The guidebooks will tell you that the
sun shines over 300 days a year in the Provence region of France.
From the airport to Avignon
I, however, will tell you that we happened to be there on four of the other 65 days of the year.
And yet...and yet. There were enough holes in the clouds and moments of light to really enjoy every day of the trip. The small villages/hamlets (not sure what the difference is, but saying "hamlet" somehow sounds at once more appropriate and more pretentious) were of the melodious sort - Bonnieux, Cassis, Avignon - and the less so - Apt, Gordes (the "es" is silent). I expected Gordes to be full of lumberjack-jacket-clad Canadians.
Staying in a small dot on the map called Saignon - technically defined as a commune - you're instantly transported back a few hundred years. The houses are cobbled together haphazardly, so you 're never quite sure which path leads to your front door. Renting a place is quite affordable, with a very spacious 2-bedroom place with stone walls going for 500Euros/week, split-able between friends even.
From there, it's a series of day trips to various town markets and wine regions throughout the day.
The next few days will showcase some of the region, with pics taken between the raindrops. It ended with a night and a day in Marseille. So tune in this week for more. A bientot.
The view from Saignon
Provence is one of those rare places that lives up to the cliches. It is just as full of great food, poetic landscapes, and old-school charm that you think of when hearing "Provence".
