The coast of Provence has some of the earliest known sites of human habitation in Europe. Primitive stone tools dating back 1 million years BC have been found there. During the Paleolithic period, there were two ice ages and sea level changed almost 500 feet.
 |
| It has hills, valleys and mountains now |
In about 6000 BC, a wave of new settlers from the east arrived in Provence and gradually displaced the earlier pastoral people. They were followed in 2500 BC by another wave of people, who arrived by sea and settled along the coast.
Between the 10th and 3rd Century BC, the Ligures lived in Provence. They invaded Italy, going as far as Rome in the 4th Century BC and aiding the passage of Hannibal on his way to attack Rome in 218 BC. They left behind in dolmens, megaliths, primitive stone shelters and rock carvings.
 |
| Oppede le Vieux hilltop village |
Between the 8th and 5th Centuries BC, tribes of Celtic peoples, probably coming from Central Europe, also began moving into Provence. The two groups shared the territory, each tribe in its own alpine valley or settlement along a river, each with its own king and dynasty.
They built hilltop forts and settlements, later given the Latin name oppidum. Traces of at 450 oppida remain.
Later, in the 5th and 4th Centuries BC, tribes formed confederations and began to trade along the Rhône and on the coast.
Traders from Rhodes visited by the 7th Century BC, naming the main river Rhodanos, which morphed into Rhône. Greeks arrived in 600 BC and 540 BC and built a town named Massalia (now Marseille). They established overland trade routes to Gaul, Switzerland, Burgundy and the Baltic Sea to export wine, salted pork and fish, aromatic and medicinal plants, coral and cork.
 |
| The climate is good for growing things (this is lavender) |
In the 2nd Century BC, Roman legions entered Provence to help put down invasions and insurrections. Many liked it there and stayed, building roads to Rome, Spain and Northern Europe. In 49 BC, Massalia sided with Pompey against Julius Caesar, losing its territories and political influence when Pompey was defeated. In 8 BC, Rome created new towns and built monuments, theaters, baths, villas, arenas and aqueducts, many of which still exist.
 |
| Even newer buildings feel Roman; this is the cloister at Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque |
Over the next 600 years, more waves of people came through, including Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Burgundians, Franks, Arabs and Berber pirates. In 879, Provence became an independent state. In the 9th Century, Normans pillaged and Arab Saracens took land, built castles, raided towns and held locals for ransom. In 973, Provence rose up and defeated the Saracens. A war between Burgundy and Germany led in 1032 to Provence becoming a fiefdom of the Holy Roman Empire, which it remained until 1246.
 |
| There are many villages and castles |
The 12th Century saw the construction of Romanesque cathedrals and abbeys. Among three Cistercian monasteries built in remote areas was Sénanque, which we visited.
 |
| Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque |
In the 13th Century, French kings extended their influence into southern France through strategic marriages. From 1309 until 1377, seven popes reigned in Avignon before the schism between the Roman and Avignon churches led to the creation of rival popes in both places. After that, three reigned in Avignon until 1423, when the papacy returned to Rome.
In the 14th Century, the Black Death greatly reduced the population. The defeat of the French Army during the Hundred Years' War forced Provence cities to build walls and towers to defend themselves against armies of former soldiers who ravaged the countryside.
 |
| The walled hilltop city of Oppede le Vieux |
Multiple conflicts from 1388 to 1526 ended in the separation of Nice from Provence and installation of a new king, René. When he died in 1480, his title passed to his nephew who died a year later. The title then passed to Louis XI, incorporating Provence into the French royal domain in 1486.
 |
| An olive grove |
The Wars of Religion swept the country in the 16th Century. Provence remained strongly Catholic.
At the beginning of the 17th Century, Provence had a population of about 450,000 people who predominantly grew wheat and olives, made wine or operated small tanning, pottery, perfume-making or ship- and boat-building businesses. The plague struck again 1720 and 1722, killing 40,000 people. But, by the end of the 18th Century, population rebounded.
The French Revolution was violent, bloody and deadly in Provence.
Opponents of the Revolution handed Toulon over to a British and Spanish fleet in 1793. After a four-month siege, Napoleon Bonaparte drove the British out and restored power to the French royalty. Admiral Horatio Nelson blockaded Toulon, halting almost all maritime commerce, causing hardship and poverty.
 |
| The Blockade of Toulon, Thomas Luny |
When Napoleon was defeated, his fall was celebrated in Provence.
