A New Adventure Calls to Us- a Disneyland Paris TR extravaganza! COMPLETED 3/15

[pkondz]

I hauled my tripod around Disneyland during my last trip. I definitely don't mind it but I was tight on luggage space for France so I left it at home.

Totally get that. I don't think I'd bring it into a new park anyways. I want to experience the park... not over-concentrate on photography.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Totally get that. I don't think I'd bring it into a new park anyways. I want to experience the park... not over-concentrate on photography.

Exactly! Another reason to go back- take things slower and bring my tripod. The list keeps growing.

 

[footballmouse]

Loved the tombstone sayings

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Loved the tombstone sayings

DLPs getting a little PG13 over there

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Okay Belle the Provencal life is pretty awesome- touring the Luberon

Our first morning in Provence dawned bright and beautiful! Our plan today was a mini road trip to take in some of the nearby villages. First up was l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, which has a well-known Sunday market. Provencal markets are part of the culture and I definitely wanted to experience one.

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The market at l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is known for being a little touristy, but it’s the only one that fit into our schedule. The town itself is really cute and the market is massive! The outside is ringed by antiques dealers, who have all sorts of goods. There were some really interesting pieces but most of them were priced kind of high. Someone wanted €30 for an old skeleton key.

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Once you get toward the center of the market, the stalls turn into goods like linens, crafts, and food. It’s colorful and bustling and I loved it! We came away with a lot of goodies, but we also just enjoyed browsing and seeing what was for sale. There was a baker selling different artisanal bread and we got a skinny loaf of bacon cheese bread that I can still taste. It was amazing.

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We also picked up a fresh cantaloupe! The town we were staying in is known for cantaloupe so we thought we had better try one from the region. It was delightful, although it made the rental car smell funky.

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Our next stop was Gordes- a village perched on the hillside that is too pretty for words. We spent a lot of time at a lookout spot just taking in the views (and taking photos, naturally). Then we went into town and strolled around, walking down alleyways and popping into shops, including one patisserie where I got this amazing praline sugar brioche.

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Not a bad snack and not a bad view.

After looking around a bit longer, we got some ice cream and ate it on the way back to the car.

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Village #3 was Rousillon, known for its distinct red coloring. The nearby hills have ochre deposits, and have been mined pretty much forever. The buildings are made from the same material so everything is bright and colorful.

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Rousillon was so much fun to explore. Not only was it beautiful, but it had some really interesting features, like this building that was covered in a grape vine. All the grapes within reaching had been eaten but you could see a lot up toward the roof. How neat is that?
On the edge of town is the Ochre Trail, so you can walk through the hills. It was really pretty and not a terribly strenuous hike.

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The hike wasn’t too tough, but it was enough to make us hungry again. Luckily, there was an ice cream stand and a creperie right at the exit. It’s like they knew. We got a scoop of Kinder ice cream and a Nutella crepe to share, then walked back to the car!

[Yep, that's Kinder ice cream]

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The final village for our Luberon day was Menerbes. It was pretty much on the way back to Cavaillon so it wasn’t too far out of the way for a quick stop. Parking here was actually free (we had been paying €3-6 at the other villages) so that was nice.

Menerbes was much quieter. I think it’s not as popular, plus it was the end of the day and people were probably making their way back for dinner. It was constructed in the middle ages and there are some plaques around explaining the historical significance of different buildings. There were plenty of lookout areas and we enjoyed about an hour of quiet exploration.

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And of course we stopped for another snack, because we simply can’t control ourselves. Although this one we saved for later!

I asked Jon if he wanted to find a place to eat dinner either in Menerbes or Cavaillon but he was very insistent on just eating more of our picnic food. I wasn’t too hungry (all the snacks, ya know) so I agreed. It wasn’t until we got back to the Airbnb that I realized the reason he didn’t want to go to dinner was so he could catch our local football team in one of their first games of the season.

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It’s not what I imagined doing in France, but it worked out. He watched the game and I read while eating delicious food! With that, we had another magical French day in the books.

 

[pkondz]

Our plan today was a mini road trip to take in some of the nearby villages.

That sounds... just perfect.

First up was l’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, which has a well-known Sunday market.

Oh, of course! The well known L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue Sunday market! I know it well!



No. No I don't know it... at all.

Someone wanted €30 for an old skeleton key.

Yikes! Wish I'd kept all of my grandfather's old keys!

There was a baker selling different artisanal bread

Yes please!

We also picked up a fresh cantaloupe! The town we were staying in is known for cantaloupe

Really! I had no idea! I just assumed they were tropical. Huh!

It was delightful, although it made the rental car smell funky.

