Weekend in the Luberon ... A Winter Weekend of Brocantes and Backroads

My home base when I'm France is Antibes, but I take a mini-trip to somewhere new (or to an old favorite) almost every time I'm here. This time, I'm combining visiting my favorite brocantes in L'Isle sur la Sorgue and Eygalieres with neigboring towns I've never seen before, Goult and Oppede Le Vieux so far. (Trigger warning - I'm writing this late at night and I'm too lazy to fix my accent marks, sorry not sorry.)

It's January, and that means rain in Provence, but compared to Midwestern Arctic snow and cold back home, I'm not complaining. And there is a certain moody magic to the quiet season - no fighting for tables or parking spaces, locals with more time to chat, contemplating Mont Ventoux or Mont Sainte Victoire on a hike with only six other people in three hours (all French couples). Easier to practice a suitably reserved "Bonjour" without Ameri-smiling.

I drove through biblical flood rains to arrive last night at dusk. L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is an enchanting town that still seems real, in the way that Antibes does, in spite of the glamour of the high end antiquing.. Strolling along the canals as the evening lights glow against the emerald water is a masterclass in slow living.

Today I time-traveled in Oppede le Vieux, met dogs and a peacock (well technically a peahen) in Goult, and learned that I love bread Oppedois-style and the Roule a Vanille at Le Pain de Proust in Oppede. More on today's adventures to come. Meeting the peahen was a somewhat on-brand Provençal encounter: ancient stone walls, quiet village… and then a random peahen judging me silently.

But the real thrill starts tomorrow. I’m bracing for the epic Sunday "everything" market here in town, then diving into the professional brocantes of both L'Isle and Eygalières; I’m on a mission to bring it to life for you.

I post on Instagram as French Vignette more often than I do on this site. Follow me there if you don't want to miss any of my travels! I last wrote a blog regularly more than ten years ago, but I was lucky to meet so many amazing people through the old blog - I hope we can do the same here. Thanks for visiting!