~ Sault, 02.07.2021 ~

Sault is a lone medieval town up in the mountains below the Mont Ventoux. It is known for the lavender fields that surround it, and for being popular among cyclists as one of the stages of the Tour de France.

Architectonically, it's a typical small town of the region: narrow medieval alleys, blue window shutters, the dingy look of many a house balanced out by charming little details.

Its beauty lies in its location on top of a rock, overlooking the valley around it. It's somewhat of a tourist magnet: souvenir stores exist side-by-side with vendors of delicacies, bikers rest in its streets and cafés to catch their breath and hydrate after the tiring ride uphill.

The interior of its church is markedly dark and austere, to no detriment to its beauty.

Also typical are the wooden storefronts adding colour and shape to the townhouses' straight faces.

The lavender, on sale everywhere in town, was not in its fullest bloom – I've seen it flower more densely and more vivid in colour elsewhere – but I tried to make the best of it with camera angles. Some fields also mixed lavender with other crops like thyme.