Provence Untour, Spring of 2002
by Janice and Derek Ransley, Lafayette, CA
Last year, we experienced our first Untours. We went to Locarno (Ticino) first and then to Provence over the same time period as this year. There were a few differences between last year’s trip to Provence, partly due to our experience level and partly due to the slight difference in the time of our visit. Last year I was convinced that there were little white vans parked all over Provence, waiting to tailgate and to pass me as soon as there was the slightest hint of a straight road. This year we even passed a few of those vans.
We found it helpful to use the toll roads more this year. They do save a lot of time once you’ve figured how to get to them. We also were more ready to use the roads marked in white on the Michelin maps. They weren’t bad at all and it did mean that it was possible to get around such places as Carpentras.
Towards the end of our trip last year, we were discerning more and more blue fields as the lavender came into bloom. Not so this year-it was too early. However, to compensate there were many deep-red poppies along-side the roads and red blankets of poppies in some fields.
We ate breakfasts in the apartment, made sandwiches for lunch and ate most meals at “home”. We did go to restaurants three times for dinner and for light lunches when we were visiting larger towns. This was less about being frugal, but after a second round of by-pass surgery, I am more dedicated to low fat, low salt diets, which are hard to come by in France.
We very much enjoyed Gamet 1, which is on the outskirts of Pernes (as opposed to Gamet 2, which is in St Didier). The apartment is totally enclosed by an 8-foot wall or hedge. The compound includes a swimming pool, which was too cold to use when we were there, but made for a pleasant vista. The living room was colorfully decorated with light wood furniture and Provencal prints. The bedroom is of average size. The kitchen is tiny and the toilet even more so. The bathroom includes a washing machine and the living room a TV (French channels only) and a nice CD player/ radio (excellent classical music on FM 99.4). The Gamets don’t speak much English but we enjoyed trying our French, which we have been trying to brush up.
We flew from San Francisco arriving in Paris on May 21 and stayed at the Hotel de Notre Dame on rue maitre-Albert. This costs about the same as the Bretonnerie, has smaller rooms but is quiet. It is also a stone’s throw from Notre Dame.
There are a lot of things to do in Provence, much of which is well described in the Idyll On-site Guide. We usually made our plans the evening before. We had thoughts, before we arrived, of visiting Montpelier, Cassis and even the Gorges Sublime. However, when it came to it we weren’t prepared to travel that far. We also found that we were much more interested in exploring smaller villages than larger towns. Of the larger towns, Avignon, Arles and Orange we enjoyed more last year than Nimes and Aix that we went to this year.
I don’t have much background into the restoration of small towns in France. However, some have made a lot of effort to rebuild and others seem to have retained their “old” look. How those choices were made, I have no idea. However, we found places like Seguret and Venasque to be pretty but not feeling all that authentic and somewhat antiseptic.
For our first outing we took the loop to Saumane, La Roque-sur-Pernes, St Didier and Le Beaucet and enjoyed the day. The walk to the chateau ruins in Le Beaucet afforded great views.
We chose to visit the Dentelles de Montmirail on a perfect weather day. After passing by Beaumes de Venise we took a side road through vineyards until we reached a parking area. The hike, along a road used by people going climbing in the Dentelles, gave great views of the lacy, white rocks. The road traveled gently upwards and Mont Ventoux came into view behind us. From that area, the mountain has a Fuji-like shape, rather than the undistinguished views from the Luberon. We continued on D-90, stopping for photos along the way. There was much broom in bloom, which, with the poppies, added to the beauty of the countryside. We continued on to Malaucene, which is considered as the jumping-off place for Mont Ventoux. We walked up to the “Site Panoramique” which gave a view of the tiled roofs of the old town and of the mountain. Next stop was Seguret, which has some nice views.
The Saturday market in Pernes is relatively small but enjoyable and provided us with excellent vegetables, fruit, and cooked chicken. The Sunday market in L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is much bigger and has an “antique market” to go with it. Peter Mayle talks about the market in Coustellet as covering several acres, but we didn’t go. We like the markets and the locals take them seriously. They shop carefully for the best. It encouraged us to be selective.
We returned to Oppede-le-Vieux, a find from last year. Not much progress in rebuilding from last year and, a craft shop that we visited last year seemed to have been swallowed up. We walked up to the restored church and the un-restored chateau. Afterwards we checked out the Pont Julien and then went to Roussillon. Touristy as it is, it is still worth a visit. We happened on a wedding at the local church. Rose petals everywhere.
A trip that we enjoyed doesn’t get much of a mention in the Idyll literature. This is to the Gorges de Regalon. There is a walk between two walls of rock, which are about 65 feet high and two to sixteen feet apart. It continues for what seemed like half a mile but was probably less. There and back took about 90 minutes. You would walk normally for short stretches and then have to clamber over rocks. Six-year-olds would patiently wait while us more mature ones made our way. Next stop was the Abbaye de Silvacane. This is one of the Big Three abbeys in Provence. Perhaps not as impressive as Senanque, but worth the visit. Loumarine was en route but being a Sunday, was jammed.
A calender from last year stimulated interest in Haute Provence. We headed for Forcalquiers. The information office gave us an excellent booklet of the area, also directions to the W/C. We walked up hill to the Citadella for 360 degree views. The most exciting were towards snow-covered Alps in the distance. We checked out the “most beautiful cemetery in the world” as we departed.
