Today we visited the market in Forcalquier and two small hilltop villages, Lacoste & Menerbes. Forcalquier is 50 km from St. Saturnin, a beautiful drive through fields of lavender and sunflowers. Joni shopped at a frenzied pace for about 2 hours, getting lots of products from Provence. I relaxed reading the paper and sipping coffee at a cafe.
Next we headed to Lacoste, a tiny village where Pierre Cardin is restoring the chateau which originally belonged to the Marquis de Sade. Very limited shopping, and just a few restaurants. We were too late to eat so he just had a drink. From Lacoste you get beautiful views the Luberon farms, and the village of Bonnieux, where we had lunch last year.
Leaving Lacoste we drove onward to nearby Menerbes. Author Peter Mayle lives just outside Menerbes, and we drove by his home.
Menerbes is slightly more lively than Locoste, some shops, but very expensive. Great views from Menerbes, including Mont Ventoux, the "Giant of Provence" with an altitude over 2000 meters.
For dinner tonight we drove about 30 km north to the village of St. Christol. Our dinner at L'Augerge de Laubion was fantastic, but the true highlight of today was the lavender that we saw on the ride this evening. Like the turning leaves of fall in New England, there is a peak season for lavender and we hit it. Our B&B host gave us a special route to take in order to maximize our exposure to lavender and it couldn't have been better. The best lavender that we have seen in 5 years coming to Provence. To paraphrase our friend Ann Martin, we saw "oceans of lavender". Our pictures were all taken between 7:30 and 8:30 so the light was starting to fade, but I still think you can tell how overwhelming it was.
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