Je vois la vie en rose: Out in the boonies... of Southern France

The girls with out DELICIOUS ice cream treats!

I had the chance to go to Isles Sur La Sorgue, which is a very cute little French town, multiple times within a relatively short period of time- first when I went to stay with one of the English teachers at the high school for the weekend, next when my (French) friend Jade and I went to look at an art exhibit in town, and last but certainly not least when I joined Jouria and Karima and their sister to stop at Isabellas, the most famous ice cream place in the region! Isles Sur La Sorgue means “Isles on the Sorgue” and takes its name from the fact that the Sorgue river runs right through town.

Several other really neat places I visited with my host family, who were excellent tour guides:

Looking ahead to the chateau!

View from the top

Crestet- The city is built into the mountainside and has gorgeous views from the old chateau on top.

Vaison la Romaine- The Ouvèze river is famous for a huge flood in 1992 which killed 30 or 40 people, but in the summer months dries up to the point where the locals refer to it as “a trickle of cat pee.”

You wouldn't guess it's a murderer, would you?

Sault- (pronounced ‘soh’) Famous for a picturesque view showcasing the region’s lavender fields. I wasn’t there during lavender season (apparently best seen in June/July/August) but could imagine what it must be like!

Picture the varying shades of brown as varying shades of purple :)

Gordes

Isn't this cool?

Gordes- Another one of the “Une des plus belle villes de la France” (aka one of the most beautiful cities in France), Gordes didn’t disappoint! The entire center of the city is built with the same style of construction, with stones that are typical of the region. I really liked the walls :)

Rustrel- Known as « Colorado of Provence, » Rustrel had some awesome trails and really neat canyons. You could hike both above and in the canyons, and when we were up top, we could see kids playing in the sands below.