Gordes

Listed on our map as one of the "Most Beautiful Villages in France", Gordes is definitely worth a visit. Another medieval village withtraces to Roman times, Gordes has typical hilly streets of cobblestone winding their way amongst old stone buildings. Gordes is not a large village, but when seen from a distance, it appears to have been carved straight of the rocky cliff on which it resides. It is also an extremely neat city....like Luxembourg, we did not see one trace of litter on the streets and the shops and restaurants are all tidy and doing brisk business. Think the lunch we had at L'Encas in Gordes may well have been one of the best meals we have had on this trip so far.

L'Abbaye de Senanque

We visited this Cistercian Abbaye twice today. Once in the morning for Mass at 10:00 and Sexte (noon Gregorian Chant) and again at 18:00 for Vespers (more Gregorin Chant). There were only 8 monks in attendance (2 of whom appeared to be visitors). Judging from the large gardens of lavender on their property, it would seem that they harvest this flower for both lavender honey as well as pot-pori. It's very peaceful place and I only wish that my camera could also capture the scent of the Lavender so that you could also appreciate just how sweet it is to walk through these fields.

St Didier

The library in La Roque sur Pernes opens bewteen 10:00 and 12:00 on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Because it is across the street from Chez Mielitz Crangle, it is an easy visit to accomplish. It is very modern, very small, and tres agreable. The two elderly ladies who were working there are extremely friendly and charming. They spent most of the the two hours chatting with a few other elderly ladies who arrived to exchange their books. Michele and I took advantage of their internet access which cost 1 Euro for the two hours they are open. Afterwards, we drove to St. Didier which is a very small town 2.9 km from La Roque. It took us about 10 minutes to circumnavigate the town. We settled down for lunch at Le Siecle which has a Terrace Brumisee which means that it spews out brief streams of cooling mist over the tables and enjoyed a great meal. As a bonus, they also have free wi-fi.