The region enjoyed prosperity in the 19th Century, with ports connecting Provence to the expanding French Empire in North Africa and the Orient, especially after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. The railroad made the area a popular winter retreat for European royalty, including Queen Victoria.
 |
| A pleasant garden in Gordes |
In June 1940, France was divided into an occupied zone and unoccupied zone, with Provence unoccupied. Resistance gradually became more active, especially after Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941.
In 1942, following Allied landings in North Africa, Germany occupied all of Provence and then headed for Toulon. The French fleet at Toulon sabotaged its own ships to keep them from falling into German hands. The Germans sent French Jews and refugees from Nice and Marseille to concentration camps. A large quarter around the port of Marseille was emptied of inhabitants and dynamited so it would not serve as a base for the Resistance. Still, the Resistance grew stronger.
After the war, Provence faced an enormous task of rebuilding.
 |
| Provence's charm fueled regrowth |
Provence underwent a cultural renewal and became a tourist destination. Many Europeans, particularly from Britain, bought summer houses. TGV high-speed trains shortened the trip from Paris to less than four hours.
Provençal was widely spoken in Provence until the beginning of the 20th Century, when the French government launched an intensive and largely successful effort to replace regional languages with French. Today, Provençal is taught in schools and universities in the region, but is spoken regularly by less than 500,000 people, mostly elderly.
The typical landscape of Provence is low, soft-leaved scrubland or chaparral near the coast. Juniper and stunted oaks are the typical trees; aromatic shrubs such as sage, rosemary, wild thyme and, especially, lavender, are common.
 |
| A pretty landscape |
 |
| We saw both red and white grapes |
The wines of Provence were probably introduced around 600 BC by the Greeks. After the occupation, the Roman Senate forbade growing grapes and olives to protect Italian imports. But, retired Roman Legion soldiers who settled in Provence were allowed to grow grapes. The rest is history. As recently as the 1970s, Provencial wines were considered ordinary. Since then, reduced cultivation of poorer varieties and new technologies and methods have improved the quality.
The majority are rosés; Cassis is the only area in Provence known for its white wines. The principal grapes for red wines are Grenache, Mourvèdre and Syrah. For the rosés, the main grapes are Syrah and Cinsault.
Pastis is the traditional liqueur of Provence, flavored with anise and typically containing 40-45 percent alcohol by volume. It was invented after France banned absinthe in 1915.
 |
| Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque |
Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque
We started our visit to Provence with a rapid drive from Camargue to the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque near Gordes.
A monastery founded in 1148 by Cistercians monks, it is reached by an extremely narrow road. We were freaked out driving in, but didn't pass any cars. That made sense since it was early in the morning. We were worried about driving out until we figured out that the road was one-way. It would have been impossible to pass a car. I think tour buses came in via the wider exit road.
 |
| Fellow visitors; Photo: Scott Stevens |
Even though its an active monastery, Sénanque has very sophisticated tour programs. But, then, monks have always operated businesses, some very lucrative, to support their religious endeavors. Think wine, sandals, cheese and, here, lavender, honey and, obviously, tourism. Of course, history tells us that some of those endeavors also supported rather lavish lifestyles for some of the higher-level church officials.
But, back to the tour. Some are guided, but nothing was available that day in English. I opted for histopads that provide a self-guided tour. They are helpful, but tricky to maneuver while holding a camera or two.
The areas of the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque that you can visit include ...
 |
| A dormitory ... |
 |
| And a cloister ... |
 |
| The church from outside |
A refectory was added in the 17th Century, but the abbey is still remarkably untouched.
The church is in the form of a cross with an apse projecting beyond the abbey's outer walls.
In the 13th and 14th Centuries, Sénanque reached its apogee, operating four mills, seven granges and possessing large estates in Provence. In 1509, the community had shrunk to about a dozen.
During the Wars of Religion, the quarters for the lay brothers were destroyed and the Abbey was ransacked by Huguenots. After the French Revolution, the Abbey's lands were nationalized, the one remaining monk expelled and Sénanque sold to a private individual.
 |
| It has a calm, serene ambiance |
The site was repurchased in 1854 for a community of Cistercian monks of the Immaculate Conception. The community was expelled in 1903, but a small community returned in 1988. The monks who live at Sénanque grow lavender and tend honeybees for their livelihood.
 |
| The only monk we saw |
 |
| Can you tell? |
The simple monastery was lovely, with a pretty garden in the cloister. The gorgeous day magnified the beauty.