Are you sure it was the cantaloupe?????

Our next stop was Gordes

I've worked with a few Gords, so I'm very familiar with this.

Not a bad snack and not a bad view.

Village #3 was Rousillon, known for its distinct red coloring.

Hence the name. Makes sense.

All the grapes within reaching had been eaten but you could see a lot up toward the roof. How neat is that?

I wonder if they harvest them later on?

Luckily, there was an ice cream stand and a creperie right at the exit. It’s like they knew.

Menerbes was much quieter. I think it’s not as popular, plus it was the end of the day and people were probably making their way back for dinner. It was constructed in the middle ages and there are some plaques around explaining the historical significance of different buildings. There were plenty of lookout areas and we enjoyed about an hour of quiet exploration.

I like the idea of quieter. The road less traveled, you know?

And of course we stopped for another snack, because we simply can’t control ourselves.

I can't blame you!

It wasn’t until we got back to the Airbnb that I realized the reason he didn’t want to go to dinner was so he could catch our local football team in one of their first games of the season.

Sneaky!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

That sounds... just perfect.

It really was- this was another one of my favorite days of the trip.

No. No I don't know it... at all.

Well for those in the know about Provencal markets

Yikes! Wish I'd kept all of my grandfather's old keys!

Could have moved to France and sold them all!

Really! I had no idea! I just assumed they were tropical. Huh!

Okay so technically it's a Cavaillon melon, which is a distinct species but it's pretty much a cantaloupe.

I wonder if they harvest them later on?

Once someone gets a ladder

I like the idea of quieter. The road less traveled, you know?

It was really peaceful and a nice end to a long day.

Sneaky!

I've learned not to come between this man and his football.

 

[kittylady1972]

Lovely final DL Paris update...really looking forward to visiting this place in person now. Love your addtional travel around the country and the photos...beautiful. I only hope we have the same great luck with our tour around Italy and Sardinia in particular as that's the only place we plan to rent a car for our upcoming trip.

 

[missangelalexis]

The Sunday Market looked so lovely!

Gorgeous views from Gordes & Menerbes!

Sounds like you ate a lot of delicious food!

What a great day!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

really looking forward to visiting this place in person now

I'm glad I could help with the hype!

I only hope we have the same great luck with our tour around Italy and Sardinia in particular as that's the only place we plan to rent a car for our upcoming trip.

Oh wow that will be awesome!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

The Sunday Market looked so lovely!

Gorgeous views from Gordes & Menerbes!

Sounds like you ate a lot of delicious food!

What a great day!

It was such an awesome day, definitely one of my favorites. And oh my goodness we ate SO MUCH. All the croissants and baguettes hahaha

 

[pkondz]

It really was- this was another one of my favorite days of the trip.

Well for those in the know about Provencal markets

Could have moved to France and sold them all!

It would've paid for the whole trip!

Okay so technically it's a Cavaillon melon, which is a distinct species but it's pretty much a cantaloupe.

Still counts.

I've learned not to come between this man and his football.

You is smart.

 

[pkondz]

Also wanted to say how much I love this photo!

 

[dolewhipdreams]

Also wanted to say how much I love this photo!

Thank you, it's one of my favorites! I love how warm it is. I played a lot with different edits for these photos, especially ones with lots of shadow.

 

[pkondz]

Thank you, it's one of my favorites! I love how warm it is. I played a lot with different edits for these photos, especially ones with lots of shadow.

In camera or post?

 

[dolewhipdreams]

In camera or post?

Post. I didn't want to take even more time messing with camera settings to get the shot.

 

[pkondz]

Post. I didn't want to take even more time messing with camera settings to get the shot.

Get that!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I love all the pictures from this day! It sounds so relaxing to go explore a bunch of French towns and eat delicious snacks.

 

[dolewhipdreams]

I love all the pictures from this day! It sounds so relaxing to go explore a bunch of French towns and eat delicious snacks.

For a day where we visited so many different towns it was definitely still relaxing! Nowhere (except the market) was super crowded and everything was at our own pace. Plus all the snack breaks helped us slow down

 

[Monykalyn]

Loved your report. Planning a 2 week trip in mid May for kiddos HS graduation trip.
Torn on renting a car to explore more of country as I suspect the kid will fall in love with Paris and want to spend majority of time there. And seems fairly straight forward to use trains/metro to get around, if we do explore Versailles. Hubs and I drove a stick shift for many years so that aspect doesn’t bother me.
Kiddo is also a photographer also and so I very much enjoyed your photos and looking forward to compiling a trip book when we return!
Online dining back up and booked Chez Remy and Agrabah cafe for our days in DLP (Captain Jacks was closed ).