Hey Cassie!
So this is the second part to blog entry on my trip to France; all about Provence! It’s in South-East France, and is next to the Canal Du Midi.
Once we arrived at the Marseille Provence Airport, and had settled into our hotel the first place we went to was the lavender fields of Plateau de Sault! The first two things that hit you when you first go to a lavender field are the colour, and the scent. The scent is just like whenever you go into a store that sells soaps and bath accessories. And the colour is just so bright, especially when we arrived!
After that we ventured out and went to the “Pont du Gard”. It’s a three level aqueduct that crosses the Gardon River Valley. If you don’t already know, an aqueduct is an old way of transporting water from one place to another. It was actually built over 2,000 years ago! A road bridge was added to it in 1743, and it was used up to 1996. Surprisingly there were loads of people around when we went there.
After a rough night, (let’s just say the girl I was rooming with has “sinus problems”), it was a real day of beauty. The sky was a pale blue, wind crisp, and sun shining. The first place we went to that day was Gordes. Gordes is this beautiful village that’s perched on the edge of a small hill. There were a lot of artists that were drawing/painting their own renditions of the village, each with their own flare. There’s actually a very old castle there that was built in the 12th century!
Next we went to La Roque-sur-Cèze, which is a very picturesque like village that sits on the edge of a rocky peak, part of it being isolate by woods.
The last place we visited while we were in Provence was Gorges du Verdon, which is a river canyon that’s considered to be one of Europe’s most beautiful places. You can bungee jump off of it and even kayak down it! The water is just absolutely gorgeous; a mix of turquoise with the sun reflecting off the shining surface makes it all look like a movie set.
One of the amazing dishes I had during my stay in Provence was Ratatouille! It tasted amazing with the tomatoes, zucchini, eggplants and much more. Served with a side of bread, dipping it in the sauce left this amazing tanginess in your mouth!
Also, I had a type of bread called ‘Fougasse Bread”. It sort of reminded me of pizza, but without the tomato paste. Looking back at the pictures, it just makes me want to go back and have some more! :)
In addition to that, at this amazing little cafe, we got served aioli, which is a traditional sauce made from olive oil, lemon juice, egg yolks, and garlic. It was just served with boiled vegetables and eggs, but it tasted amazing.
We also had a traditional Provencal fish stew called “Bouillabaisse”. Along with the fish, there were onions, tomatoes, leeks, potatoes, and celery in the stew, with a side of bread.
Lastly, one of my favourites that I had was a stew called ‘Daube”. It’s made of beef that’s braised in wine, and was so tender, vegetables, garlic and some herbs. It was also served with this pastry looking like bread, but inside it was a whole nother texture.
Here are just some pictures that I took around Provence, and it’s markets. :)
And of course where would I be without some random facts?:
- There are still a lot of old Roman buildings in Provence
- Fish is essential in Provence food
- Marseilles is the capital
- There’ll sometimes be flash floods created by sudden storms during Autumn
So yea, overall my trip to France was amazing. I doubt anything will ever compare to those weeks. I’ll definitely be going back sometime in the future, maybe us and a couple of others could go there for summer break? :P
xx Jenny