Much was roped off with ugly tape that made it look like a crime scene, presumably to keep areas separate for the monks. I painstakingly Photoshopped most out so that you could see the rooms how they are supposed to look.
The Abbey has a store that sells lots and lots of lavender products. My one regret about coming in September was that the lavender had all been harvested.
 |
| Lavender fields front the Abbey |
I keep missing lush purple fields of lavender. The best I have seen was in Maui, Hawai’i, but it wasn’t at prime.
More Changes
 |
| Just passing; Photo: Scott Stevens |
After touring Sénanque, we were planning to visit the pretty hilltop village of Gordes, which we had driven past that morning. But, it was too crowded for Scott’s taste and he decided that we would come back in the cooler morning. He was tired and just wanted to get to our hotel.
Since that was it for the day, I was starting to fear that we wouldn’t get to see any of the sights I had lined up.
We had booked Hôtel la Magnaneraie, which my friend, Cindy, had recommended. Originally, it was a good choice because of its proximity to our now-cancelled wine tour.
 |
| Photo: Hôtel la Magnaneraie |
It took almost two hours to reach because of heavy traffic in the very urban (and thus unappealing) Avignon.
 |
| This is the only photo I got in Avignon and it was from a moving car |
We drove through the city and across the river, climbing up narrow streets in a residential neighborhood. When GPS told us to turn right on a tiny lane (like Wales-level tiny) to reach the hotel, Scott balked. He didn’t think our car would fit. We finally found it via another route. It was, indeed, lovely. But, set in the middle of a neighborhood, it had no nearby restaurants and no attractions we could walk to.
 |
| So, we would have to just sleep; Photo: Booking.com |
The hotel had parking in a tricky-to-reach adjacent garage with a gate that smacked the car as Scott drove in (aren’t electric eyes supposed to keep these things open?).
The former mansion of a cardinal located in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon was a place for feasting in the 16th Century that became a silkworm farm and then a wine estate in the 20th Century before becoming a hotel in the 1970s. Magnaneraie has a Mediterranean garden with two 200-year-old plane trees, tree-lined alleys and a view of the Abbey.
 |
| As I said, pretty, but now inconvenient; Photo: Hôtel la Magnaneraie |
We ate a late (very late, it was a longer drive than we expected) lunch in the in-house restaurant, which had an somewhat limited menu.
 |
| Unfortunately, it was the same menu for dinner |
Later, after searching the Internet for a close restaurant for dinner, we snacked on “car food” rather than trying find our way out and back in the dark.
We knew that everything we wanted to do in Provence was at least 90 minutes away, so I cancelled our second night (fortunately, the hotel was fine with it and did not charge us for the second night) and I used Booking.com to reserve a somewhat sketchy-looking cottage closer to the area we had been in that morning.
Oppède le Vieux
After a lovely breakfast at the hotel, we slogged back out through Avignon’s beastly traffic before getting back to the small towns and vineyards we had passed the day before.
Originally, we were going to start in Gordes. But, the other town I wanted to see, Oppède le Vieux, was on the way, so we went there first.
 |
| Oppède le Vieux; Photo: Scott Stevens |
Described as an “under-the-radar village built atop rocks and surrounded by overgrown trees,” Oppède le Vieux is embedded halfway up the north face of the Luberon, a massif in central Provence.
 |
| Scott, exploring |
The village, originally named just Oppede, protected inhabitants from the waves of invasions that plagued Provence. One of the worst offenders, the bloodthirsty Jean Maynier, Baron of Oppede, took the castle at the top as his seat in the 16th Century and waged a crusade against the Vaudois (another Christian sect), carelessly destroying 11 villages in the process.
Eventually, the area settled down and became peaceful. The villagers, most of whom had crops in the valley, found it inconvenient to commute up the steep roads every day when they no longer needed protection from invaders.
