European Vacation Day 12 & 13 - July 2022

July 21 - Day 12 

I was very excited to go to Provence to see the lavender fields. I have seen so many amazing pictures of row upon row of beautiful purple flowers. I knew the lavender fields generally started getting cut around July 15th. The lower Luberon fields are usually scheduled to be harvested around July 25th. So, we drove several hours to go see the lavender. Unfortunately, because of the unseasonably warm summer, the fields were harvested early.

We stopped for lunch at Auberge des Cretes. Boogs decided to be extra cute and pose by the only bit of lavender we saw on our drive.

The food at Auberge des Cretes was very tasty. We enjoyed our lunch. We asked what would be a good activity to do in the area and were told about the scenic drive along the Gorges du Verdon.

So, we went for a scenic drive.

The Gorges du Verdon is over 15 miles long. I am not usually afraid of heights but standing at the railing at the first scenic overlook we stopped at, made me anxious and a bit nauseated.

The photos do not do it justice. In person, the water looked almost turquoise. There were several eagles soaring over the canyon. It was absolutely beautiful. Funnily enough, we met a group of ladies from Dallas who were on a party bus tour of the area. Small world.

We stopped at several scenic lookout spots. Each view was more stunning than the next. 

About a foot behind that rock was a sheer drop off. I made sure to stay away from the edge.

Most of the time, there was no barrier at the side of the road before the drop off. 

So pretty.

We wandered through the village of La Palud sur Verdon. I loved looking at the old buildings, especially the old doors.

This is the Notre-Dame de Vauvert. The oldest parts of the church date back to the 11th century.

Sorry for the toilet picture. There was one public toilet in the village. It was... interesting.

The streets were narrow and twisty. It was a neat place to walk around and explore. 

It was a nice drive but not the way we wanted to spend our last day in France. If I would have known the lavender fields were not an option, I would have planned a white water rafting excursion. We passed by several places on our drive. The temperature was in the 90s, much hotter than usual at this time of year. Oh well, we were able to see a beautiful piece of France that was not on our agenda.

Last dinner in Cannes at a sidewalk cafe. 

July 22 & 23 - Day 13 & 14
We enjoyed our time in France. Cannes was way too touristy for us. If we had to do it over, we would chose a place in the mountains as our base to adventure from. We drove from Cannes back to Nice to catch a flight back to London.

We stayed one more night in London and then headed home to Texas. We really enjoyed hanging out in the British Airways lounge at Heathrow before our flight.

Boogs had to have a last spot of tea and a biscuit.

I am so glad we were able to take Boogs on his first trip to Europe. We all really enjoyed this vacation.