Ahh Provence! Thursday 26 June

The blogs are now on a roll, now we are settled and not working/travelling.

Haystack tractor

Before I get onto the sights, I have to mention again driving here.  Fortunately we now have a GPS in the car - much needed given the conflicts we have had in the past with me navigating and Allan driving and not listening!  Unfortunately SHE (the GPS navigator) does not have up to date roads and we suspect she was programmed to take us the most tortuous, but touristy route ensuring we go through out of the way places.  Being a passenger is stressful, narrow roads, French drivers, foreign drivers, dangerous drop-offs immediately on the edge of the road, leaping sheep and deer, caravans, pedestrians, no parking - to name a few.  That said, I am in awe as to how Allan has coped with the driving...

Our first stop is to revisit Rousillon.  It brings back memories of our last brief visit https://wilsonsontour.blogspot.co.nz.

Breakfast

We even managed to have breakfast at the same restaurant we had dinner at five years before.  I'm sure the kids will remember having a waitress assiduously slicing many rounds of baguette for dinner.

Again we were struck by the colours - which Van Gogh obviously loved.

Stairs we climbed up in Rousillon

Random garage door

Rousillon streets

Rousillon cliffs

Naturally there was a market with amazing produce and spices.

Market fare

Market fare

Cool gallery

Dead centre of Roussillon

In addition to the tourist shops, galleries (yes I managed to drag Allan in) and  market we also visited the "dead centre" of Rousillon.  The burial plots were amazing with each being a family plot having generations buried there with permanent  remembrances.  The remembrances were plaques in some cases, but there were also a lot of ceramic flower arrangements.  Some of the crypts were open - spooky.

And of course we had to have lavender ice cream.

Violet and lavender ice cream

Lavender again

Gordes

Olive oil dispenser

After Rousillion we thought we'd revisit Gordes one of the "perched villages". Passing of course the ubiquitous fields of lavender. Again, so totally different from New Zealand.

I couldn't resist taking this photo of an olive oil dispenser.  We had lunch in Gordes after walking around heaps, the retired back to the villa for a lazy afternoon/evening of playing cards and reading.

lunch at Gordes