So, they started moving down, creating a new town (also called Oppede) and abandoning the village above. They even purposefully destroyed some homes to avoid paying taxes (no roof = no taxes). Eventually, everyone moved and the old village, now called Oppède le Vieux (Old Oppede), became a ghost town, its crumbling walls overgrown with trees and shrubs.
 |
| A town taken over by plants; Right Photo: Scott Stevens |
Oppède le Vieux started coming back to life during World War II, when a commune of artists, sculptors and writers, including Consuelo, Comtesse de Saint-Exupéry, started colonizing the empty houses and renovating them. The Comtesse was a Salvadoran-French writer and artist and was married to the French aristocrat, writer and pioneering aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, who wrote The Little Prince.
 |
| There are some lovely homes; Left photo: Scott Stevens |
It was, indeed, out of the way. We threaded through the smallish, but very nice, town of Oppede before arriving at the carpark below the village. We were the ONLY people there. We walked up the path through beautiful gardens.
 |
| The path up |
The town, unlike many other places that experienced an artist commune renaissance, retained much of its feeling of abandonment and decline.
 |
| The commercial part of town |
But, in a charming rather than derelict way.
 |
| Some lovely details |
We walked up the cobbled path, encountering only two other people, exploring the abandoned town and the quiet solitude.
 |
| Scott resting after the steep(ish) hike |
See part of my walk here. Things we saw included ...  |
| ... old village walls ... |
 |
| ... cobbled paths ... |
 |
| ... the 19th century chapel of Saint-Antonin ... |
 |
| ... the ruined castle ... |
 |
| ... and the Church of Notre-Dame-d'Alydon; Left photo: Scott Stevens |
The Romanesque Notre-Dame-d'Alydon was originally built in the 13th Century and then rebuilt in the 16th. It has a gargoyled, hexagonal bell-tower and a lovely terraced graveyard.
 |
| Graveyard |
We couldn’t go in the church because it was too early. As in Wales, most things in France open around 10:00 a.m. For us, half the day is gone by then. Being an early person had pluses and minuses. We were virtually alone), but the church was still padlocked. I prefer the solitude, so that was fine.
 |
| We did hear the bells |
Even though, with the exception of Parc Ornithologique du Pont de Gau, France wasn’t offering up many birds, I always look. I saw several Black Redstarts.
 |
| I captured a so-so picture of a male |
I had carried only my medium lens, not my telephoto for the hike up. Every time I leave the long lens behind, I regret it.
The view from up the top is lovely, showing off whole plain of the Luberon stretched out.
 |
| Another pretty view |
When we were leaving, we caught some better views of the town, with vineyards and olive groves in the foreground.
 |
| A last look |
Gordes
Our next stop was that lovely hillside village of Gordes. Actually, Gordes is rather large, extending down the hill and across the valley. It even incorporates the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque that we visited the day before. But, in this context, I am talking only about the picturesque village perched on a giant rock in the center of the commune.
 |
| Such a pretty place |
I really wanted to see it, so I was hoping it wouldn’t be too crowded for Scott. It wasn’t. We drove past a few parking lots on the main road and then discovered we could drive right up into town. We quickly found a spot. The pay box was broken, so I downloaded a French parking app similar to ParkMobile, completing the transaction just as a guy showed up to repair the broken box. The app served me later, so it was good.
We stopped in a little convenience store, bought some bottled water and trotted off to explore.
 |
| Lots of steep stairs and lanes |
Built on the foothills of the Monts of Vaucluse, facing the Luberon, Gordes is one of the most well-known hilltop villages in the region, and is noted as “one of the most beautiful” in France.
 |
| Changing light changes the view |
It features white stone houses and buildings, a labyrinth of narrow cobblestone streets, a 10th Century château, the Romanesque Saint-Firmin church and magnificent views of the surrounding countryside of the Luberon.
 |
| It also has art galleries and a very high-end hotel (think in excess of $1,000 per night) |
We noticed a number are large photographs of cats mounted on many of the buildings. I searched the Internet to see what this was about. Was it a short-term exhibit? Or permanent? Was it because Gordes is somehow famous for cats (we didn’t really see any)?
 |
| I never found anything on Google, but the giant prints were beautiful |
Occupied since prehistoric times, the hill housed a Roman oppidum and a Roman road was built across the Calavon Valley below. During the violent invasions during the Middle Ages, many inhabitants left the plain below and settled around the much safer fortified town. The existing castle dates from the 10th Century and was remodeled during the Renaissance. During the Wars of Religion, Gordes resisted an assault from Baron des Adrets, a cruel Huguenot chief who raged his destructive fury on Sénanque.
 |
| The castle and the church |
 |
| WWII statue in town |
During World War II, the village was an active resistance center against German occupiers.
