The Mysterious River - the Sorgue

On June 4 we met one of the curiosities of the department of Vaucluse - the river Sorgue.This river has a length of only 30 km and flows into the Ouvéze,a confluent of the Rhone. But not the length is so curious but its source.

Arial view of L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (GoogleMaps)

At first we arrive in L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a city developed amidst the Sorgue on an island between two arms of the river. Now, the town is bigger than this island. but here is the historical center. We park our car south of the towns center on the Cours de Anatole France next to a small green park, only 300 meters away from the nice old towns center.

Riverside of the Sorgue: Restaurants a lot

We cross the river at the Ave de la Liberation and head to the Rue de la Republique. It is something like the main street of the city center. The many antique shops are remarkably besides the usual tourist and fashion shops.

The Rue Carnot. In background the church Notre Dame

Afield we hear bell-ringing from the church Notre Dame-des-Anges. When we are closer to the church we saw the reason: a funeral, the second one in our vacation time.
Slowly, we stroll back through the Rue Carnot until we reach the water again. A lot of restaurants and cafés are lined up like a chain at the Quai Rouget de L'Isle. One of six remained water wheels is here to see. These wheels drove paper mills and other mills in earlier times. Now. they are "only" nice.

Postcard-idyll in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue

Old water wheel at the Sorgue

Now, we head to the source, the "fontaine", of the Sorgue. The small village with the name Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is away only some kilometers. The satnav with the option "shortest way" leads us on adventurous roads amidst fields and vinyards. We have a good luck - no oncoming traffic! There are no passing places on the narrow roads. We reach Fontaine at the southern bank of the Sorgue. There is a big parking lot where we can park unlimited for 3 euros.

Place de la Colonne in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse (Google StreetView)

A footpath of about 300 meters leads to the center of the small borough with 600 habitants. A multiple of it comes as tourists every day. Today too. We rest a while on the Place de la Colonne and eat a pizza. A very nice circular place with a tall column in the mid and shady planes around. The column was erected on occasion of the 500th birthday of the Italian poet Petrarca, who had lived here.

We are about 600 meters away from the source of the Sorgue; however the river has already a lot of water, crystal-clear and greenish shimmering by the many water plants on the ground. The way to the source is a way with many shops, food stalls, restaurants and museums. And people of course...

In front of the source pond

Everywhere the water springs from the depth.

The way finishes at the source. But the source is not a source like we know it. A source pond with a depth of more than 300 meters is located under a 200 meters high rock. The pond or lake has a connection to a subterranean water resource fed by the Mont Ventoux, Mont de Vaucluse and the Montagne de Lure. The water resource has an area of 1100 square kilometers! It is still mysterious how these water masses are merging. The figures of the water amount are very different: they fluctuate from 22 to 300 m³ water per second feeding the source. Unimaginably ! 22000 liters per second or more!

On the way back we enjoy a refreshing beer in a garden restaurant directly next the river.

It is to recommended to visit an old paper mill - now a museum. A giant water wheel drives a loud but ingenious machinery, needed for the paper fabrication. In the time of our visit the machinery is coasting - only a demonstration. But they produce paper at certain times. At the end of the fabrication hall we find a big shop with artist paper articles, f.e. printed by sayings of famous people, also in German language.

Oh, yes: We could learn where the name Vaucluse comes from: the village Fontaine-de-Vaucluse was called by the Romans valle clausa (closed valley). Now, all the department has this name.