Provence's Hidden Gems

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We leave our hotel today that has been our home for the past five nights. It was situated on the outskirts of Salon-de-Provence but a lot of road works and deviations made it difficult to drive the short trip to the town centre. But being a Sunday all was quiet and we ventured into the centre of the town. We had a very pleasant and an unexpected surprise. A recent face-lift made it a pleasure to walk the historic part of town. Like many of the towns we have visited Salon’s history goes back to the 13th century. We were pleased we had made the effort to pay Salon-de-Provence a visit even if it was only for an hour or so.
Our drive today was to Manosque, a town north of Aix-en-Provence but we decided to drive through the Gorges de la Nesque east of the town of Carpentras. On our way there we made a photo stop at a field of red nemesias in full bloom. Having seen so many fountains in Salon-de-Provence the road sign to Pernes-les-Fontaines and the elaborate gateway at the main road drew our attention so we had to make the detour. What a find. The cafe was so inviting we had to order the menu du jour. Each of the three courses was a gem; the flavours of the quiche lorraine, the mix of tomato and green pepper to complement the pork mignon, and the absolute piece de resistance the chestnut mousse. It was a meal to die for and to be eating in this quiet little village square surrounded by plane trees was just heaven.
Leaving Pernes-les-Fontaines we continued on our way to Gorges de la Nesque. We were not sure what we would be in for so decided it would be another chapter in our book of adventures. Like many of the gorges we have driven in this limestone countryside the roads are narrow and make many twists and turns. The views are not quite as dramatic as the Gorges du Tarn but the drive certainly has you watchful all the way. Added to the hazards of the road itself are all the other Sunday drivers, the many cyclists and all the motorcyclists of Southern France who decided this was the day and road to practise their racing skills. They obviously weren’t there for the views and it spoilt an otherwise brilliant drive.
The day had been great and our memory of lunch will linger on. It just shows you don’t always have to head for well-known towns in this area to enjoy the Provence experience. Perhaps our blog will change all that for this quiet little town.

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