June 2007 - Our Anniversary Trip to Provence

Rob's parents came out to visit in mid-June and kindly watched our girls while Rob and I headed to Provence for three days of sunshine, touring, biking and child-free bliss! Rob researched the whole thing and found a combination of romantic hotels in great biking areas. (Of course!)

Crillon Le Brave and Mt. Ventoux

First we headed to the tiny village of Crillon le Brave, where we stayed in converted rooms right next to the town church. (The church bells were right outside our window.) As the pictures show, Provence is just as golden as you can imagine. Sunshine just envelops the miles of verdant fields!

Of course, the first thing Rob wanted to do when we arrived is to climb Mt. Ventoux, a famous route in the Tour de France.

Unlike Alpe d'Huez, which was "epic", Rob described this Mt. Ventoux as "relentless". The vertical climb never let up, but I can tell you that Rob never let up either.This photo is deceptive. It looks like I biked the mountain too. I had planned to park at the top, bike down a bit, then back up, but I chickened out when I saw that the whole mountainside was steep shale starting about 8 km from the top. No thanks!Our little village of Crillon le Brave. Classic Provence!Check out the sunset view!

Orange, Gordes and Avignon

Next we headed to our next hotel, just outside of Gordes. On the way to Gordes we stopped in Orange (fitting name for the sun-baked region) and toured the Theatre Antique, the largest standing Roman Theater in Europe. It was fascinating to learn of the progression from high culture plays (Greek-type tragedies, etc.) to low culture plays (porn), which correlated with the downfall of Rome. In Gordes, we did a few picturesque bike rides. Yellow and white flowers were in bloom everywhere and the famed lavender fields, while not yet in full bloom, perfurmed the air. (Definitely motivation for me to bike up the hills.) This is a shot of Gordes.Here we are in front of the Abbaye de Senanque, which is surrounded by a sea of lavendar. The Abbaye from above.Here we are biking through the town of Gordes (obviously a self-timed photo). I must note that after all that biking, Rob took me out to a delectable million-course French dinner where we munched on escargots and too many cheeses to name. (By the way, we also spent a fabulous afternoon in Avignon where we toured the Papal Palace -- talk about EXCESS -- and danced on the Bridge of Avignon. But we left our camera so we've got no shots.)