Provence- Day 1 | Visiting Abbaye de Sénanque, Goult, Gordes & More!

A month ago (June 2024), I took a trip to southern France to join Tracey of French Larkspur. Tracey hosts the most beautiful tours in Provence and I was thrilled to have Beth of Olde Tyme Marketplace join alongside me. Together we met Tracey and 3 other wonderful ladies to see the most incredible villages of Provence. 

After having a delightful and insightful welcoming party our first night in Apt, we woke to a rainy morning that made all the sights refreshing and new. Our "Croissant Fairy" (Tracey), dropped off fresh fluffy croissants at our door and we nibbled on our croissants while watching the rain fall over the town. Beth and I kept looking at each other in disbelief that we were in France.

That morning before the tourist traffic flooded in, we drove through the winding French hillsides to Abbaye de Sénanque. This working monastery is incredibly beautiful and pretty iconic to Provence. Tracey mentioned that most the lavender in our region was behind in bloom times due to a colder spring. The lavender rows in front of the Abbaye was just about to burst into color in the next following weeks. Regardless, seeing the Abbaye was a blessing and the gift shop was darling! I snagged some soaps and postcards!

We then took more winding roads to the most darling village of Goult. Tracey wanted us to see the fresh market that mid-morning but with the rain, most vendors didn't show. We sure didn't mind as we wondered the streets taking in all the beautiful and old architecture. I think my mouth stood wide open at every turn.

 The weather was actually perfection for photos- with overcast skies and moody clouds! The overlook of Gordes was so striking as the clouds contrasted the beautiful homes and buildings on the hillside. I couldn't get enough of their European cypress trees that looked like they were perfectly dropped from heaven!

We had lunch in Gordes and then grabbed some macaroons at Ladureé- YUM! 

Next up for the day was visiting Bonnieux where one of Tracey's good shoppe friend, Corrine was located. Coming into Bonnieux was so enchanting (honestly, everywhere was enchanting)! Walking into Corrine's shoppe was swoon worthy! Glazed pottery, crystal chandeliers, French linens, ironstone... I wanted it all!

The last thing we did for Day 1 was visit a lavender distillery in the countryside. I was most looking forward to this as I was hoping to learn more about their process for our Fields back home. I didn't snag many photos but we did watch an awesome video showing how they harvested lavender back in the day. The footage was in black and white and was so fascinating to see! 

I grabbed some gifts for family and friends back home and then we ended the day back in our apartment with a glass of rosé! Beth and I were squealing at the dribbles of rosé caught in the beautiful window light. We made a charcuterie that evening for our dinner (I'll keep those images for another blog)! Constructing the nibble boards and creating beautiful moments in the apartment was a highlight for both of us. 

 We ended our first day in France with an espresso in hand down by the apartments most stunning French pool. I remember having many pinch me moments poolside as I dreamt of new ways to bring Provence back to Ohio.

This was just a glimpse into our first day wandering around. I saved more "in the moment" shots over on my Instagram story highlight bubbles if you're interested. 

Stay tuned... we have plenty more French days ahead! 

Hugs, Alyssa