Day Hike from Aix-en-Provence: Lac Zola

The sunlight strikes the clear blue of the lake and shatters into a million glimmering fragments, lighting my face and casting lustrous reflections onto rocks looming over the water. The warmth and saturation is a welcome relief from the gray clouds and dusting of snow that consumed the villages of Provence just a few days ago. The breeze is gentle and obliging as it wraps around us and stirs the wildflowers at our feet. The word serene comes to mind.

It was not our original plan to hike down the ridge line to the sprawling labyrinth of Lac Zola. We had intended to hike to the top of Mont Sainte Victoire and enjoy a couple glasses of wine at the summit. But alas, the trail was closed, and we were left to make of it what we could, to adjust and adapt. Which we did. And all I can say, is sometimes things just have a way of working out.

Just at the end of the parking grounds for Barrage de Bimont (where we were supposed to walk across the dam and up the mountain), a trailhead marks an entrance into a pine-strewn and rosemary-shrubbed forest of the French countryside. We look at the trail map, look at each other, shrug an "oh what the heck" shrug, and start hiking down the trail.

It loops and winds and splays and narrows – one minute we are engulfed by towering verdure, the next we are on the edge of a cliff and looking out over the valley and up at Mont Sainte Victoire. It's beautiful. Truly. The walk is pleasant, the trail is gradual.

We continue along, stopping to pluck sprigs of wild rosemary to sprinkle on Provençal potatoes, pausing to wave and chime "bonjour" when other happy-faced hikers cross our path. When curiosity compels, we wander off the main trail down narrow crannies. One little path leads to an artfully crafted wooden tiki with a covetable view of the mountain, another takes us to the ruins of an old stone building, which we decide was either an outhouse or an animal shed in some day and age. The trail forks and diverges every couple of kilometers, so we let our intuition guide us.

Within about an hour and a half, we reach a lake, which – according to our trusty, laminated trail map – we determine to be the object of our journey, Lac Zola. It is breathtakingly beautiful. It emanates an air of prehistory and natural wonder. We descend upon the lake, tripping over fossilized shells and snail carcasses in the limestone. The water is nestled at the foot of soaring cliff faces – a mere puddle in the grandeur of the landscape. "Mountain goating" our way down (as my roommate so accurately described), we eventually reach a flat landing down by the water at the base of the cliff.

I'm sitting here now, on the smooth limestone, content with my peanut butter and apricot jam sandwich and Walkers shortbread cookies, warm in the soft glow of the sun, and enjoying every second.

I have learned more than once on this study abroad journey that things do not always go as planned – actually, they rarely do. But every fork in the trail or bump in the road has led to a beautiful discovery or memorable adventure. So, on that note, I look forward to more foiled plans, spontaneous adjustments, and new experiences.

For those of you in Aix-en-Provence who are interested in admiring the beautiful Lake Zola scenery for yourselves, here are some directions:

1. Take the L140 bus from Gare Routière. Tell the driver you want to get off at Barrage de Bimont.

2. When you get off at Barrage de Bimont, there will be a road to the right rearing off of the main road. Walk up it.

3. At the end of the road, you will come upon a parking lot with a beautiful view of the Barrage de Bimont (the Bimont Lake dam) and Mont Sainte Victoire. Stop to take a picture.

4. Continue to the very, very end of the parking lot, which veers to the right.

5. At the end, you will find a trailhead with a couple of trail maps displayed on wooden stakes. Find the yellow, solid line trail – that is the one you want to take.

6. Head down the trail and follow yellow markers painted on rocks and trees along the way.

7. Eventually you will be able to see Lac Zola, and a bit of intuition and common sense should lead you to it.

8. Enjoy every second! Take lots of pictures! Have fun!