I mentioned we got stranded, Lavender Fields, but I have not yet waxed poetic about where we got stranded. We got stranded in Sault. Beautiful Sault that has won my heart. If it wasn’t for an accident, lost keys in lavender, I would never gotten to known her.

After Beatrice got us settled in our gîte, we showered off the lavender. Hyla was the last to shower, and on her way through our room to the shower, she trailed the smell of an entire field of lavender. Making your own essential oil, near a steamy bain marie, has that effect on people.

I’ll be honest, before this trip I was indifferent to the smell of lavender. Now, every night, I put a fresh drop of my very own lavender oil on my pillow. The smell immediately makes me happy. Despite The Accident, I had a wonderful couple of days & any reminder is a good reminder. Especially the smell of lavender.

Hyla got up very early the next morning. She is beyond dedicated to her craft, I cannot express how much I admire her. I am not a morning person. I am especially not a morning person after midnight adventures. Shortly after Hyla came back from her morning wanders, I set out on my own to explore Sault.

In many ways Sault is like any village in southern France or Italy. Tiny alleys, old stone buildings, ornate wooden doors. And yet precisely because it’s both French, and a little Italian, it’s unique. It has an extra charm & adorable factor. It doesn’t hurt that absolutely every person I spoke to was friendly & warm. A completely different experience than my run-ins with the French in Paris.

I do not really speak French. I took 3-4 years in high school, and my sister lives in France. But. My brain is full. I don’t really speak French. Almost no one, save for Beatrice, speaks English in Sault. And yet they patiently let me struggle and helped me communicate. I think in those two hours alone, I picked up more French than all those other visits across the border combined.

While the doors & shutters captured my heart, the black truffle cheese won my tastebuds. I stopped in the cheese shop, because I’m Dutch & it’s like a magnet, to take some pictures. The cheese farmer plied me with cheese. With black truffle cheese. Delicious, soft, earthy, decadent black truffle cheese. I can still taste it on my tongue.