After several days of enjoyment and leisure in the lovely city of Aix-en-Provence, we are looking for a challenge. Over breakfast, we decide: a day trip to Sainte Victoire. In Aix, there are plenty of signs pointing the way there. We find a GXP track shows a loop hike to the ridge of the Massif de Sainte Victoire. Since there is no bus, we cycle to Vauvenargues—the starting point of our hike. There, we fill our water bottles with fresh water for the trail.
Highly motivated, we set off. The journey is the destination. The first major milestone is a monastery and the Croix en Provence at an elevation of just under 1,000 meters. Great trail, great views.
After two hours, mostly uphill, we reach the Croix en Provence. There are a few hikers on the trail. Next comes the ridge hike—an hour-long stretch that is more arduous than expected. Then comes the steep, boulder-strewn descent, where the trail is almost impossible to make out. A grueling hour and a half, and a 400-meter descent. We get lost and take the wrong descent. By now, we start to wonder. Who marked this trail? Why was it included in the hiking guide? Why do we hike this trail instead of sitting in a Café in Aix? We imagine Paul Cézanne shouldering his easel. He used to climb the mountain 87 times to paint it. We keep climbing. What other choice do we have? The last hour is mostly flat on gravel. Our toes hurt. Finally, we are back at the hiking parking lot in Vauvenargues. Pablo Picasso found his final resting place there in a garden that we already see from the ridge. Fresh water, and back in the saddle. We are looking forward to the twelve-kilometer ride back. Uh, how relaxing!
What a pity if we have not done the hike.
The next day, we head to South-Luberon, in the heart of Provence. This region constantly stimulates our five senses:
We feel the warmth of late summer. We sit outside in the balmy air until late into the night.
We see the fascinating light and colors of the green countryside, the vineyards and olive groves, the ochre-colored villages and castles, the blue of the sky, and the stars at night.
We taste the baguette, croissants, and the Triangle aux Amandes from the bakery in Cucuron.
We smell the scent of pine trees, Provençal herbs, and lavender, even though it is not in bloom right now.
We hear the chirping of crickets, the guitar music from our neighbor at the campground, and the rustling of the wind.
We end up in Ansouis only because a section of the road is closed. Our little detour takes us all the way to the castle—what a stroke of luck!
We meet up with Ursula and Hanspeter in Cucuron. We met each other in 2022 while traveling through Italy. It is as if four years had not passed since then. We spend three days together, cooking, playing Boule and Brändi Dog, and talking about our travel experiences, whether to move on or stay, the meaning of life, the here and now, and tomorrow!
We continue on Monday after breakfast. After these vacation days in the beautiful Luberon, we get back into travel mode after a few kilometers. First on the Luberon Loop, then on the Durance Bike Path, and finally toward the Rhône. The mistral is blowing—how fitting. Mostly from the side at first, then picking up from the front.
