September 1 – Art and Markets of Marseille

Another day of walking the streets of Marseille.  First thing was a walk to the Museum of Roman Docks.  They had huge amphora that were used to store wine.  The vessels are so large that they were actually buried in the ground to provide the necessary support to keep them from breaking. 

Then we headed back to harbor front for some more wandering.  

We visited the craft market that is on the esplanade directly across from our hotel.  There were many vendors with all types of merchandise.  Interesting to look at but we have downsized so no room for much.

The fish market was along the waterfront just beyond the craft market.  We were a bit late in the day but there was still a lot of business being transacted.

We also found the Ombriere.  This is a huge canopy at the end of the harbor.  It is made of highly polished steel and is sort of an art piece and sort of a conversation piece.  It stands quite high so everyone passes under it, making for very interesting reflections.

We also walked along Canebiere Street.  It is supposed to be the most famous street in Marseille.  It is certainly wide and has lots of shade.  We don’t know if we didn’t go far enough along it but it didn’t seem all that remarkable. 

We did branch off where we found the Marche de Capucine…a very lively local market.

We also wandered through the nearby streets where we found the Marche de Noilles.  It was more shops and butchers but still interesting.

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More Marseille Markets
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We headed off to find the Alcazar Library.  Found it but it was closed.  We did see the Port d’Aix (large gate on the road leading to Aix en Provence).

We also found a Turkish bakery so we stopped for some baklava for lunch. 

It was pretty hot and humid out, mainly humid.  So we headed back to the hotel for the rest of the day and didn’t head out again until evening for dinner.  But it was a good day nonetheless.  

September 2 – Tour of the Villages of the Luberon Region

We were up very early morning and had some wonderful morning light over the harbor and town. 

We have an early morning departure for a tour so we had a brisk walk this morning to the other side of the harbor where we met out guides for today.  We are taking a tour of some of the villages in the Luberon Region of France.  It is north of Marseille and east of Avignon.  Our first stop was a quick one in Aix en Provence where we picked up one other tourist, Francis from New York City. 

The drive through the countryside took us through villages, past farm houses and lots of lavender fields (with the plants cut really short as it was well after the lavender season) and vineyards.

Our first stop was the village of Lourmarin where they had a nice castle overlooking the village. 

We took a walk through the picturesque village with its sidewalk cafes,

narrow, windy streets,

and quaint buildings with window shutters on all the windows.

It was also market day in the village and we had a great time walking the market.  It was a local market and not a tourist one.  

There were lots of fruit and vegetable stands,

flowers,

treats,

and butchers.

There were also a various types of housewares.  It was definitely a great stop.

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More Lourmarin Village and Markets
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The next stop was a viewpoint overlooking the very picturesque village of Bonnieux.  The tour drive took us through town but we didn’t stop to explore.

On our way through the countryside we drove past an old Roman bridge.  It had been used by vehicle traffic until not too long ago when they decided that cars weren’t good for it.  So the road bypassed it but gave us good views.

Our next stop was the hillside town of Roussillon.  This town used to be a major supplier of ochre, a mineral used in the making of paints and dyes.  We could see some of the remains of where the mineral had been hewn from the hillside.

The village sits high in the hills and gave us great views of the surrounding countryside.  

There was also a very picturesque cemetery. 

The Roussillon is a historically listed village and as such there are a lot of restrictions about the buildings.  The population is also restricted to less than 5,000 people (otherwise it becomes a town).  This restricts the construction of new building in the village.  And all of the buildings are required to be the ochre color from the material that used to be mined there.  

There were also a number of tourist shops with interesting wares.  

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More Roussillon
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And we had lunch on a terrace overlooking the nearby valley.  During lunch we had a nice visit with a couple from the US. 

Then it was on for another viewpoint to see the town of Gordes.  This town is a “jet set” destination with gorgeous scenery, a quaint vibe, million-dollar homes and where the cheapest hotel rooms are $1000+ per night…probably why we aren’t staying here overnight. 

The route took us through the town where we could see how lovely it was.  Maybe next time.

This area has lots of stone wall lining the road and separating fields. 

Our next stop was Fontaine de Vaucluse.  It turns out that Paul had visited here on a shore excursion earlier this year when we were on our Regent Cruise.  The town has a lovely old stone church

and a small town square right on the river.

We took a walk along the river...

up to the hole in the mountain where the major spring emerges from the mountain to feed the river.  France is in a drought so there wasn’t any water emerging from this spring but there were smaller ones on the way up that were doing a good job of filling the river.

The final stop was L’Isle sur La Sorgue, a nearby town that Paul had also visited.  Wonder of wonders, he was able to find his way back to a street that had several waterwheels in a short stretch (he isn’t known for his sense of direction). 

We also visited the lovely church

and wandered the streets.

We stopped at a café along the riverside with a view of another waterwheel...

and had some refreshments before heading back to the car.  We really enjoyed the chance to get to see some of these lovely villages.

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More Villages of Luberon 
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On the way back to Marseille we got some pretty heavy rain.  The guides were able to drop us off very close to the hotel, so we didn’t get too wet.  By dinner time the rain had stopped so we were able to head out to find a restaurant with out getting too wet.  Great day.