France, Part 4, Provence - second part of the week

Even though I posted SO many pictures in my last post, I forgot a couple that I meant to include in the "Arles" section.  I thought this shop keeper and his colorful goods were such a slice of life!

There were so many wonderful buildings with colorful shutters and lovely flowers.  I guess when you don't have a yard, you put your effort into your window boxes!

Now on to the next couple of days in Provence.

L'isle sur de la Sorgue, Fontaine de Vaucluse

On this day, our theme was water and we visited two towns with plenty of it!  

L'isle sur de la Sorgue means "Island on the Sorgue River."  Sometimes called the Venice of Provence, there are many canals that run through the village.  

There were also several families of ducks out for a swim.

There are 9 waterwheels in the town which are remnants of the town's wool and silk industries.

There is always a church to visit in these cute towns.  The Notre-Dame des Anges is a 12th century church with a Baroque interior.

 These gilded embellishments date from the era of Louis XIV, the Sun King.

I took this photo in the square in front of the church because I thought that the yellow building was a fabric store.  Turns out "fabrique de chassures" means a shoemaker.

 We visited the chocolate store, of course.

 It was a beautiful town to just wander around in.

From L'isle-sur-de-la-Sorgue we drove to where the Sorgue River begins. The town of Fontaine de Vaucluse is located near a spring deep in the rocks that is the source of the Sorgue River.  So picturesque!

A lovely spot to relax and have lunch.

They had pizza, I had crepes!

There is also a ruined castle high up on the hill.

 Mark and the castle ruin.

Close-up of the castle ruin.

Buoux, Lourmarin, Lacoste, Menerbes

Buoux is a town in the Luberon area of Provence known for the high cliffs that surround it as well as a medieval fort that was built in the 13th century and destroyed in 1660.  In the Middle Ages, the fort was home to hundreds of people.  It was a bit of a hike, but well worth it.

 Morrie, beginning the hike with his camera and huge lens.

 In any language, the message is clear!

 Mark, leading the charge.

There were labels on the different parts of the fort to help us visualize what it might have looked like in its day.

 There was a church, of course.

 This is the castle that was within the fort area.

You can't really tell, but I'm am sitting next to a sheer cliff that drops hundreds of feet, which was a little scary for me.  I really don't like heights.

Morrie and Dawn found some flowers to photograph.

Mark and I chose a different way to descend from the mountain top which included some steep steps.  With Morrie's bad knee, he and Dawn decided to go down the way we had come up.

 From the top of the first set of steps.

Looking up from another set of steps.

There are so many cute towns in this area, and we tried to hit as many as we could.  We stopped in Lourmarin.  It had a chateau.  I mean, who doesn't have a chateau?

 The town square was adorable, of course.

We drove on to Lacoste, former home of the Marquis de Sade.  After a run-in with the police because of a series of incidents involving local women, the Marquis fled the country but was eventually imprisoned.  His castle was partly destroyed in 1779.  It is now owned by Pierre Cardin and has been partially restored for local events.

 Mark, looking creepy.

One of the lovely streets.

We ate lunch at a delightful cafe that was used in a forgettable movie, "A Good Year" starring Russell Crowe.  We were in a hilltop town with a lovely view of another hilltop, Bonnieux.

 The view of Bonnieux from Lacoste.

Our lunch spot (above and below).

Many times throughout the week, we passed fields of red poppies, often stopping to take photos.  This time someone stopped and told us to get out.... at least we think that is what she said.  It was in French, so we aren't sure.  But not before we had a chance to take some photos with the Lacoste castle visible on the hill.

 Morrie & Dawn compare their camera screens.

Our last stop for the day was the town of Menerbes, yet another hilltop town.  We stumbled into an open house for the Savannah School of Design semester abroad program.  They have a campus in this town and students rotate in for a semester.  The current students were displaying their projects in various disciplines:  photography, textiles, and art, to name a few that we looked in on.

More cute shutters and doors in this town!