A Day in the Luberon

A Day in ! Luberon... Lourmarin-Bonnieux-Goult- Gordes We start this trip from Cadenet --the below GPS co-ordinates lead you to a roundabout just outside Cadenet, a bit to the east on to a small parking area. GPS: 430 43' 42.26" N 50 22' 25.61 E Follow the road (D943) to Cadenet. In Cadenet, follow the directions (D943) to Lourmarin. If you do this trip on a Friday, do not miss visiting the market, one of the most interesting ones in the Luberon area. There are several neat restaurants and cafés in Lourmarin and you might even see Peter Mayle (A year in Provence) when he comes and picks up his daily ration of baguettes! The Château de Lourmarin is the place where Albert Camus, the celebrated French writer spent many years in residence. He is buried in the local cemetery, but there are plans afoot to have his casket moved to be re- interred in the Panthéon in Paris. Once you are “done” with Lourmarin, leave the parking lot and when you re-join the main road, turn left (D943), following the directions to Bonnieux. This will take you through the “Petit Luberon” on a narrow and winding road, up into the mountain. Be careful when you reach halfway up the mountain and come to a fork in the road. One tyne (D943) leads to Apt and the other (D36), veering to the left, leads to Bonnieux. Naturally you’ll take the one veering to the left (D36). As you drive even higher, you will recognize that this stretch of the winding mountain road was used to film the wine harvest drive in the “No Brakes” WW2 ex-US army truck, to the winery in the TV series:”A Year in Provence”, shown on PBS in the US. Arriving in Bonnieux, savour the magnificent view over the valley. There is an interesting Bakery museum in Bonnieux and if the day is cold, the world’s best hot chocolate is served in the cafe/ restaurant halfway down the hill on the onward journey. If you are so inclined, take the endless stairway to the top and visit the church there. Have lunch in one of the restaurants. Drive on in the direction of Goult. Driving downhill follow the sign to “Gendarmerie” (the police station), and the direction of Goult, following the D194, which will change into the D36. Shortly after the hamlet of “La Gare de Bonnieux”, where there is no longer a “Gare” (railway station), because there is no longer a railway line, you will come to a large roundabout on the D900. Take the exit leading to the D145, which will get you into Goult proper. There are two large parking lots off the rue de la République, the second one is a bit larger than the first. Goult has a golden opportunity to lunch where the locals lunch and at the same time experience a bit of movie history. Visit the Café de la Poste. Lunch, the plat du jour, is always very good and as in almost all the local- oriented restos’ quite inexpensive (for France that is). The Café de la Poste is the locale where the bar scene was filmed in the TV series:”Mistral’s daughter”. Stacey Keach was the leading man. Wander through Goult, a very interesting village, visit the Fourmis et Cigalle antiques shop, owned by two British ladies. It is just up the main road, a few steps from the Café de la Poste. The main road, rue de la République, leads up to the Château de Goult and has, on both sides, centuries old stone houses with interesting window casings. Depending on the duration of lunch, the time of day and your stamina, you might want to continue to Gordes, one of the jewels of the Luberon and very likely one of the most photographed villages in Provençe, let alone in France as a whole. Leave Goult on the D105and then turn right on to the D60. When you come to the D156, turn left in the direction of the hamlet of Les Sauvestres. In Les Sauvestres, turn left on to theD2 and shortly after turn right on to the D102, also called route Neuve. This will lead you into Gordes from the back, avoiding most of the ginormous tour buses, which can be full of tourists..

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