Sunflowers, Lavender and Aix-en-Provence

Not only can you find fields of lavender in Provence, but also fields of sunflowers! This one was up the road from our Airbnb so on our last night in Rians we drove over and took pictures. 

On another evening we drove out to Valensole to see if we could find these famous fields of lavender. Upon arrival, we discovered that most had been harvested already. We saw only one field that still had blooms. I was prepared for this, especially because it had been a hot summer already. It was still a bit of a let down. 

But before heading home, we found a spot with a great view. 

I did not see a lot of street art on this trip, so I had to snap a photo of this one.

The final city in our tour of Provence was Aix-en-Provence where we booked a food tour through Airbnb. Charles and I agreed afterward that it was our least favorite food tour out of the few we have done since being in Europe. The food was pretty good and our tour guide was friendly, but it did not provide a lot of detail about the city and why we were eating the things we ate. The French desserts were tasty, though!

Aix is known as the city of fountains and they were EVERYWHERE! Thank goodness, too, because it was soooo hot. We splashed water on ourselves from just about every fountain we came across.  

Airbnb in Provence

Visiting Provence during lavender season has been on my wish list after seeing the amazing pictures of the area. When researching where to stay in the region, it was hard to choose! The area is pretty expansive with a lot of cute small towns, but as soon as I saw the listing for this Airbnb I was sold. 

The pod is located on a farm in Rians, France. There did not seem to be much to the town (but to be honest we did not explore it that much). But immediately upon arrival to the farm, the air was scented with lavender. It was just what I imagined and hoped for! 

We visited a little late in the season for lavender. Most blogs and travel websites say to visit a couple weeks earlier. So I was preparing myself to see zero lavender blooms. I was beyond happy to see our Airbnb location still had several rows that had not been harvested. Our host (who was very welcoming) encouraged us to walk around. Our first evening we walked amongst the flowers and the buzzing bees to snap some pictures. 

This is the view of the lavender from the patio of the pod. We sat here every night enjoying the peaceful location. Can I just move here?

Rose is popular in Provence. Normally I am not a huge fan of rose, but when in Rome (eh...Provence)! The town had a small grocery store where we purchased wine, cheese, bread and some other snacks. We had laid back dinners at the Airbnb and did not stress about finding a restaurant. Can I just say that we'll miss European grocery stores when we move back to the States? Wine is sooooo much cheaper in Europe. 

Our Airbnb host also delivered breakfast in the morning so we feasted on croissants, jam, coffee, juice and seasonal fruit while enjoying the lavender scented morning. 

Lavender and Blueberries

Not too far from us is a place called Apple Hill. During apple season it is a happenin' place where you can pick your own apples and enjoy lots of fall favorites. Throughout the year they have other events and festivals. I saw they were having a lavender festival at Bluestone Meadow, so we decided to drive over for the afternoon.

After waiting around awhile for a pair of sheers and a basket, we picked our own lavender. It was a lot of fun seeing all the different varieties up close. They smell similar, but when you have them bunched together you can find the small subtleties between them. The lavender farm also had llamas and alpacas. I can never remember how you tell the difference between the two, but they are both really cute!

After lavender picking, we drove down the road a bit to a blueberry farm called Pine O'Mine where they had pick-your-own blueberries. I hadn't picked blueberries since I was a little kid visiting my grandparents in Maine. Picking blueberries was so relaxing! We came away with a bag full.

It is always fun to support local companies and farms and enjoying locally grown fruits. I encourage you to find places like this where you live!

Lavender Ranch

My good friend, Emily, and I visited the Lavender Ranch yesterday. It was recommend by a mutual friend and was located about an hour from us. It was a lovely drive and the ranch was gorgeous. We had a walking tour through the fields. Our tour guide gave us a lot of interesting information about the ranch and the different plants they grow. There are so many great uses for lavender. One thing I learned was that you can put lavender essential oil on grease burns to prevent blisters. It is also a natural pest repellent. I loved that their ranch was all organic!

As our tour was ending, a group from Texas, Georgia and other southern places were coming up for their own tour. It was nice chatting with the older ladies about the south, especially my hometown.

The gift shop had some amazing products! I ended up leaving with a peppermint & rosemary body wash and some lavender spray deodorant. The body wash smelled so amazing! Peppermint is one of my favorite essential oils.

The old silos were a beautiful background for pictures. I wish I had brought my real camera instead of just my cell phone.

 

Some of the pickings from our tour. They grow three types of lavender and several other types of plants