Smell the Lavender Taste the Olive Oil..

Les Baux de Provence – the friend who recommended me this city said it was an unnecessary trip, compared to the region or Gordes Gorges du Verdon. I decided to go anyway. On the road from Avignon to Les Baux, the amount of viewpoints and the view could already imagine what I expected. Getting there, hotels along the road and very cute town, a tiny town wedged in the mountains of limestone at the foot of the ruins of an ancient castle. The entrance to the castle is essential: there you will have one of the most beautiful and spacious than you can imagine!
NATURAL HANDCRAFTED SOAP

I stayed at the Hotel de la Bevengudo and I point out strongly. The room was very cozy, with a spa tub and a very good breakfast with croissants , jam and homemade yogurt.

Maussane-les-Alpilles – charming town that is 15 minutes from Les Baux.

It has a square, the Place of Monblan Joseph Laugier, which is delightful to take a sun, drinking a glass of ro’s wine waiting for dinner at La Place, great restaurant that is right there. Well nearby Fontvieille is a city where there is a mill, the

Moulin Alhonse Daudet, and St. Remy-de-Provence, a city where Van Gogh lived. I did not go in the latter, but the hint.

Arles – is a city much larger than previous ones. Has the Roman amphitheater surrounded by some pretty Ruizinh narrow and well. It is also worth visiting the Espace Van Gogh, the former hospice where the painter cut off his ear. Watch closely the garden that inspired the works for some is exciting!

Cassis – super charming, is very near Marseille. Cassis, from Porto leave the boats to meet the Calanques www.calanques13.com.

This tour is a must! It is very beautiful! Then exit the car and hit the road that called Route des Cretes. Has several lookouts to enjoy the blue waters of the Mediterranean. Stop at all, without haste. Then you can go to Ciutat, lunch on the Calanque Figuerolles . The place is very beautiful and quieter than the restaurants of the port in Cassis. I have not slept in Cassis, but when I return (I’ll be back!), I’ll stay a day or two there. There are great restaurants and shops, small shops! The site of the city is www.cassis.fr

Loumarin – was the city I liked most in the Luberon Valley. Legal shops, great restaurants, pretty much the same! On the main street, you can see the first photo below, has a bit of everything: the truffle oil that shop are wonderful, the kitchen supply shop, the gift shop, which has articles of brands and La Marelle La Fiance du Mekong, which I mentioned in the post on the Marais, the Boulangerie which is delicious (try a sweet biscuit made with oil giant, which is very typical of the region), caf’s!

Lavender, surely a defining symbol of Provence. -

True lavender (lavandula angustifolia) grows best at an altitude of 600 – 1,600 metres above sea level, while Spike lavender (lavandula latifolia) prefers higher temperatures and lower altitudes of between 200 – 500 metres.

In Provence, the lavender files have a very different landscape throughout the year. After cutting the harvest, the land just leaving only the dry and short stems, covering with snow in winter. But a little in spring, the green is come out. In lavender season-June, as the summer sunlight is getting heater and heater, the lavender flowers quickly turned into the lovely deep purple.

The following work is harvest. The time is very important for lavenderl, so, the flower farmer has to work without day and night and distilled extract. Until September, all is done, lavender field was able to breath and absorb the essence of nature, to bloom again next summer, purple flowers and preparation.
Lavender, also known as Lavandula angustifolia, is one of the most widely used, versatile herbs known today. It is considered a member of the Labiatae family, which also includes mints and the plant originated in England, France, Tasmania, and Yugoslavia. The word lavender is derived from the Latin root lavare which means to wash.
The Many Benefits of Lavender The essential oil of lavender has a calming, sedative, and anti-convulsive … that regulates herbal remedies, also approves lavender for treating relaxation and restlessness. Considered the universal oil, lavender is readily used neat, or undiluted, and combines well with almost all other oils for a wide variety of benefits. Many aromatherapists say lavender is the first essential oil to get.

Provence evokes images of fields of beautiful purple flowers, which is due to the enormous amount of lavender that is grown here. Provence is also famous of its exquisite wine. Provence now leads the field in lavender production, the Romans having first brought it to the area. 20th Century shepherds collected it to sell to perfumeries of Grasse and just prior to WW1, perfumers and the French Government saw lavender as a means of preventing people from leaving the area, so they cleared the almond orchards and planted lavender. Other producers are Spain, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Bulgaria, Australia, Japanan, America and Canada.

Today, lavender is used to induce sleep, ease stress and relieve depression. It is also used as a tea, for compresses for dressing wounds and to apply to the forehead to relieve congestion on sinuses, headaches, hangovers, tiredness, tension and exhaustion.