THE LAVENDER ROUTE IN PROVENCE Photos by Preben S. Kristensen 14/07/2006 www.thetravelphoto.com - tel:+447785225161 Email: infinitypress@tin.it

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frlav026.jpg Bouquets of Lavender are hung up on racks near Ferrassières.	frlav027.jpg Lavender used commercially in the chemical and soap industries is cut by machine, but in some areas, lavender is still cut by hand to make bouquets.	frlav028.jpg Lavender used commercially in the chemical and soap industries is cut by machine, but in some areas, lavender is still cut by hand to make bouquets.	frlav029.jpg Huge fields of Lavandin, and Corn on the Valensole Plateau.	frlav030.jpg Ancient stone bories are surrounded by Lavender on the Plateau of Claparèdes in the Luberon.
frlav031.jpg A White Chestnut Tree with Lavender in the background.	frlav032.jpg Jean Cartoux, who lives in Sault, has had Beehives for 49 years, so he is no longer affected by bee-stings. He has 100 beehives, each containing 50,000 bees and produces 2,000 kgs of Lavender Honey per year. Lavender Honey has a particularly delicate flavour.	frlav033.jpg A Swallow-tail Butterfly enjoying the nectar of the Lavender Flowers.	frlav034.jpg A Swallow-tail Butterfly enjoying the nectar of the Lavender Flowers.	frlav035.jpg Sunflowers, and Lavender: two symbols of Provence.
frlav036.jpg Lavender, and Vines provide a colour contrast.	frlav037.jpg The Lavender Festival in Valensole takes place every year on the third Sunday in July.	frlav038.jpg Mme Eglantine Foulquiere sells lavender and derived products at a road-side stand at "La Loge", a hamlet just outside Sault.	frlav039.jpg Monique Claessens is a herbalist living in the hills outside Forcalquier. Originally from Belgium, she has lived in France for many years and she collects herbs growing naturally in the mountains. She sells herbs and produce in the market in Forcalquier.	frlav040.jpg Enjoying a fine evening amid the Lavender Fields on the Claparèdes Plateau.
frlav041.jpg As a complete colour contrast to all that lavender, don't miss a visit to the old Ochre Quarries at Roussillon, where 17 different shades of ochre provided the base for paint long before artificial chemical paints came onto the market.	frlav042.jpg As a complete colour contrast to all that lavender, don't miss a visit to the old Ochre Quarries at Roussillon, where 17 different shades of ochre provided the base for paint long before artificial chemical paints came onto the market.	frlav042x.jpg As a complete colour contrast to all that lavender, don't miss a visit to the old Ochre Quarries at Roussillon, where 17 different shades of ochre provided the base for paint long before artificial chemical paints came onto the market.	frlav043.jpg As a complete colour contrast to all that lavender, don't miss a visit to the old Ochre Quarries at Roussillon, where 17 different shades of ochre provided the base for paint long before artificial chemical paints came onto the market.	frlav044.jpg The Rustrel Colorado near Roussillon is another area of old Ochre Mines.
frlav045.jpg As a complete colour contrast to all that lavender, don't miss a visit to the old Ochre Quarries at Roussillon, where 17 different shades of ochre provided the base for paint long before artificial chemical paints came onto the market.	frlav046.jpg Just outside Roussillon, an old Ochre Factory, the Usine Matthieu, has been turned into a museum and workshop, where you can find out more about the history of ochre mining. Workshops provide practical and technical advice for using these traditional pigments. Highly recommended.	frlav047.jpg An old aqueduct at the Rustrel Colorado.	frlav048.jpg The houses in Roussillon are painted with natural Ochre Paints, which are much softer, age better and are less toxic than modern chemical paints.	frlav049.jpg The houses in Roussillon are painted with natural Ochre Paints, which are much softer, age better and are less toxic than modern chemical paints.