If you have never been to the south of France let me just say this, pictures do not even begin to do it justice. Everywhere I looked from the moment I woke up to when I went to sleep each night, I was in complete awe of my surroundings. Living in the United States where cities are jam packed and the suburbs aren't much better has made me forget what it's like to truly enjoy the peace and quiet of the countryside. 

We spent two full days in the Luberon region of Provence eating incredible meats, breads, olives and drinking even better wines. My mom and I were so excited that my dad was able to join us in Provence for our next week of adventures which included visiting the stunning lavender fields, classic French Farmer's Markets and dozens of small villages that are built into the hillsides.

Where to Stay

We stayed at a beautiful old olive mill in Lourmarin that also had a sister hotel up in the hills of Capelongue. Both were so beautiful and we were able to spend time at each. If you want to be in a town where you can walk around, I would recommend staying at Moulin de Lourmarin. But, if you want to be up on a hilltop and where the restaurant has two Michelin stars, then La Bastide de Capelongue is the place to be! 

Lavender Love

When I think of Provence, one of the first things that pops into my mind is the famous lavender fields. Typically they are in full bloom the end of June through early August, so we were worried that we were going to miss them, but thankfully there were still a handful of fields that had not been cut yet and wow, were they magical!

Farmer's Market

If you follow me on snapchat (rchenry8), then you know how much I love going to my town's farmer's market every Saturday morning. So when we found out that there was one not too far from our hotel in Provence, we decided to check it out. I loved walking through the different booths, finally getting to utilize my french and of course sampling everything as we went along. We decided to have a spur the moment picnic on the top of a beautiful hilltop with all of our purchases. It was delicious! 

We had:

French Baguette

Romano Cheese

Several different types of Olives

Fresh Salami 

Peaches

Cherries

and of course, a delicious white wine (Les Vines De L'argue)

I have to say that one of the things that I loved most about our time in Provence was that I felt like we were the only Americans there. Now, I'm sure that isn't true, but it just goes to show how immersed you can really get into the culture. We did not hear anyone else speaking english the entire trip, and we honestly thought that was great!

If you missed my recap of Paris or London, check them out here!

Hope that everyone had a fantastic weekend...

XOXO,

Rachael Claire