Beautiful Var

This photo is taken from our front door looking into the garden of the restaurant next door - Bistro Gourmande. Beyond it is the town square and the Bar Centrale where everything seems to happen.



The weather here in Provence (in the Departement du Var) has started to chill quite considerably and quite quickly. When we arrived at Entrecasteaux two weeks ago the temps were still in the mid-20s during the day and we could sit outside to eat dinner. Fran suggested the other day that we may have to turn on the heaters before the end of October - Adrian’s retort - “maybe even before the end of the day”! Coincidentally, on the day that Dot and Jeff departed, we experienced our first Mistral (the strong gusty winds which are typical of Provence at this time of the year) and the mornings and evenings have been very cold. So much for skipping winter whilst in France.




We continue to enjoy exploring some of the beautiful little villages relatively near to Entrecasteaux. They don‘t make the guidebooks, but they are interesting nonetheless for all sorts of reasons - Villecroze - with its grottos and well maintained public gardens, complete with waterfall; Chateaudouble so named because it had, not one, but two forts - Castel Diabolico and Castel Duplum - defending it from invaders. It is built at the top of a rocky peak with many rocks supported by wires and netting to protect the houses immediately underneath.. However, there were others, boulders really, with no support, that looked as though they could crash down at any time. Just past Salernes, where we do our internetting and shopping, is Sillans La Cascade which has a waterfall and rock pools about a kilometre from the town - a peaceful spot and apparently a popular family outing on a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Then there is Draguignan, a large town where we’ve found two gluten-free stores and it’s only 25 km from home with much to explore. En route home the other day we stopped there for a coffee and the café we happened upon is the oldest in the town - Les Mille Colonnes - established as such in 1760, but the building was originally a house built in 1318!!
Our first social occasion in the village was attending a film evening in the community hall (Salle de L'Age D'Or) - Entrecasteaux in Images. We were welcomed by one of the locals as soon as we arrived - Laurent, a young man who explained to us (he teaches English) that the French media has been very interested in Entrecasteaux and its Chateau, and had provided some of the film. Everyone was arriving inside the hall with plastic cups filled with roasted chestnuts. These were being roasted in a drum (like a barbecue drum) over hot coals. This of course is a novelty for us, so we bought some but couldn't quite master the art of opening them. Fran recognised one of the men from Mass and sat beside him - Bernard, a very friendly and jovial fellow - who chatted with us throughout the evening. The films and the evening were really interesting, providing us with a fascinating insight into the village and the community. They featured several of the locals (some old footage) which provided a source of mirth among the audience, even wolf-whistles at times. The atmosphere was incredibly warm and welcoming despite the almost zero temperatures outside. There is a jazz concert this Saturday in the same hall which we plan to attend.




Sunday was predicted to be a belle journee and so off down south we went to the Coast, a good decision, as Sunday is hunting day (wild boar and pheasants) and there was quite a collection of army fatigues, guns and cartridge belts assembling at the bar in the town square as we left. There were also a number of dogs including one inside a car, barking and ready to get on with it. We headed first to St Maxime with all its expensive boats and then on to St Tropez (with its even more expensive boats), famous seaside port renowned for attracting the rich and famous. What were we doing there? Fortunately we arrived around 1:30 pm. It seemed that the St Tropez Classique (fun run) had occurred that morning and the signs alerted us that the roads would be perturbee between 8:00 and 11:30.

Infamous person spotted at Plage Tahiti near St Tropez

Fran was immediately on the lookout for any celebs and had only walked a few paces before she saw (might have seen) Anthony La Paglia darting into one of the many little boutique shops which line the narrow streets leading to the port. We stopped for a coffee with the (other) beautiful people at a cafe called Seneqier where, according to that source of all travel wisdom (Lonely Planet), Sartre wrote Les Chemins de la Liberte (Roads to Freedom). We left the cafe crowds and ate our picnic lunch in a sheltered spot on Plage Tahiti (hmm...not quite!) after which we enjoyed a peaceful walk along the coastal footpath before heading homewards. En route, we spied a fort at the very top of a peak (like most of them in France) at Grimaud, a beautiful village. The fort was built in the 11th century, used and abandoned several times, the last time around the time of the French Revolution. On that note, Adrian is working his way through the 1100+ page tome - Les Miserables.




We have received another visit from the elderly gentleman who left us with some photos of Bruny Island and a hand-drawn map of Australia (mentioned in the last blog entry). This time we invited him in and he sat with us for about 20 minutes chatting on to us in French. Fran explained that it was quite difficult for her to understand spoken French as everyone speaks so quickly. He laughed, but it didn't slow him down. Sometimes he would direct his comments to Adrian who was looking back at him with a totally confused look on his face. It didn't deter him as he kept chatting. Fran showed him a photograph of the four generations in her brag book - her Dad, Fran, daughter Georgia and granddaughter Chloe. He told us that he is 90. We certainly engaged on one level, although it was a shame that we couldn't understand everything he was saying. He said that it would be easier if we all spoke Esperanto. We helped him down our steps with the sounds of Bon Soir (Good evening) and A Bientot (see you soon) echoing in the still misty cold of the evening.




