After a lovely breakfast on the 32nd floor of our hotel with a nice view of Lyon in morning light, we continued to head south towards Provence. Our final destination today is Arles. On our way there, we planned to swing by Gordes and Roussillon in the heart of Provence. We really wanted to see the lavender and sunflower fields in bloom.
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| In the hilly heart of Provence near Gordes, we found the quiet and quaint Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque |
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| Its fame likely originates from this pretty picture of the field of lavender against the Romanesque church background |
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| However, since we came too late after the harvest (late July to early Aug), this is what we saw instead. Bummer! |
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| No matter! It's still a very pretty background for a beautiful picture |
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| The Abbey was founded in 1178. The monks were expelled during French Revolution in 1789 and again in 1903. They only returned recently in 1988 |
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| Provence is dotted with pretty hill-top towns like Roussillon. Here, we did find a few bushes of blooming lavender to frame this picture |
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| Not only is Roussillon very scenic, it is also famous for its large ochre deposits (the red and yellow clay deposits at the back) |
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| Roussillon was the first town to mine ochre on an industrial scale in 1780. It was exported worldwide as pigment for painting in art and household until synthetic pigments arrived on the scene |
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| The main street is so narrow that only one car can pass at a time |
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| Nowadays, the lifeblood of the town is tourism |
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| Roussillon is located within the Natural Regional Park of Luberon. Only sustainable economic activities are allowed |
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| The town was well-preserved and the tourist crowds disappeared once you left the main pedestrian street |
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| The Rhone riverbanks in Arles. Rhone originates from Lake Geneva and flows past Lyon & Avignon on its way here. It was once a busy trade route before railroads were laid |
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| The ruin of Baths of Constantine in Arles, which was built by Roman Emperor Constantine I |
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| Arles Amphitheatre. Arles thrived only during Roman times. After that, it was frequently eclipsed by its bigger neighbor, Marseilles, to the SE |
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| Arles is famous as the city that hosted Van Gogh. He started to flourish after moving here from Paris and painted most of his works in the last two years of his life around Arles in Provence |
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| Arles after dark |
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