Fly through the Lavender Perfumed Air of Plateau d’Albion

The Plateau d’Albion sits high in the Luberon and evokes a different feeling than the rest of the territory (all magnificent, all blessed). We ventured there with the drone to shoot some of the lavender, which is grown at higher altitudes than the more well-known Plateau de Valensole. Despite being in Provence for 6 years, I had never been to this area of the Luberon. It was magical. We took off late afternoon to catch the golden rays of the end of a late summer day in July.

The drive was stunning, my jaw open for much of it. There are spaces to pull off the road, which look down over the land that is home to Sault, Aurel and Ferrassières, and naturally, we stopped. As we stepped out of the car, the patchwork quilt of the land below unfolded before us. Deep purple hues, golden fields of wheat, thick patches of deep green trees, all contrasted with stone houses and the small villages before us. The lavender fields are so thick that the air is perfumed with lavender, even when not standing next to a field. Cyprus trees punctuate the picture vertically. It is breathtaking.

Getting closer to the lavender fields enhances the sense of astonishment. I marveled, standing there on the edge of one of these purple fields with the small village of Aurel perched on a hill in the distance. The buzz of hundreds of bees diffused a soft purr across the field, the stems of lavender fluttered with the wind, the July air sultry and rendered fresh from the lavender scent. Pure wonder.