A fun way to discover the ochres !

A fun way to discover the Ocher How do we make a painting ? And with what mom ?

My daughter wanted to know and I found the good advice at the Roussillon Tourist Office, the most colourful village in the world. They advised us to take part in a workshop adapted to the 6/106 years old, where we will be able to have fun together.

Okhra, in an old ocher factory, lives with colour and transmits know-how. It's right at the entrance of the village.

Brushes in hand and, ... flour, egg, cottage cheese, linseed oil, the workshop begins. The host organizer gives some information on ochres and techniques. We get to know pigments, plain material (minerals, plants, animals, synthetic and artificial), binders, diluents. But the central question is medium. Wood, paper, plaster, for each, its own recipe. As if we were cooking, we separate, we incorporate, we mix, ... Like a chef ! And the well supervised children, participate and get their hands dirty !

During the workshop, we make paintings and everyone leaves with his personal colour chart.

Come to think of it, ... I have to paint the bedroom. Let's go to Okhra's shop, I'll find everything I need.

Follow me!

Departure around 7:15, in July the temperatures are ideal and at this time, the scents of our Provence are even more developed. [Return planned for 8:30 maximum, hopefully no one will notice your morning getaway and you can even go to the bakery to bring breakfast back to your loved ones!] This circuit goes from Bonnieux, takes the route "Around the Luberon", D3 at the beginning, then follows the D106 to Lacoste, on this road you will have an extraordinary view of the Luberon and Lacoste facing you, Bonnieux in your back with sunrise: grand! In Lacoste, admire at a glance the castle of the Marquis de Sade on your left at the top of the village. Follow the D106, to Lumières, many vineyards line on the road, sometimes a few sunflowers fields... and on the heights, stands Goult !

Go through Lumières, follow the D60 to Joucas, the crossroads on the right will indicate Roussillon "Les Dauphins" D169.

Ride on a few more kilometers!

Direction Bonnieux on D149, an astonishing construction on your right will necessarily attract your eyes: Pont Julien, built on order of Caesar, is over 2000 years old! Today, the bicycle path "Véloroute du Calavon" takes the bridge: to discover soon with family!

Back to Bonnieux where a 4 km climb awaits you!

+ Do not forget to stop at the baker's! And for breakfast, show your photos to your family! You can even post them on social network with #paysaptluberon 

We may meet on the road or at the Bonnieux office where I will welcome you with pleasure!

The Lavender Museum

At the crossroads of the Luberon tourist routes, a traditional farmhouse invites you to discover the history of the true lavender of Provence. The Museum founded by the family Lincelé, lavender growers since 1890 allows to share know-how and passion of this queen flower. Today, Sophie and Jack surrounded by their team develop thematic tours and workshops to address the different uses of lavender in aromatherapy, perfumes, cooking and organic and natural cosmetics.

For foodies

Three hundred square meters dedicated to candied fruit, the specialty that has made Apt famous.

This is the gourmet moment of my vacation ! And it's free.

I immediately spot the tasting table. All products may, ... and must absolutely be tested before buying directly from the factory ! And there are quantities, ... Candied melons, peaches, clementines, pears, apricots, ... All fruits can be candied. There are also fruit pastes, Amarena cherries, nougats, calissons, nuggets: real candies made to decorate the preparations, but which are chewed gently (it's also good for the throat!).

In the "museum", we can learn why Apt is the capital of candied fruit. From Antiquity to today, the secrets of confectionary are revealed to us. The company is unveiled: Aptunion is the largest candied fruit factory in the world and counts among its customers some of the largest international agribusiness companies.

A morning take-off

The Colorado Provencal is still asleep. It is 6 a.m. but the early bird catches the worm.

In the middle of a field, Hervé Maucci spreads a 28 meters long canvas. The fans are turned on. And it grows and grows below the sun rise.

The passengers seem impatient: an entire hour flying over the ochers! It is a first for me... in a hot-air balloon. Since 1783, the brilliant Montgolfier brothers have given a dream to generations of adventurers and poets with a balloon.

I am reminded flame and heat will make it take off.

Everyone is aboard in the small vessel: a wicker basket that accommodates up to 12 people. Hervé the pilot starts the four burners, the ball rises slowly, very slowly. The ground is moving away, the sky is mine! No jerks, it is incredibly steady.

