iris

It's finally feeling like spring, or maybe a jump to summer. Everything is green and lush in the sunshine after so much rain. We took advantage of a beautiful day to visit the irises at Les Jardins du château de Vullierens and enjoy all the colors. Here are some pretty flowers to brighten your day:

We spent all day winding up and down the rows of flowers, and then walked a bucolic Swiss route beside cows and vineyards between Yens and Saint-Livres overlooking the lake.

stops along the way

This morning we started the journey home, visiting a few towns along the way. First stop, Forcalquier to gather the treats for final Provencal picnic. We bought more olives, sun dried tomatoes, candied almonds, tapenade, and stuffed grape leaves to eat with our remaining fruit in the evening. We almost accepted a kitten needing a home, but thought that might be a little impulsive. So, we wandered the narrow streets, made our way up to the hilltop, and found a shop with peach and melon ice cream cones to eat while we wandered away the afternoon.

When the clouds gathered above Forcalquier, we drove west to Roussillon to wander more narrow streets lined with peach and pink buildings with blue doors.

Our last stop was the tiny village of Murs. Our picnic lingered as late as it could before departing for the highway and heading back north.