The Sunday market in the small Provençal town of L’Isle sur la Sorgue is a foodie’s
dream.
The winding, narrow streets are crowded with possibly 100
stalls selling all kinds of locally-produced breads, olives, cheeses, pastries,
fruits, vegetables, soaps, fabrics and more. Our grandparents weren’t as
thrilled about visiting a market as I was, but as you know, visiting a market
is a must for us when we travel! I love the sights, the smells and the people
at markets!
L’Isle sur la Sorgue, located about 30 minutes east of
Avignon, is situated on an island along the Sorgue River. Since the Sunday
market seems to be world famous, parking in this small town is a problem. We
arrived shortly before 10 a.m. and found an open parking lot along the
riverfront near one of the old water wheels. (Later on, we saw cars parked as
far as 2-3 kilometers outside the town.) The market does open at 9 a.m., so you
could arrive even earlier to avoid some of the crowds and general mayhem.
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| One of the moss-covered water wheels in L'Isle sur la Sorgue. |
Since our grandparents are picky eaters, we decided to
cook dinner one night at our lovely bed
and breakfast, Auberge du Vin, located 30-minutes away
in the countryside by Mazan. So we were on the hunt for Provençal goodies
that we could snack on for the next few days and eat for dinner.
We started with the cheese stalls where we sampled
several different kinds of French cheeses. We ended up buying two semi-hard
cheeses and two wheels of soft cheeses, including one runny one wrapped in
dried leaves. Delicious! (Word of caution: only buy cheese from a stall where
the prices are shown as there are some imposters out there that will overcharge
you big time.)
What pairs well with cheese? Why, French saucisson (cured sausages), of course!
Mmm…more pork!
And then we needed to buy some olives to later enjoy with our glasses of French rosé before dinner. Again,
sampling is mandatory!
Sometimes, we found it a bit difficult to thoroughly enjoy
the market and keep track of the grandparents at the same time. The market was
VERY busy, and Grandpa tended to wander off to the next stall before we were
done at the previous one. We did enjoy traveling with them through France, but I often was worried about them too. When it’s just my husband and me, I don’t
need to worry about him. In fact, I'm usually the one wandering off to take photos.
At the market, we found the prettiest baskets of
scrumptious summer strawberries, and the best melons I’ve ever tasted in my
life! These sweet melons were juicy and had the most heavenly fragrance! We
later learned the melons are a French heirloom variety from nearby towns of Sarrians
and Cavaillon, which are known for their melons.
Of course, Provence is known for its lavender too! The
market featured lavender soaps, lotions, sachet bags and more. Grandma and I
purchased several of the soaps and scented bags to take home.
By noon, the food market was
dying down. We had a difficult time finding a stall that still had any bread
left! The market at L’Isle
sur la Sorgue also has a large antiques section, which stays open later, but we
didn’t even venture there.
We left L’Isle sur la Sorgue with a rental car full of
French goodies, more than what we could possibly even eat over the next couple
of days.
Have you been to
Provence? If so, which town had your favorite market?
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| Pretty Provençal pottery, but check the label on the bottom of each piece. Most of the ones I saw were made either in Italy or Spain! |