We can see the Luberon hilltop villages Rustrel, Caseneuve and its fortress, the lavender grid patterns, vineyards and wheat fields. Below, the colored ochers, hoodoos, cliffs as cut by a giant artist. Some early-morning walkers even wave to me!

We rise again, almost up to 1200 meters. It is so quiet, it seems barely real, the world is so small.

But time goes by. We are looking for an old field to land and the wind makes the decision (if necessary, the basket keeps propane reserves for more autonomy). Loosing altitude, we rely on the expertise of the pilot who knows how to fly using the air currents.

Vol-Terre car followed by road. The hot-air balloon lands with a surprising softness and we all happily take part in packing the gear. The sun is now up.

As a souvenir, Hervé gives everyone a beautiful flying diploma to exhibit home with pride!

As for me I am going to quickly look for a Jules Verne novel.

On the path to discovering the garden...

Conservatory of forgotten vegetables and rare plants, the "Potager d'un curieux" created by Jean-Luc Daneyrolles is a farm and a paradise for gardeners. In the vegetable garden, he collects and produces seeds respectul for the seasons and the environment. Located in the village of Saignon in the Luberon, since 1984, Jean-Luc Daneyrolles has become a reference in his field. He first transformed a hill into an exuberant garden that looks like him and mixes old flowers and strange vegetables, pickaxe handles and shards of bottles, colored cans, old watering cans or buckets having suffered the ravages of time. Paths separate the garden into vegetable parts where flowers, fruits, leaves and roots are listed according to their uses. The ground of the paths is sometimes covered with fragments of ancient tiles, found on the oppidum which occupies part of the farm, pieces of Apt's earthenware, pebbles and stones. A modest garden shed houses the usual garden tools.

Passionate about ancient vegetables, every year Jean Luc-Daneyrolles grows among others, more than 50 varieties of tomatoes. The "apple of love" suspected of evil powers in the 16th century, is now the essential vegetable of Provencal cuisine. Common varieties are known, from tiny cherry tomatoes to perfect round tomatoes. In the vegetable garden, you will find the real Marmande, the Roma, the Banana, the White Cherry, the Green Grape...: an extraordinary diversity of forms, colors and flavors to make yours again.

And no one knows salads like this partisan gardener... The chefs call Jean-Luc Daneyrolles for the design of their vegetable garden. He also creates gardens and vegetable gardens in schools and trains future gardeners. Author of several books on the art of creating gardens and forgotten vegetables, his goal is to save this living heritage and to pass on the diversity of seeds, outside museums or laboratories.

In your turn, you can today enter this extraordinary garden.

Freedom for everybody with an electric bike

The whole family, my husband, my two teenagers and I, join our guide at Luberon Bike Shop : a colorful journey awaits us for half a day. Electric bike is a first for us all. Our guide puts us at ease for the handling. As soon as the first kilometers, a feeling of freedom overruns us, we take small roads, then, we find ourselves on trails.

The adventure begins, ...

Quite a change of scenery !

The ocher hills are exceptional and along the way we discover sand roses, a jewel of the hills, to leave imperatively in their spot ! The Massif des Ocres magic places are to be respected and preserved.

The kilometers go by smoothly, I cannot believe it : biking with little effort is fun; a treat for the teenagers !

Le Musée de la lavande

Au carrefour des routes touristiques du Luberon, un mas traditionnel invite à la découverte de l’histoire de la Vraie lavande de Provence. Le Musée fondée par la famille Lincelé, lavandiculteurs depuis 1890 permet de partager savoir-faire et passion de cette fleur reine. Aujourd’hui, Sophie et Jack entourés de leur équipe développent des visites thématiques et des ateliers pour aborder les différents usages de la lavande en aromathérapie, en parfumerie, en cuisine  et en cosmétique bio et naturelle.

Immersion en ateliers

Rien de mieux que de participer à l’un des ateliers pour s’immerger dans l'univers de cette petite fleur iconique.

De la confection de sachets de lavande et plantes aromatiques, aux ateliers sensoriels ; de l’atelier de distillation à l’ancienne, pour découvrir le processus fascinant de l’huile essentielle, aux ateliers d’aquarelles parfumées…

Autant de choix pour vivre des expériences uniques avec des experts qui partagent leur savoir avec passion : une véritable initiation à l’univers de la lavande pour toute la famille !