It was bombed in 1944 and a dozen houses were dynamited in reprisal for the death of a German soldier, killed by resistance fighters.
After the war, the town was restored. All new buildings in Gordes are made of stone with terracotta roof tiles. No fences are allowed, only stone walls. All electrical and telephone cables are underground, except in some pre-existing installations on the borders of the commune.
It has a primary school, a nursery school, a daycare center, a pharmacy, a dentist and even a hospital that is exclusively for older people. We found the last interesting because the town isn't exactly accessible. We saw several wheelchair-bound people near the hospital in what may have been an assisted living area; how they get around on cobblestones, I don't know.
 |
| Not easy; Left photo: Scott Stevens |
Several important artists have lived or worked in Gordes, including Marc Chagall.
We didn’t do much but walk about enjoying the spectacular weather, the charming narrow alleys and the ambiance. We ate lunch on a lovely outdoor terrace.
 |
| Italian food with a French flair: Top and right photo: Scott Stevens |
After lunch, I noticed a message about out upcoming stay at that semi-sketchy cottage I had booked. But something was off. It said it expected us in three days, not that night! What? I had accidentally booked the wrong date (sometimes Booking.com jumps to a former search and I assume that’s what happened). I tried to change it, but it was booked that night. So, we had no place to stay.
I went back to Booking.com and discovered a vacancy at a lovely hotel that we could actually see from the hilltop town.
 |
| The hotel at a distance and up close |
It wasn’t even particularly expensive. We jumped on it.
 |
| The hotel, Mas des Romarins, was wonderful |
 |
| The staff was delightful and the grounds and room (called "Love Story") were gorgeous |
 |
| It had a pretty terrace ... |
 |
| ... with an incomparable view |
It took a lot of missteps to land there. But, it was perfect.
Some Wine
After checking into the hotel, we took a drive and stopped at the Domaine des Peyre winery, hoping for a tour or a tasting.
 |
| A nearby winery |
No tour was offered and the tasting was fairly quick.
 |
| But the wine was very good ... |
 |
| ... and the winery has some interesting art ... |
 |
| ... It even had a few birds: Short-toed Snake Eagle and Eurasian Blackcap |
As we drove through vineyards, we kept hoping we’d see a harvest in progress. We saw lots of trucks and equipment gathering in what appeared to be anticipation of harvest. And, we saw some areas that looked like they had already been harvested.
 |
| Remains of grape picking |
But, we never saw an actual harvest.
 |
| We certainly saw vineyards |
We also saw lots and lots of apple trees, many pruned to the bare minimum and covered in thick mesh to protect the fruit from hail.
Some Dinner
That evening, after a brief rain shower, we walked back over to the village to find dinner.
 |
| Rainbow |
We wanted to eat early enough to get back to the hotel to get sunset photos.
It was about 6:30 p.m. and nothing was open until 8:00 p.m. We walked into one place that looked open, but were rather firmly (and condescendingly) told that it was “too early” for dinner and we would have to come back at 8:00 p.m.
So, we walked back to the hotel and had a drink on the terrace where we got some spectacular photos of Gordes in the glow of sunset, including nabbing a brief appearance of a rainbow.
 |
| Magnificent! |
Then, we walked back to the restaurant, where we were told we needed reservations and none were available. They could have said that at 7:00!!!!
We wandered around trying to find a restaurant and settled on a tiny café, called Le Teston, with a limited menu. We were starving and nothing seemed appealing except a hamburger. Now, we both hate being the American and ordering burgers in France. But, we did. Oh, my! It was the best burger we have ever had. The meat was like the finest steak, the bun was delicious and the pickled onions and special sauce were to die for. It was one of the best meals we had on the trip.
 |
| Later-than-planned dinner kept us in town after dark; Photos: Scott Stevens |
There are lots of other things to see in Provence, but we didn’t. Instead, we just slowed our pace and enjoyed this magical place. We didn’t even visit Avignon, except the drive to and from the first hotel, or Marseille. And, that was fine.
