Lavender Trails in Provence

 Russell and I were in Provence, in the French Riviera and one of items on our to-do list was to visit the lavender fields that the region was so famous for. Luckily for us we visited when the lavender fields were in full bloom. We rented a stick-shift car from the rental agency by the train station in Nice and got a map from the Nice tourist agency which was next door and decided to visit the lavender fields in the Valensole plateau via the Gorges du Verdon which was about a few hours drive from Nice.

Gorges du Verdon is considered to be one of most beautiful canyons in Europe. It was formed by the Verdon River, which is named after its startling turquoise-green color, one of the canyon's most distinguishing characteristics. After a few detours and stops for directions we were well on our way and made it out of Nice and into the foothills of the French Alps following the Route Napoleon. We stopped for a late brunch at one of the little mountain side cafes and had the best fluffiest omelet in the world. After our lovely little meal we then arrived at Castellane. Tucked down in the throat of the steep Grand Canyon du Verdon, the town is invisible from a distance as you approach, except for a tall rock jutting straight up out of the valley, with a stone chapel perched on top. 

 The view of the Verdon river was absolutely beautiful, the banks were lush and the water was a beautiful turquoise. Stone bridges spanned the river in Castellane adding to it's beauty. From here our next destination was Lac de Sainte-Croix in the heart of the Gorges. As we made our way we lowered the windows in the car and we could immediately smell the fragrance of wild lavender in the mountains, the smell was intoxicating and ethereal.




 As we wound our way up and through the Alps each turn was even more gorgeous and breath taking. We finally got a view of the beautiful lake. The lake was surrounded by mountains and the water itself was a beautiful turquoise reflecting the mountains and the blue sky in it. We were excited to make our way there, and couldn't believe how much more beautiful it was when we finally got to it. The water was warm, still, calm and clear and the whole experience was one of a kind. After a few hours we decided to make our way to our final destination, the lavender fields. On our way to the Valensole plateau we crossed over the gorges and saw people swimming, boating and cliff diving into the river.

We could finally see the plateau in the distance and you could see fields of purple from miles away. The smell of lavender was even stronger as we got closer. We just pulled off on the side of the road and walked into a lavender fields with rows and rows of lavender in bloom. The whole sensory experience was quite overwhelming. Russell and I were able to experience a whole region of the plateau in bloom, beautiful to look at, beautiful to smell and were amazed again at how beautiful God's creation is and how blessed we are to experience it.