Family · 4 min

First the Brocante, Then the Cold Water

A whole day in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue works well with children too. First the brocante, as long as patience holds, then the water wheels no child walks past, and when the heat grows too much, we follow the water to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse and wade through the icy green. A day between old things and a cold river, a summer's day barely gets better.

First the brocante

Children and antiques are a delicate mix, unless you give them a task. Find something round, find something blue, and off they hunt. I browse in peace, they gather impressions, and the narrow lanes by the water almost turn the stroll into a game.

The old water wheels

Every child stops in front of the big, moss-green wheels. They turn slowly, drip, creak, and the water rushes with them. You explain how they once drove the mills, and for a moment history is not a school subject but a big, wet toy.

And then the cold water

When it gets too hot, we drive to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse, where the Sorgue wells from the rock. The water is barely ten degrees, clear and green, and the children wade in shrieking. There is no better end to a hot day. Bring water shoes, the stones are slippery.