Lavender in Provence, France.

Lavender in Provence, France.

My last trip to France brought me to the Provence area, which is famous for its lovely lavender fields. Every summer, this area attracts thousands of visitors all over the world to explore and enjoy its lavender fields fully blooming by mid of June until early August when they are ready to be harvested. I have always wanted to visit this area since the beauty of this vivid purple fields always appear as the wall paper on most computer screens as well as calendars that soothes your eyes whenever you look at it.

Staying in Avignon as our base, the lavender field concentrations can be found on the high plateau around Sault, at the foot of Mont Ventoux as well as around Apt and Gordes.  In order to get more info on Lavender itself, we headed to The Musee de la Lavande, along the way to Gordes. This little museum also served as information centre, mini museum as well as retail complex that promote Lavender products which includes cosmetics, aromatherapy, bath soaps, essential oil etc.

 We actually enjoyed the video presentation which gave us valuable in-depth details of Lavender production especially the difference between Fine Lavender and Lavandine.  In short, it is the Fine Lavender which is grown above an altitude of 800m from sea level in the Provence area only. Its essential oil has medicinal properties to treat among others insomnia, irritability, headaches, stress, colds, sinusitis, sore throats, cramps and rheumatism. On the other hand, Lavandine is the hybrid species which being grown all over the world that produces essential oil for the industry such as cleaning products and detergents. The former species is a small plant and has only a single flower grows on each stem while the later is a tall plant with two branches and grows in large round clumps.

Gordes

 

After our visit to the Lavender Museum, we proceeded to Gordes, the little village that sits on the edge of a cliff. As we were approaching the centre of the village, we stopped for photo opportunity and from this spot, the view of this village was truly amazing and breathtaking!!

Simiane la Rotonde

We continued our exploration and stopped by a few more lavender fields along the way to Sault.  We also passed the village of Simiane la Rotonde, which is a picture-perfect, perched village with fields of lavender at its base. It was a dream come true to be able to take shots of blue and purple combined with the golden color of wheat fields next to each other…… not to mention the scent that fills the air!!!

The Roman Legacy @ Nimes, France......

The Roman Legacy @ Nimes, France......

Little did I know about the Roman Empire encroachment in France until I witnessed some of their best preserved monuments here at Nimes, in the heart of Provence. Provence, which is famous for its Lavender fields, is located at the south-east part of the country. In this Roman city of Nimes, it is home for one of the best preserved Roman Amphitheater in the world - The Arena of Nimes.   

The Arena of Nimes

Built at the end of the 1st century AD, this monument was listed as the World Heritage Monument since 1840. I have seen one which is similar in size and shape located in Verona, Italy as mentioned in my earlier postings, but this one is definitely the winner!! Extremely well-preserved, the Arena could seat up to 24,000 crowd in its 34 terraces. 

Other Roman attractions can be found in Nimes include Maison Carree temple and Magne Tower.

The Arena of Nimes

 

Another significant Unesco World Heritage Monument that can be found near Nimes is Pont du Gard. This Roman Aqueduct  stands at 50 m above ground, it was constructed around 19 BC to carry water to the City of Nimes.above the Gard River.

Pont du Gard

 

With 3 tiers of  arches, the aqueduct is a true Roman Engineering marvel that can be seen to this day. Having seen one in Segovia, Spain, there is no doubt that the later is by far much more stunning and best preserved Roman Aqueduct around.....

Pont du Gard

 

The Fairy Tale Encounter : City of Segovia, Spain.....

 City of Segovia......

My last visit to Spain mainly covered the Andalusia Region on the Southern part of The Iberian Peninsula. As our flight into and out of Spain passed through City of Madrid, I did search around to look for nearby attractions for our must-visit list…… then I found Segovia. I have never heard of the City of Segovia before ( A UNESCO World Heritage Site), until my search revealed an impressive fortress of Roman or Celtic influence as their major attraction here.

Built in the 14^th Century, the Alcazar de Segovia used to be a fortress and also has served as the Royal Palace.  It stands in a perched position over a cliff where it can be seen from miles away. With its fairy-tale appearance of the conical turrets and moated walls, it was said that The Disney’s Magic Kingdom was an adaptation of this lovely castle. Open to the public, the Alcazar now served as a museum where there are displays of armor suits, tapestries etc. Some of the rooms have extensively decorated ceilings…..  You can also enjoy very nice views outside the surrounding areas from the castle.

Another major attraction in the City of Segovia is the Roman Aqueduct. I must admit, this is by far much more impressive than the castle itself!!!  Probably built in the year AD 50, this huge structure amazingly has survived and has been well preserved. The construction of this aqueduct is definitely an engineering marvel!  Just imagine, to erect an enormous construction of masonry 813 m in length, consisting of four straight segments and two superimposed arcades borne by 128 pillars!!!  At the lowest point of the valley, the aqueduct stands at a height of 28.5 m above ground!!!

This aqueduct served to supply water to the city and the castle from its origin in Sierra de Guadarrama mountain range with total extension of 14,965 m. It was declared as the National Monument back in 1884 and declared as World Heritage in 1985. It is a good example of a Masterpiece of Roman hydraulic engineering, the aqueduct is composed of large un-mortared, brick-like granite ashlars. Water flows through the channel on its attic or top portion and crosses the city beneath the pavement towards the Alcazar. This aqueduct is also the tallest and most well-preserved found outside Italy.