A Day in Provence

If I haven't said it before, I want to say again that the village where we're staying in Provence is a very different kind of France. First of all there is no congestion in this little town. The streets are extremely narrow. Cars can barely pass down them and many residents must make sure not to walk out the front door without looking in the street first. These drivers must be incredible marksmen; the margin of error that determines whether or not you hit a wall or another car is quite slim. The town is quiet, people walk slowly. There are no neon signs and no nightlife. This town has two places, or town squares, and they are both empty.








We visited two towns about fifteen minutes away. Both were perched on hills with steep narrow streets leading up to churches. In the first town the church had been transformed into an art gallery. In the second, the church and its courtyard were closed. This area is very artistic. We saw some lovely oil, ceramic and watercolor works. In earlier times these towns had been fortified by walls (remparts).











We ate lunch on the patio at 3:00 in the afternoon. Sylvie has a talent for making delicious food without slaving over the stove. We had leftovers for dinner along with the wine and cheese we've been working on since we arrived.




Sylvie is a good driver on these shoulderless roads. She is careful and doesn't speed. Her car, a little red Citroen, is cute and Beth sits in the front seat while I sit behind Sylvie. We both worry a little about motion sickness but so far we're doing well. The terrain reminds us of our summer vacations in the hills above St. Helena but the houses are unquestionably French. They are hundreds of years old and made of fieldstones and wood beams. There are also wood beams above every window. Many houses are former barns or stables.
Later in the afternoon we met a friend of Sylvie's named Simone. In the evening Simone took us on a walk outside the village to the community garden, then past the cemetery to the house of a beekeeper who makes and sells honey and lavender soaps. This area is famous for lavender but it is not yet in bloom this year. The flowers will come up in about two weeks and then the fields will all be a fabulous purple.
Afterwards Simone invited us to her home. She has a huge place with a yard where she keeps 14 rabbits. People donate food for her rabbits by leaving it in big bags on her doorstep. Her patio has a panoramic view of the farms to the southeast. We sat there and enjoyed beverages and some homemade pizza, then went down to see the rabbits.
Sylvia's patience with our French has increased our fluency already. I understand more and Beth and I both speak more. Beth's French has come blasting back. In one day she has really begun conversing and carrying on long, long conversations.
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Location:St. Michel l'Observatoire