My New Love for Próvence

***Disclaimer: this post is a combined two days of my trip and is a day late! sorry for any incovenience :)

Today, my group and I traveled to Próvence, France for a two day trip, and had an amazing (one of a kind) experience. We went to a historical part of the city, painting class in the mountains of olive trees, a cute town square as well as the lavender fields.

On the first day, we went to an old village that was first ruled by Romans, with a 1,000 year old bridge! It just so happened to be market day, which meant we could have some time to shop around and eat lunch.

We went and looked at original jewelry, clothing, toys and I even found an authentic thimble for my collection back home. For lunch, I chose a ham, cheese and olive oil sandwich on a baguette. It was delicious and the bread was super fresh! For dessert, I went across the street for a fresh peach. It was so refreshing and was the perfect light dessert after a heavy sandwich.

Next, we climbed a trail in the mountains to have a painting class with a local Frenchwoman. We learned the basic techniques and painted the landscape of the gorgeous view. Although the hike was kind of tough, we made it and learned a new skill.

Finally to end the day, we visited a small square with lots of restaurants to eat from, and we chose to eat at a pizzeria//pasta place. I ordered a vegetable linguine dish and it was super fresh and filled me up very quickly. The pesto sauce was classic and had a great garlic flavor.

For dessert, we went to a great ice cream place across the square, where I ordered LAVENDER ice cream!! It tasted just like it smells, and was a great summer treat for it bring a hotter day in southern France. We had a wonderful evening and we were stuffed to the max!!

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Our second day spent in Próvence consisted of a trip to the lavender fields, where the family led us on a tour of their farm, where they produce the plant for products like jam, tea, soap and candies. We learned that they have specific fields for certain products! For example, one field is dedicated for Angelina Jolie's use while another is distributed to the company Chanel, for their well known perfume "Chanel No. 5".

The lavender smelled amazing, and it made for some great pictures too! I bought lavender jam, which tastes delicious on most cookies and crackers.

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To end our excursion to Próvence, we visited the Pont du Guard, a bridge built in the first century and one of France's most historic landmarks. It was remarkable to see and we even got to swim for a while underneath it, which was such a unique experience. I loved the pace of Próvence, and the scenery was incomparable to anything else I've ever seen. I definitely want to visit again and spend more time in the French country side :)