A great way to get around in this heat is a guided tour, where you're driven around in an air conditioned car. The tour that I decided to go on was called 'Experience in Luberon' - and was priced at €90 per person, and with just 4 people on the tour it felt like great value for what was almost a private tour.
The tour started in Avignon Centre at 9.30 and finished at 17.00. I was staying out of town in Le Thor (and public transport here isn't amazing, plus the heat!) so arranged with the tour company to pick me up and drop off from my accommodation, this was an extra €20, very reasonable and totally worth it. I was picked up at 10am and the tour began.
What it says in the tour book: "Time is slow in Provence. Visit the highlights of Provence in a Slow Tour: Gordes and its limestone, Senanque abbey and its lavender, Roussillon and its ochre. In Provence, enjoy tasty and local products: try honey and wine during the tour... Finish your day surrounded by the cliffs of ochre! A day of unique experiences!"
The highlight of the tour for me was the Senanque Abbey, it was even more beautiful than the photos that I had seen. The area was heaving with tourists, but this didn't take away from the beauty of the place. If you want to go into the Abbey itself, make sure your shoulders are covered and that you aren't wearing short-shorts, it is a place of worship, and the rules on dress code are strict.
Much of the lavender has already been chopped down this year, as the South of France is experiencing such a heat wave - around 10 degrees hotter than the same time last year. Our driver went the extra mile (literally) and drove us to some extra places where we might be able to snap some sunflowers shots. The sunflowers were also struggling to cope in the heat, nevertheless the fields still looked beautiful.
I took all these photos on my iPhone, so the quality isn't superb - but hopefully you get an idea of just how beautiful this region is.
Have you been to Provence before? I will definitely be making another visit!
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