First we headed in the direction of Senanque Abbey for its famous view. The abbey is near the extremely touristy village of Gordes. As good followers of Rick Steves, we had no intention of visiting Gordes. Rick says, "There is nothing here but gridlock and parking headaches." However, the route to the abbey made us pass right by. The view from the road was absolutely irresistible! "Can you just pull over for a quick picture" turned into "let's see if we can find parking". In Rick's defense, I can see what parking headache he is referring to - there seemed to be no where to park nearby except for one mid-sized lot. At 4:00pm parking is not a problem so we paid the 4 euro to the attendant and gave it a go. We walked to the town ... and found nothing there! Its "castle" has been turned into an art museum. Its "narrow, winding streets" are hardly anything to explore - it is really small! No harm done, but I'm with Rick - if you are prioritizing activities, move this one down.
Gordes wins our vote for the best looking hill town
The castle and entrance to Gordes
Gordes offers a great view!
We hopped back into the car and drove the short distance to the abbey. I was purely going for the view: the abbey makes for an amazing backdrop to its lavender fields. I was a bit surprised to discover that the postcard view was nonexistent. Apparently they rotate their fields to allow the soil to rest, and there was clearly no field in front of the abbey this year! Not only that but they, the Cistercian monks, don't allow you to wander the fields, and have it locked up behind an imposing gate.
Even without a lavender field, Senanque Abbey is picturesque!
Bring your telephoto lens because the famous view is kept private under lock and key
Roussillon
From the late 1700's to the early 1900's, the ochre was mined. What is left of one of the quarries has been turned into a overly popular tourist destination: the "Sentier des Ocres". It is a walking path through the quarry. Of the two footpath options to take, the short walk ("35 minutes") and the long walk ("50 minutes"), we went the long way. Most people finish in less than the suggested time, and we were no exception; it took us 25 minutes. We rushed because the gendarmerie were ticketing the parking lot.
Roussillon's ochre of reds, oranges and yellows offer a stunning contrast to the green pine trees and blue sky
Entrance/exit to the quarry
Second and last viewpoint for the short walkers
The long walk adds the viewpoint through these trees
Third and last viewpoint (long walk only)
Our shoes were lightly dusted with the fine ochre powder
