Journey Through The Luberon Part 1 (Recounting our 2001 Trip)

Our second trip to Europe was in 2001 and we were trying to recapture some of the magic that we had experience on our initial trip the previous year.  Again, we had travelled back to the South of France, not far from the Dentelles Range previous trip.  But this time we were in the Luberon, another one of those magical places in Provence; of quiet hiking paths, hilltop villages, and of course, the famous thirst quenching wines of the Rhone Valley and the Luberon.

The hilltop village of Gordes in the Luberon

Journey Through The Luberon

 

We woke up to the sound of bells ringing on Easter Sunday morning in the town of Avignon in the South of France.  It was April 15, 2001 and we were once more in the South of France with our good friends, Dave and Dianne.  After breakfast we went to the train station and then the bus depot looking for a ride to L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, but nothing was going that way until much later in the day, so we found a taxi that had us there in 20 minutes.

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is a beautiful little medieval village that is built on the islands of five branches of the Sorgue River.  The town is well known for its 30 antique shops located across from the railway station, as well as its antique market held every Sunday.  We had arrived not only on a Sunday, but Easter Sunday as well.  We naively had expected to find accommodation, but had not considered the holiday and the number of tourists that were drawn to this area.  All the hotels were full; and the neighbouring village of Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, where we were going to start our hike was also full.
  

We wandered the streets browsing at the market, while searching for a hotel.  We finally gave up on he idea of a hotel in the area and, as bus service was limited on the holiday, we took another taxi to Carpentras, a larger town where we were sure to find accommodation.

Accommodation in Carpentras was not as abundant as we expected.  One hotel that looked decent was closed until 6pm and we were tired and thirsty after wandering around L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for hours, so with little else to choose from we ended up in the one star Hotel L'Univers (which I dubbed the Hotel at the end of the Universe).  It could probably be listed as "ok for desperate people".

We wandered through the town, but everything was closed up tightly on this Sunday holiday.  We were a little worried that we wouldn't find a restaurant for dinner, but we ended up finding an elegant little place, a little husband and wife operation that served an exceptional meal.  Cheryl, Dianne, and myself ordered the sea bass, which was delicious, although he ladies were a little taken aback to find the entire sea bass, including the head and tail, served on their plate!  We also enjoyed our first taste of Mt de Ventoux wine and found it highly palatable.

Of course, the next morning was Easter Monday so there were no buses running that we could find, so we found another taxi (we were getting quite used to this and had to remind ourselves that we had come here to walk, but so far this was getting quite expensive).

Finally, with the Hotel at the end of the Universe behind us, our taxi took us back through the now quiet streets of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and 7 kilometres later deposited us in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.  It was from here that we would start our walk the next day.  We found ourselves a cozy little hotel in the heart of the village and to explore our new surroundings.

 Fontaine-de-Vaucluse sits at the end of a closed valley beneath high rocky cliffs.  Although somewhat touristy, the town is well worth a visit. 

We followed the path up from the village with countless others to find the source of the Sorgue River.  Here, a gushing river gushes out of a deep pool and grotto in the side of the mountain and produces water at 200 cubic meters a second!  The source of the water originates somewhere high up on the Plateau de Vaucluse, flowing 20-30 km thorough rocky underground passages before it arrives at the dark pool.  This has been a source of wonder since prehistoric times.

Above the village sits the ruins of the 13th century castle that we climbed up to for a splendid view of Fontaine below.  We followed another trail around the back of the ruins and found the beginning of our hike for tomorrow to the village of Gordes.  We were looking forward to actually hiking to another village the next day instead of taking a taxi.

Looking down at Fontaine-de-Vaucluse from the castle ruins

Back at the hotel we had another excellent meal, although a misinterpretation of the menu found Dianne and I having sea bass for the second night in a row instead of the roast pork we were expecting, but at least this time the head and tail were removed.  And to celebrate Dave's birthday we enjoyed a Cote de Rhone wine from the village of Seguret.




The first 2 hours was a long 10 km climb past rocky bluffs and dry vegetation and the threat of peril...

Ready to hit the trail!

Attention Vipers!

Attention Vipers!

The sign gave us a bit of a start and we hoped we wouldn't encounter any vipers on our sojourn through the woods...

We stopped for lunch at the side of the trail with no vipers in sight and had a bottle of Cotes de Rhone with it that we picked up in Fontaine.  The weather was beautiful with clear blue skies, though the wind had a chill in it at times.

Along the way we had stopped and looked at the beautiful Senanque Abbey, founded by a group of twelve Cistercian monks in 1148.  The lavender doesn't come into full display until June.

Senanque Abbey

We had started hiking at 9:30 am and got into our hotel in Gordes at 4.