The Lubéron, 20 Avril
Our story of homelessness in Cavaillon had made quite an impression on Mayan's English students, Henri and Marie. They are quite fond of the Lubéron region, and would have been disappointed if we hadn't given it another go, in a nicer place. So we did, and this time in their good company. We went together by car, and headed straight across country on the little roads to Roussillon.

Roussillon is a town on top of a hill, which is standard fare, but this town's builders picked the only red hill in the area to build on. This particular village on a hill cannot be hidden at all. We went for a stroll through the natural park nearby, playing cowboys and indians (in our childish minds). Then we had a look through the town itself, which looks as sunburned as the tour groups that troop through.

Next stop was the next big village on the hill at the other end of the valley. It's called Gordes, and was one of the stops on the huge St. Jacques pilgrimage route, which stretched all the way from Orthodox Russia, and whose rest points are shown by the shell of a St. Jacques clam embedded in the wall of the church. From the high walls you can see all the way to Roussillon, with all the old farmhouses in between.

Nearby we paid a vist to the Abbey of Sénanque, built in the 12th century before the churches changed from Roman lines to Gothic spires. It was founded by Cistercian monks, who are the most die-hard proponents of the spartan Benedictine chapter. So there's zero decoration inside, and only one heated room. Monks can only speak for half an hour a day, in one room, to discuss the finer points of St. Benoît's rules. Outside, though, they're surrounded by lavander fields.

Handily, they've secreted a payphone on the grounds, for when they really just need to sneak in a call to their ex-girlfriends, or need some of the Big Fella's help deciphering those rules.

On the way back, we stopped to refuel on coffee in the town of Limourin, full of Aixois but just in the Lubéron, with their own artist colony set up in the chateau.

In other words, some much nicer parts to the Lubéron than can be seen by night in its biggest city.