Oppède, Gordes en Provence
May 8 Today was a low key day. We had a lazy morning at the cottage. Around 12:15, we headed off for lunch at Bastide de Marie which is a beautiful boutique hotel set in the countryside surrounded by vineyards, olive groves and beautiful scenery all around.
We had a relaxing lunch on the outdoor patio on sunny warm day in the Luberon Valley. An attentive waiter soon made friends with Téo and commented on how he had the same eye color as Téo's. He said that was so rare to find someone with his eye color.
Delicious lunch was served with assorted basket of fresh bread, olive oil and dash of salt. We had the entree a fresh Tomato Gazpacho, Green Salad for Mandy and Tomato Linguine pasta for Jeff. Little Téo had the option of playing in the grass while we ate.
In the afternoon we visited a couple villages in the area. One called Isle Sur La Sorgue known as the Venice of Provence because of the canals going through the village. From there we headed to Gordes a beautiful hilltop town. Stunning views of the valley below over looking the Gordes walls and the beautiful view of the town from the road leading us into Gordes. We wandered the cobble stone streets and alleys. We bought some groceries for our dinner that evening and some Lavender from the area for a souvenir.
Over all Gordes is stunning, definitely a place to visit but it ended up being a bit to touristy for us. We preferred Ménerbes for the simplicity, beauty and quiet atmosphere.
We retuned late afternoon to our cottage. There we explore some of the property of Les Roullets. Visited their vegetable garden and stopped by an old under ground water irrigation system said to be build and used during the visible Roman occupation of this area. On the way back to the cottage we stopped and admired the beauty of thus old Oak Tree said to to be around 700 years old, Stately and Magnificent.
Mandy made a delicious meal in the evening from the fresh produce we purchased from the market in Gordes.
The day ended with us planning what to do the next day. Should we stay close by or venture out on half day trip to explore another area?
Check back soon to see how we spent the last day in Provence area.