Below the towering Papal Palace in Avignon reaches up towards the clear blue skies on our first day together: the only day of mild weather we'd have all week...
Enjoying a glass of Vacqueyras from left to right are Sarah, Natalie, Patrick, Anna, Michelle, Lauren, Mark, Chantel, Bianca, Kim, and Zoe... All are representatives from Flight Centre except Anna (from Peregrine) and Chantel (representing Korean Air).
The skies above the village of Lacoste look ominous as we begin our first walk. Perhaps the ghost of the Marquis de Sade (his castle ruins atop the village) is haunting us?
Michelle admires the market produce in the village of Bonnieux as we begin our walk:
Our picnic lunch is taken in a borie: a centuries-old dry-stone shelter in a farmer's field. It's raining outside but we're nice and cozy with our baguette sandwiches...
...and our tartes aux citron:
Later during the walk we find shelter in a Romanesque chapel before putting on the ponchos and heading back into the driving rains. We'd finish the walk soaked to the bone, with the sun coming out just as we arrived at our hotel...
Natalie concentrates while throwing her boule in a tight game of pétanque later that afternoon:
At our place of stay, the 17th century Auberge des Seguins:
Our second day of walking takes us high above the Auberge, and while the rains stopped the winds were strong...
Nearing the crest of the Luberon mountains the views become far-reaching, with the perched village of Lacoste in the background:
Reaching the rounded summit on the crest of the Luberon, some 500m in altitude above the Auberge:
Kim relaxing atop the thyme-laden hills:
Our next day would prove a little out of the ordinary. It's October 28th and the very first day on record that it has snowed this time of year. It hardly snows at all in Provence, let alone in the fall. And so with temperatures of 2°C and with gusts of wind over 100km/h we set off for our walk:
Snow is a bit of a novelty for Australians...
We begin our walk in the tiny village of Le Crestet, its Roman-tiled roofs spinkled with a thin layer of snow. Apparently it had snowed about 7cm overnight, most of which had melted by the time we arrived...
Braving the conditions we take an easy, winding track down to the town of...
...Vaison la Romaine, its medieval town hovering above the Ouvèze river.
The town seen from my bedroom at the Burrhus hotel at dusk, with the castle ruins overlooking the medieval town:
The following day's walk begins in the village of Séguret, listed among the most beautiful villages in France:
The air is crisp this morning through the vines, heading to the wine-making village of Gigondas:
Before our picnic lunch in the vines, Lauren finds a 1/2 Franc from 1976. Her new lucky coin...
After lunch we're led through a wine-tasting at Château Redortier. Bianca seems to enjoy the red...
...while Zoe enjoys the views from outside the estate (Zoe enjoyed the wines too...)...
In Vaison La Romaine on Tuesday morning, taking part in its fabulous market, which fills the entire town centre:
Lauren trying to pass incognito at the market:
For our last walk together we're taken to the higher slopes of Mont Ventoux, from where the clear skies give us great views of the Alps:
...and where a mammoth snowball fight begins!
sorry Anna...
And this is what you get for guiding the group all week: a shower of snowballs...
Patrick getting in touch with his inner child...
Michelle enjoying the beautiful vistas and fresh air neat the summit of Mont Ventoux:
Anna leading the group up a snow-laden path
Mark contemplating the awe-inspiring rockslide:
...and Natalie walking across it:
...while Bianca offers everyone in the group a congratulatory macaron:
Thanks everyone for a memorable week, even though you made fun of my "abouts" (do I really have a Canadian accent?) ...
I hope you take home fun and positive memories of Provence despite the weather, and please do send more people this way... and their friends...
