Lavender Time in Provence - Lively Holidays to Intimate Travel Destinations

By Sylvia Arad | Submitted On May possibly 07, 2010


To enterprise to Provence in July will be to be lost in a purple colored sea. Oceans of lavender everywhere - in patches, in waves, in fantastic rows, field just after field - the hillsides from the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence are daubed in blue, mauve, gray and violet by great swathes of lavender in bloom. This can be harvest time in Provence's lavender areas - the tractors are rolling, the distilleries steaming and lavender festivals are in full swing.

Lavender, the emblem of Provence, is rising in this article eternally. Its formal cultivation nevertheless is quite new, and it has specified rise to lavandin; a hybrid Edition utilised far more for industrial reasons.

"Good" or correct lavender is developed for its critical oils. To qualify for your hugely coveted AOC (Appellation of Managed Origin) - France's optimum stamp of approval - the lavender should satisfy pretty rigorous conditions, its production restricted to 284 villages and cultivated in regions above 800 m in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, the Drome and Vaucluse. Used for perfumes, in aromatherapy and medicinally, it need to also fulfill olfactory tests, and special harvesting and distillation procedures.

Beneath the blazing sun, this fragile plant is harvested by hand by households steeped in its traditions, that have cultivated it for generations. It really is then dried Prestige Lavender Fields for days before remaining distilled. The distillation procedure is made of passing steam in the dried bouquets, which are gathered in bunches inside a still to extract their crucial oils. Different techniques are applied dependant upon the lavender's use. To create 1 Liter of necessary oil, 287 lb. of good lavender is used; for perfumes, the procedure is far more intricate taking over 2200 lbs. of lavender to generate 3 gallons of absolute pure oil.

Provence Lavender Country Provides Great Mountaineering Vacations and Biking Routes

Lavender conjures up breathtaking vistas of blue fields, punctuated by pink poppies, a patchwork of gold grain and occasional strands of oak and pine which stretch into the hallucinatory blue horizon. This area is actually a cycling and climbing paradise - biking routes abound for website visitors who would like to enterprise off- the-crushed-route to the "Route de Lavande" and climbing vacations around the "Grande Randonne" trails are an adventurer's dream. The imposing Luberon Mountains and Vaucluse simple serve as the backdrop into the magnificent panoramas of ancient villages perched on hillsides; with the scents of rosemary, thyme, savory instead of minimum, lavender.

The "Route de Lavande" prospects visitors by way of swathes of fragrant fields, gardens, distilleries, museums and villages. The many festivals, the most important hosted by Sault, exhibit lavender floats and shows and provide not only bouquets and sachets, but all kinds of lavender-affiliated item - creamy honey, scented candles and in many cases aprons. Restaurants give lavender motivated menus and spas provide thermal baths and massages with lavender oil.

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