Day 3: Foret de Venasque/Vaucluse Plateau
Like any other day, we had lofty goals and a far off destination. This time I wanted to take an afternoon drive to Pernes les Fontaines in the Vaucluse Plateau. We left Apt in the early afternoon heading west on the N100 to the D4. The D4 is a beautiful drive through the Forest of Venasque following the side of the mountain sometimes and others cutting through narrow gorges until you come out in the north near Venasque.
Even on a dark and cloudy day, Provence once again was stunning and beautiful. The region immediately around Apt and the Vaucluse plateau are full of cherry orchards. And when I say full, I mean full! Every valley, every field, every slope had at least a small orchard and many had acres of orchards. This region of France is the largest source of cherries in the country and the pink seas of blossoms were a familiar sight to us.
We reached our destination of Pernes les Fontaines and found easy public parking near the old city. On Tuesday, the town was mostly deserted of both tourists and residents. Since Jacob was still not feeling well, our goal was to get a brief feel for mood and character of the town before he got exhausted and needed to go home.
Pernes is well known for their multitude of fountains. Everywhere that you turn, on every corner, in every niche there is a small fountain, and some are quite a bit more elaborate. Surrounding the old town is a large, medieval moat that has been turned into a lovely park with large willow trees shading it and access for bicycles via ramps in some places. The old town is clustered on a small rise with a Romanesque cathedral turned cultural center at its summit.
Pernes almost had us charmed to our toes. It is certainly beautiful, small, and we met some charming people but there was an underlying feeling that we got from the locals that reminded us of Williamsburg of all places. The persistent feeling we got from locals living within the old town was just like that you get from people who work and/or live in Colonial Williamsburg. There was this definite “townie” vibe - a “yes we choose to live here and that means that we ‘tolerate’ you tourists” sort of sentiment.
Now, before you go “well, what did you expect in a town that does rely on tourism as part of their economy and you’re a tourist?”, I will say that I expect to be seen as a tourist or visitor. I had my camera slung on my shoulder for goodness sake. I pride myself on being humble and appreciative in my role. I am polite, even when I have made a faux pas. But, there is a point where one expects at least a formal politeness reciprocated. And on this one Tuesday, in these short hours of the late afternoon, it simply wasn’t going to happen in Pernes. That does not mean that I am going to judge the whole town for four interactions had with locals in three hours. Hardly at all.
After a few failed attempts at interacting politely with locals, Jacob and I decided that clearly Pernes was a place we were going to rough out in solitude. Imagine our true delight at the idea of getting to wander around an ancient city without being “bothered”. After Jacob told me he was not going to climb the worn stone stairs to the top of old town, I agreed and accidentally walked him the long way around to the top of the town without any stairs. A coughing fit ensued and we relaxed under the plane trees just coming into leaf in front of the cultural center until we decided it was time to leave.
For our drive home, we headed back towards Venasque, but rather than taking the D4, we took the road that leads to the D15 and south towards Abbey de Senaque and Gordes. It was another gorgeous drive through a separate portion of the Foret de Venasque with again, large cliffs, steep gorges, and a hiking trail that taunted us to come back in better health. We decided to take the detour to the Abbey but upon reaching the gates and the parking lot realized that it would be a destination for a future trip. Without even leaving the car, we turned around and headed towards Gordes and on to home with Jacob sleeping most of the way.
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