Aix en Provence, 17 July 2025

A very big day out of town was had for our Thursday here in Aix en Provence. Our first stop was in the heart of Provence with a visit to the Luberon Plateau and the beautiful town of Rousillon.

Then we moved onto the town of Gordes, with its immaculate stone buildings and stunning views.

Then in the early afternoon we marvelled at the skill of our coach driver getting us safely to the bottom of the valley to visit the Cistercian Abbey of Sémanque. Founded in the 12th century and surrounded by fields of lavender, we had an excellent guide for a private tour of this beautiful place.

After the coach drive back to our hotel in Aix I gave my talk to our tour group in preparation for tonight's concert. All our walking today - and there was a lot of walking - aggravated some fasciitis that I've been dealing with in one of my feet for a few months, so I opted out of attending the concert in order to rest my foot and give it some treatment recommended by my physiotherapist.

The concert featured lieder by Mahler and R. Strauss performed by Diana Damrau (soprano), Jonas Kaufmann (tenor), and Helmut Deutsch (piano). I was sorry to miss it.

First posted on Facebook