Next stop was Lurs, pictured on our last year’s calendar. This is a very pretty, tastefully restored, small town, with pleasant views.
We continued on to Sisteron. The town is dominated by a very large fortress which is built high on a rocky outcrop, alongside a river. Great views were to be had from the Citadella both of the town and the surrounding mountains and near-by rock formations. On the way home, we stopped to see Les Mees. This is an area of very strange rock formations, red and pointed, which, I think, are called hoodoos.
Next day we took the road to Sault, which, is pretty and the town is also attractive. There is a good bakery and a few other shops and restaurants. Onwards we drove to Banon, famous for its cheese. We got there after the stores closed for lunch. However, we did buy some Banon cheese at Intermarche in Pernes. This was quite good, but another sample from a market was too strong for us.
We continued on to the Colorado de Rustrel. Although we had a pleasant walk around the ochre-colored rocks and strange formations, I wasn’t convinced that the walk at Roussillon last year wasn’t better.
The Carmargue is very accessible using the toll roads. This year we drifted around the area looking for birds. There are a few raised lookouts along the road. We saw a variety of things including flamingos, white horses, different ducks, and thing like a beaver which I think is called a rogodon. We took the walk around La Capeliere, which is a path around a lagoon with several blinds but not much to see. We went to Ste Marie's for lunch. The town is very Mediterranean and the white-painted houses gave a blinding light. Clearly a tourist town, it was still early in the season.
A favorite stop last year was Aigues Mortes. We returned because we hadn’t been able to walk the walls last year. It is about a mile all the way around and there are towers to explore en route as well as the main Tour de Constance. We enjoyed seeing the tiled roofs of the old town within the city walls and the countryside and salt marshes in the other direction.
We made our pilgrimage to Chateauneuf-du-Pape on a very hot day. We didn’t last long although we did visit a couple of nice wineries and purchased a few bottles. It is a pity that wine weighs so much!
The Gorges d’Ardeche is easily accessible using the A-7 and I don’t know why Idyll doesn’t promote this trip more. We stopped at Pont Esprit to explore a little and see the bridge. We continued to Aigneze on the south side of the gorge. Another, very attractive small town, tastefully renovated. Next stop was Les Crottes. Sixteen men, women and children, were executed by the Nazis in 1944. The town was left as it was, although there seemed to be people living there now.
We continued on the south side of the gorge to Pont d’Arc (it is probably better to back track and use the road on the north side). Pont d’Arc is an amazing, natural limestone arch over the river and is the starting point for the many canoes that float down the Ardeche River. There is a small and popular beach. The road on the north side of the gorge hugs the edge of the gorge and yields superb views of the river valley as it snakes its way far below.
We wanted to communicate with family by e-mail and were surprised to find that there is a one-computer place in Pernes (Web Point, 25 place Reboul). The people there were very helpful in explaining the European keyboard.
The Idyll dinner was held at a place called Mas Blanc (or some such). We found it much more charming than last year’s dinner and the meal was excellent. A couple at the table had gone to Cassis and had a great time, but they made it an overnight stay.
We had lunch at Baumes-de-Venise after not finding much to look at in the town. Onwards to Richerenches. (Peter Mayle in “French Letters” tells of his going there for the truffle experience). Richerenches is a tiny town built by the Knight Templars. Most of the town wall is in tact as are four towers, some of which appear to be lived in. Grillon came next. This is a town that has seen much creative restoration, which is still ongoing. Valreas was the next stop. We explored the church but a chapel, described in the Green Guide, was closed. The chateau is the attraction in Grignan, but was open to groups-only at this time of year. We took photos looking back at the town over green lavender fields.
Next morning we picked up a Trib from the newsagent in Pernes and headed towards the Abbaye de Senanque. Last year the parking lot was much more full than this. There also was no wait to enter and to follow a self-guided tour. It is a simple but very impressive place. The cloisters are beautiful-but most cloisters are. We passed Gordes. It is a much-photographed town and looks almost Grecian as the buildings spill down the hill. It is better to look at than visit.
We treated ourselves to dinner at the Mas de Bonoty for our final evening. This is a small hotel (8 rooms) with an excellent restaurant, run by a couple of Brits. A superb dinner with wine and excellent service was $75. Pretty good by our standards.
We had a nine-hour train journey to our Sachseln Untour. After our two-weeks stay, we spent three days in Zurich and then a final three in Paris. I found a hotel using france.com. This was the Ferrandi, which cost 170 Euros. We enjoyed it and the fact that it was air-conditioned and, with the windows closed, was quiet. We will use it again.
We kept records of our expenses for the stay in Provence. We averaged $80/day, which included gas, food and drink, and entry fees. This was about the same as last year.
After thoughts.
- We have now experienced four Untours. It is a great way to spend a vacation and the Idyll staff and hosts that we’ve met are wonderful.
- In each place, it was easy to get laundry done and we didn’t use all the clothes we brought with us, so the idea of packing only half of what you think you need (as Idyll says) is not far-fetched.
- Our Briggs and Reilly wheelie bags are great, but they weigh 17 pounds empty. We are checking out LL Bean.