Lavender season in France

In the midst of a booming lavender field I found joy immersed in fragrance, a sense of calm and delight at being in France at bloom time.

I’m recently back from France where I spent time in the Rhone Alps region around Lyon. There July’s blooming lavender was covering the landscapes sometimes next to huge fields of blooming sunflowers who turned their yellow faces to follow the sun.  The views were as wonderful as the scents.

The blue-mauve carpet of lavender drew me like a magnet and we stopped briefly for photos although our schedule didn’t allow time to visit a lavender distillery. Originally used by the Romans to perfume their baths, these days lavender is used in perfumes, essential oils, soaps, scented drawer liners, infusions, honey and even vinegars.

We zigzagged back and forth across the Rhone River, which flows from Lake Geneva on the Swiss border all the way to the Mediterranean, passing vineyards, olive groves and peach orchards that provide the produce found piled high in colorful market stalls. With such availability of both provisions and wines it becomes quite understandable why nearly 80 Michelin starred restaurants are found in proximity to Lyon, which straddles both the Rhone and Saône Rivers. I’m now working on print stories about some of my amazing food experiences – one of which was a lunch starring a cocks comb – and discovering astonishing  36,000 -year -old cave drawings and extensive Roman ruins.

Stay tuned