and I sat back and enjoyed the scenery. The lavender fields that we passed are green now – sadly, we’re way too early in the season to see the profusion of purple blooms. Several mountain ranges came in and out of view, including the snowcapped Alps in the distance.

Lavender Fields Before They Bloom

Although not on the agenda, Patrick stopped in Reillanne, a small village with a Sunday market. Patrick was a regular patron and seemed to know most everyone there. While he shopped for his lunch, Tim and I enjoyed comparing this market to the others we had visited. Each one has been unique.

Patrick Shopping at the Sunday Market in Reillanne

We continued on through the beautiful countryside, driving along rolling hills and tree lined roads. I had been admiring the red poppies along the roadside when we suddenly saw ahead of us a small field that was a solid red mass. Could it be a field of poppies? Yes, it was! Patrick was more than willing to pull off on the side of the road so we could get out and walk among this amazing profusion of flowers. I had never seen anything like this, and the memory of this serendipitous stop was one of the most memorable from our trip.

The Beautiful Countryside of the Luberon

A Plethora of Poppies!

We next made a short stop in Rousillion, one of the many beautiful hill towns in Provence. Rousillion is unique in that it sits on top of cliffs of red and yellow clay. These clay hills have been an important source of the ochre pigment since the eighteenth century.

The Ocher Cliffs of Rousillion

Between Rousillion and Gordes, our next stop, we began to see vineyards beside the road. After climbing to the hilltop village of Gordes, Patrick dropped us off for lunch. Gordes, another exceptionally pretty village, is also one of the most visited villages in France. It was crowded today, and there was a long line outside our restaurant. Luckily, we had a reservation.

La Bastide de Pierres is an institution in Gordes and is known for its Italian food. Tim and I had forgotten about that and were therefore surprised to see pizza on the menu. That sounded great, and we both ordered one. What a simple and delicious lunch – just perfect! Afterwards, we had a few minutes to walk around and see the castle and main square.

There Are Vineyards Everywhere in France

Pizza in the Pretty Village of Gordes

From the center of Gordes, we drove down to the Abbey Notre-Dame de Sénanque, a twelfth century Cistercian abbey known for its lavender fields. Many of the monastic buildings have been restored, and although we could not visit the abbey, Tim and I enjoyed walking around the grounds.

Abbey Notre-Dame de Sénanque

On the way to the abbey, I had glimpsed what looked to be a viewpoint overlooking the village of Gordes. Patrick drove back there, and the view was indeed spectacular. It was probably the best overall view of any hill town that we’ve seen.

A Spectacular View of Gordes

With our touring finished for the day, Patrick made a beeline for Avignon, leaving behind the peaceful country roads.

Throughout the day, I had been photographing road signs as we made our various turns. Patrick always smiled at that, but he did indulge my wish to capture these signs. Although it may seem odd, I wanted to be able to retrace our route on a map. And, since I’m posting this after-the-fact, I did make a map of our entire pre-cruise trip after returning home.

Our Pre-Cruise WOW Trip - From Nice to Avignon

Tim and I enjoyed our day with Patrick, who could not have been more different than Cécile. Patrick was more of a driver than a guide, always dropping us off to explore sites on our own. Since we had so little time at each stop today, that tactic actually worked out quite well. I did enjoy getting to know him and learning his story.

We finally arrived at Avignon, where Viking Buri was waiting for us. I’ll save a post about our reflections on our pre-cruise WOW trip until later. At the moment, I’ll just say that it was a wonderful experience.

Next Up - France's Finest Cruise on Viking Buri