Forever in love with Lourmarin

As we packed our bags to return to Lourmarin, we found this letter, written by our young granddaughter, earlier in the summer on the day we were leaving Lourmarin. She had been keeping it safely hidden in her little whicker, sunflower purse from the Lourmarin market.

Dear Lourmarin

Thank you for a wonderful time and I will miss you because I love you

and I will always miss Café Gaby,

Bumble (the play structure in the park) and the ice cream.

We love you XX

What do they say? Out of the mouths of babes?

And now we’re back here thinking of her as we stare across the village roof tops wishing she and her younger brother were with us.

That we could follow them as they skip down our street to the village.

Headed to Café Gaby, which they (and just about everyone) love so much.

And as we made our way there the following morning one can’t help but wonder, how many coffees, breakfasts, lunches, drinks and dinners have been carried across that threshold since we were last here, just over 3 months ago.

And then we sat and became one of those people indulging ourselves, in this place you could stay all day, watching the world pass by as you soak up the ambience.

And as we reacquainted ourselves with Lourmarin’s meandering streets, we remembered the wonder in our special little girls’ eyes when she’d explored it with us.

And once again we found ourselves becoming immersed within its charm.

The picturesque shops,

some of which are buried inside ancient walls.

Listening to the church bells still telling the time,

as we headed to buy some wine from inside a centuries old cellar at the Lourmarin Château, where a certain little girl is convinced Sleeping Beauty and Rapunzel reside.

So we’re back once more living in this beautiful part of Provence, where life almost does seem like a fairy tale. One where we do our shopping in the local markets,

Spoiled for choice with all there is to buy.

Deciding what to cook for dinner, choosing from the abundance of local specialities.

And within days we’re sipping local rosé at some favorite local wineries, sat beside the shuttered beauty of exquisite Provençal properties like Fontenille.