Coming to the south of France for the summer, going to the lavender fields was high on my list of things to do. Thankfully the school I was at planned a trip there for all the students to attend. However, this didn't go quite as planned. The day we were supposed to go we made it to the bus on time, but this trip only had a certain number of spots and not all of our friends were able to make it on the bus that day. We decided to wait until Sunday when there was another trip that we could all go on instead. The rest of the weekend I felt like I was just waiting for Sunday to get here so I could experience what I was so excited to see. Finally the day arrived and since everyone else had gone on Friday, we had an almost private bus ride and tour for just us, besides a small group of school kids that had come along. The first stop we made was to the Gorges du Verdon, which is a river canyon with the prettiest turquoise-green water. The end of the canyon flows into the man-made lake of Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon where we got to ride in paddle boats for a few hours. This canyon is considered one of Europe's most beautiful, and I'd definitely agree. It was breathtaking to see in person and we had the best time out on the boats. I'd recommend to even take some baguettes and cheese out on the water with you for an ideal afternoon.
The next stop was the little village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie which is part of the Provence region and considered one of the most beautiful villages in France. There was a little gold-painted star hanging high above the village and no one knew why it was there exactly. According to legend, during the crusades a knight was held prisoner and vowed to hang a star over his village if he was able to return. Every little corner and street of this village was so beautiful and picturesque. We hiked up the side of the cliff to a small church at the top to see the view of the village below. Although it's a steep climb, it's not too long and the view is completely worth it. This was one of my favorite places I visited in France and I had no idea I'd even be going there.
Finally after a long day of walking around, the bus was headed to the lavender fields not far from the village. We were driving through them for a while before we got to what was probably the largest one there. It was so beautiful with the mountains in the background and fields that seemed to go on forever. Although we didn't have very long there, it's hard not to forget this beautiful spot. Even though it was a long and tiring day, that was by far my favorite day trip we took and one I'll never forget. I don't think a trip to the south of France is complete without a stop at the famous lavender fields and discovering tiny picturesque villages.
