L'Isle Sur la Sorgue

Our first day in Provence found us driving towards the island city of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue.

Surrounded by the River Sorgue on all sides,

the city oozes charm. Mossy wooden paddles from one of  several water wheels in town are still turning, and in former times helped keep the silk, woolen and paper industries going.

We made a point to visit Isle-sur-la-Sorgue on Thursday, its market day.

Vendors spilled out in every direction, along the river and around the Romanesque church

selling beautiful dish cloths

and table cloths

that were every bit as colorful as the fruit in the nearby stands.

Donkey sausage, anyone?

Flowers for arranging,

and for planting.

Cheeses for every palate,

or lavender by the scoop,

as well as the ever popular Savon de Marseille,

and greens for dinner. Just a few of the multitude of choices.

BUT, I must come back someday soon, because what really puts Isle-sur-la-Sorgue on the map is its popularity as an antiquing town. With over 300 permanent antique dealers and many more who flood the town each Sunday for its weekly antique market, it is the largest concentration of antique dealers outside of Paris.

Regretfully, our schedule did not allow a Sunday visit, and the antique shops are open only on the weekends, so I've every goal for a return visit. It's hard to imagine it being any more fun than the excitement of the Thursday market day when we visited, but I'll check it out....

someday,

 and maybe we can stay at our little farmhouse again, and a group of us can hook up together to share the fun.

Dreaming of Provence

Yes, my homes are in London and Texas, but it's truly France that has my ♥. Ever since I dreamed of far away places in my junior high French class while learning my colors and fruits, I've had a passion for this beautiful country. So it's no surprise that every chance we get, we head that direction.

This time we took the Eurostar from London to Paris, and then the TGV, France's speed train to Avignon in the south of France, where we rented a car and struck off for our French home for the week.

We finally arrived at Les Olivettes, a bastide or farmhouse  which has been converted into a guest house with 5 cute Provençal apartments. You can read more of the details here.

Take a peek as we go inside

where you'll see the common gathering area we shared with a family from the States and another family from Brazil. Each of us had our own apartments with a sitting area, bath, kitchen and bedroom.

Wouldn't it be fun for a group of us to go back and rent out the whole place just for ourselves?

The farmhouse is situated just outside of the delightful village of Lourmarin, which was a 5 minute walk away. The views from the house of the village

and of the chateau there at Lourmarin almost made you never want to leave the house to venture any further. 

Surrounding the house were lovely lavender filled gardens

accented with bright flowers

and surrounded by trees.

We often had our breakfast or our dinner out on the terrace looking over the Luberon valley, where the air was its freshest and we could hear the harmony of the cicadas.

Before leaving, we bought some olive oil from our hosts, Joseph and Elizabeth DeLiso, that had been pressed from trees on the property. Joseph and Elizabeth were so helpful to all of their guests as we'd make our plans each day. Their home was just minutes away in the village.

The pool was so inviting, it was hard to leave it behind each morning as we would strike out on the day's adventure.

Come evening,

the sunsets took your breath away

with promise of a new day and more adventures ahead.

Each morning, we would find a bread basket just outside our doors--a kick-off and sustenance for the day ahead. First adventure on our list, the town of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue on a market day.

I can't wait to share photos and stories from there as well as the other towns we explored while on our Provence get-away. Hope you'll come back for the tour!