On our way to L'Isle-sur-le-Sarg, we stop for a view of the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Senanque far below the road.

Our bus took us there to see the 12th c. church...

and the 18th c. building next to it, where they sold books and some of the locally made products, such as lavender honey.

The lavender fields were dormant, but still interesting to see.

Our next stop was in the town of L'Isle-sur-le-Sorgue, sometimes called "the Venice of Provence" because of the many branches of the Sorgue River which pass through the town.

This old waterwheel is a reminder of times past, beginning in the 1200's when waterwheels were first used for grinding flour and later for paper, textile, silk and woolen mills. At its peak, there were as many as 70 such wheels. In the 1800's the town competed with Avignon as the textile center of Provence.

The interior of the 12th c. Baroque church, the Notre-Dame des Anges.

It was late in the day when we arrived at the Caprice, which was to be our home for the next seven days. The crew greeted us with a drink and some pastries. We were shown to our 66 square foot (11'x6') cabins and rested a bit before our first four course dinner aboard, onion soup, salmon, a cheese plate and creme brulee. It was an excellent meal, as were the meals which followed for the next six days.

In the morning we would have a walking tour of Avignon.