Les Plus Beaux Villages de France - Part 2

The sun was shining.  The sky a brilliant shade of blue.  Misty mountains in the distance.  The now dormant lavender fields stretched out in every direction.  

And another “Les plus beaux village de France” to visit (translated: one of the most beautiful villages of France).  The little village of Rousillon, sitting high on it’s hill certainly earns this distinction.   

But what makes this village unique among the rather large group of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France is the rich ochre deposit it sits on and is surrounded by.   

The ochre was mined from the hills around Rousillon until the 1930s, and now, one of the former mines is open to the public for a spectacular and colorful walk through the forest of green...

so sharply contrasting with the yellows and reds and oranges beneath your feet. 

And the color of ochre is painted all over this beautiful little village.  

I was in heaven because I love these colors, as our house back in the US reflects.  It’s narrow and winding streets are filled with charming little shops and cafes...

 And doorways that looked like photographs I've seen for sale in galleries...

and small, graceful archways that looked like picture frames for the scene that unfolded on the other side.  

All we did was stroll around this lovely little village of Roussillon and it's abandoned ochre mine.  

But that was enough.