France, Day 3

On our third day in France, we drove around the Provence countryside, stopped by small villages, ate ice cream and baguettes, and saw some lavender.

The first town we stopped in and the only one whose name I know was the town of Crest.  Crest covered a hillside and spread out into the surrounding valley like a skirt.  At the top of the hill sat Le Tour de Crest, the Tower of Crest.  Like the Sausenburg ruins, it was probably once part of a larger castle, but now it is mainly a tower.  We didn't go inside but walked up to its base and enjoyed the view over the town.

The roads leading up the hill to the tower were steep and paved with uneven stones.  The buildings on each side were old and charming.  I could imagine people in medieval times walking these roads or fleeing to take shelter in the tower when enemies approached.

Most of the towns we visited in France had old-fashioned lamps like this, and I love them!

The view of Crest as seen from the Tower

The Tower of Crest from a distance

Provence is known for its lavender.  If you see a photo of French lavender fields, chances are the photo was taken in Provence.  We'd hoped to see fields and fields of lavender rows stretching to the horizon; however, I think we were a little too early in the season for that.  We saw a few fields and stopped at one to take pictures.  It wasn't as immaculate as the lavender fields I've seen in photos.  There were weeds growing among the lavenders, and the lavender field wasn't bordered by perfectly golden wheat or sunflowers.  But I liked it that way.  The field was natural and not so pretty that it felt fake.

Provence is a beautiful part of the world, and I think the countryside is mainly what it's about, so I'm happy we took a day to see just that.