We left Dublin, Ireland at 10:00 a.m. flying south to Nice, France. Once we'd secured our rental car, we drove north to the provincial town of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. I made arrangements with the rental site Haven in Paris for a one bedroom apartment, located on the second floor of a 17th century building, facing the town's square. We were a bit worried about the village upon our 10:00 pm arrival, as all the shops were closed with pull-down metal doors covered in graffiti. The apartment's caretaker assured us there was nothing to worry about, for this was very common throughout the area. We decided to stay the night and see how things looked in the morning. The flat was large and clean, nicely appointed and located near several other towns I'd wanted to see while in France, so we gave it a go. As it turned out, we had an amazing time staying in our little French flat!
photos by Easton Place Design Studio: L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, France
The town of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is filled with quaint gift shops and restaurants, as well as antique shops. There is a small waterway that encircles the town proper and features large mossy waterwheels. On any given day you can watch people racing around the waterway in flat wooden boats, having to lay down in the vessels to squeeze under several low bridges! It's great fun to watch and you can be certain no one participating leaves with dry clothing! The French refer to this water-wrapped village as the Venice of Provence.
Matthew and I adored the outdoor cafes, one as tasty as the next. The food was good, most of the servers spoke English (which was most appreciated by the two of us non-French-speaking tourists). The cappuccinos were readily available and delicious. After meals, finding dessert was as easy as finding the water... there were patisseries and glacier located after nearly every cafe and restaurant. Lucky for us, there was a new shop, opening the week we arrived, which sold the most amazing macarons I've ever tasted!
Beautiful skies, flowers and water outside... beautiful candied fruit inside. Photos by Easton Place Design Studio
Be sure to visit next week when I'll share photos from the market days. Perhaps the most colorful and fragrant market I've ever had the chance to shop, and it was just outside our apartment window! See you next week for Travel Tuesday.
-Patti