As cliche' as it sounded, almost everywhere I went in Provence, I heard accordian music a la French movie soundtrack (think Anouk et homme) - je ne sais pourqois! I guess it'd be kind of romantic for lovers but it was irritating the f%ck out of me. Anyway I spent a full Sunday touring the quaint villages outside Avignon with our English-speaking French guide-cum-driver Elodie and the van filled with Asians - me from Singapore, a young couple from Hong Kong and a family of trio from Guangzhou (the young girl asked her mom why my Cantonese was so bad when I spoke to them!).
Our first stop was the gorgeous Sorgues, orginally a fishermen's village about 30mins away, passing by apple and pear nurseries, a winery and fields of withering sunflowers (best time to see them in full bloom was July). It was tres crowded on Sunday as there was a market selling everything from lovely antiques and Provencale cloth to glazed pottery and colourful straw hats and bags. My nose was also assaulted with the sweet perfume of lavender soaps, fresh flowers and herbs, the savoury whiffs of roasted poulet with garlic, and the pungent waves from the smelly French fromage and saucisson! 
I wanted to buy everything but my limited backpack was more of a constraint than my budget, so I just went trigger happy and bought breakfast snacks like French apple tart and peaches for the road. Mid-way through the market, I jostled with the crowd to the front of the canal and watched a theatric show of locals in costumes balancing their acts on narrow boats. After that, we visited the Lavender Museum at Coustellet where we bought some souvenirs and learnt many things about lavender, including the fact that it is harvested once a year in August (luckily we could still frolick and pose at some lavender fields later!).
Our next stop Gordes, described as one of the most beautiful villages in France, certainly deserved the accolades. Known for its dried stone structures, it was a dramatic sight perching atop the hill overlooking the plains below. When we got out from the mini van, it was actually chilly in the shade as the wind blew and the other kiasi Asians whipped out their jackets except me in my tanktop (it was damn hot when we left Avignon ok)! I braved the chills and lunched on my plate of tres delicious fatty smoked canard et foie gras salade (16 euros) al fresco among the locals with a big stray German Shepherd by my feet - hah, you should see me! 
The village was very small so I couldn't walk off the calories even if I wanted to. We then departed for another quaint village Sault 40mins away, passing by the town of Roussillon (all together now say 'Roo-see-yon') surrounded by vineyards, olive and cherry trees before climbing uphill on a long narrow winding road overlooking the deep and lush valleys of Sault. 
Elodie made a few photo stops at the lavender fields which looked like purplish blue carpets from far but as we got closer, their colours and perfume were simply vivid... my sister would love it here. Everyone dived right in, posing like models and some plucked more than a bundle for keepsake. I simply pressed three stalks in my Italian guidebook for good luck and let my nose dance with joy in a cloud of purple.
At Sault, we had plenty of rest time and were free to explore on our own. I found a tranquil spot that offered a panoramic view of the fields below. Apparently Sault was strategically built on rocky spurs to offer its inhabitants protection in the old days. Back at Avignon, I was actually hungry and found a Vietnamese restaurant Xuan (6 Rue Galante) to satiate my craving for beef pho (6,30e) and stirfried veggies (5,50e) with jasmine tea. I cannot tahan anymore French food! My night cap was a small 250ml bottle of L'Orangerie Bordeaux Rose and cigarettes in bed, ahhh oui - c'est perfect!
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