Gordes and Le Village des Bories, Provence

History and beauty were the themes of today, as we headed off first one hour east to Gordes - a hilltop village voted one of France's most beautiful. Tuesday is market day in Gordes. However, being a slightly cooler day and with less tourists anticipated, there were fewer stalls than usual. That did not stop us from purchasing some tapenade, sampling the lavender honey and browsing the cobbled streets.

Gordes truly is a quaint and welcoming village. It is perched precariously on the face of a steep hill and boasts many beautiful buildings, constructed predominantly from the local limestone. The views out to the Vaucluse area of Provence below are spectacular. For those who are familiar with Mr Bean movies, Gordes featured in "Mr Bean's Holiday"!

After our morning in Gordes, we drove a short distance to the nearby Senanque Abbey. Founded in 1148, this Cistercian monk abbey is still occupied by the monks, who depend on the lavender from their fields - as well as honey - for their livelihood. We were unable to enter the abbey, and could only imagine how even more beautiful it must look when its surrounding lavender fields are in full bloom.

Our final stop today was again only a little further afield, at "Le Village des Bories," just outside of Gordes. Bories are igloo- shaped stone huts, whose history dates back over 3000 years. Made entirely of stone and stacked into mortar -free shelters for farmers, livestock and farming produce, the ones near Gordes were abandoned at the beginning of the 19th century. They are now are an historical site. We enjoyed ducking under the doorways and exploring the small village of bories - ever-thankful that we no longer have to live in such conditions!

View from beautiful Gordes to the valley below

Rue de la Poste, Gordes 

Tricia on one of Gordes' quaint cobbled streets

Gordes' Romanesque church

St Jean D'Arc, Gordes Church

Sean, Brett Snr, Eloise and Brett atop Gordes village

Overlooking the valley below Gordes

Eloise enjoys the scenery from Gordes

Limestone walls and blooms in Gordes

A purrfect way to spend a day - Gordes, Provence

View below Gordes

Senanque Abbey, near Gordes

Lavendar fields wait to bloom again near Senanque Abbey

Rudimentary limestone entrance to "Village des Bories"

The captivating bories

Eloise inside a larger borie

Borie oven

Acorns ripen in the autumn sun at "Le Village des Bories"

Tricia, Brett Snr and Eloise at the borie village near Gordes

Oh, to imagine how life must have been...

A lasting impression of Senanque Abbey's surrounds in Autumn

So that was our day. Brett, Sean and Eloise are a little tired of "pretty little villages" - just as we tired of pizza in Italy. However, we are blessed with fine weather and so many other options are calling. So, we will have to wait to see what tomorrow may bring.......                   Tricia