The other day on another walk around the village, we climbed to the top of the hill where the 18th century St Anne chapel sits. It provides a fabulous almost 360 degree view of the surrounding region and a birds eye view of Entrecasteaux (see photo below).




As we post this entry we have experience three consecutive day of cold and rain and yes...we have turned the heather on!

A week in Provence

Week two of our stay in Provence has commenced and we are certainly starting to settle in. It is such a small village that we see familiar faces passing by our little cottage every day. We suspect that we are something of a curiosity here. A few days after we arrived we were pleased to welcome our final visitors to France - Dot and Jeff. During their stay we started to explore our local area and some of the villages nearby.

One day took us to Barjols where we expected the weekly market to be in full swing, but it seems that our information was out of date. Barjols has 34 fountains and 12 ancient public washing places - we didn’t see them all! However, here is an example of one of the more exotic, water dripping through moss covered foliage. We thought that it was the fabled “champignon” fountain, but on closer study of the guide at home, realised that it was another strange one.
As Jeff had set his students at University of Canberra the task of collecting candlesticks this semester, he was keen to find some historic examples and promised that he would search for some in France. Voila! He found a beautiful example - French brass (and not too heavy) at a Brocante (Antiques) dealer just outside Barjols and managed to get three euros knocked off the price.

Then we went on to Pontleves - a village perche - with a ruined castle and several water fountains. We stopped at Cotignac for lunch (8 km from our village) which is built at the foot of a tufa cliff (80 metres high) containing grottos. Since a closer examination would have involved an ascent which looked decidedly precarious, indeed almost dangerous, we opted out of that adventure.

The next day we visited the magnificent X11 century L’Abbaye du Thoronet, described as “one of the three wonders of Cistercian architecture in Provence”. It is renowned for its “quite exceptional” acoustics. Fortunately we noticed a flyer for a concert the following evening and resolved to attend. A group called Var Musica - three men with the same surname (possibly a father and his two sons) - performed pieces by Palestrina, Byrd, Vivaldi and Bach. Mostly it was a cappella singing in fabulous harmony, but some pieces included accompaniment by cello and marimba (like a xylophone). It was a magical and spiritual concert - as Jeff said - There was almost a 4th voice - the Abbey itself -which allowed notes to linger in the air for a few seconds. On closing your eyes, you could quite easily hear the same sounds that had resonated in that space 800 years earlier.

Prior to the concert Dot and Fran had attended Mass at the church behind us on the hill and enjoyed another musical experience - equally spiritual. As they entered the church just prior to 6 pm they could hear the sounds of an acoustic guitar being plucked and the small gathering of about 10 people practising the hymns. What did surprise them was to see the priest in his green robes with guitar slung over his shoulder leading the practice. He played and sang beautifully but the tunes were pitched very high. After mass he was outside and greeted all the parishioners. Fran told him that she was staying in the village for two months and that she had enjoyed the music. The priest asked if she was musical and, on answering that she was a singer, invited her to sing “on her own” the following Sunday - Fran was non-committal as the last thing she wants to do is step on the toes of any locals. Stay tuned!

Our village, Entrecasteaux, boasts a splendid chateau dating back to the XI century with additions and renovations through to the XVIII century, indeed to the present day. It is now occupied by a married couple and Monsieur is a keen collector and DIY enthusiast - he has plenty of material to work with. The chateau is adjacent to our home and is part of the varied vista when dining al fresco. It was, at one stage, inhabited by Admiral Antoine Bruny (pictured right) , the French navigator and explorer who set out to look for La Perouse, without luck. Bruny Island and the d’Entrecasteaux Channel off the coast of Tasmania are named after him.

The morning after our arrival in the village we noticed a sign on the external door to the Chateau’s garden indicating that guided tours were available each day at 4:00 pm. However, just days later, on our tour of the village with Dot and Jeff, the sign read “Ferme jusqu‘a Paques“ (Closed until Easter) except for personalised visits or tour groups. There was a telephone number which Fran rang and, in halting French, left a message explaining that her friend was a Professor of History with a particular interest in seeing the chateau and that she would call back. On doing so the next day, Monsieur G (the owner) answered and again stated that the Chateau was closed, and that he was going away for a week, but that we could join another group on the following Saturday morning. When told that we were staying in the village for two months, he was very keen for us to telephone him again on his return so that he could give us a personalised visit. The interior of the chateau was amazing with an eclectic mix of styles evoking different historical eras. The guide was delightful and insisted that, as we had missed the earlier part of the tour because she had started before the appointed hour (there were about 20 French tourists), we remain behind after the tour group left. She took us into the oldest part of the chateau, complete with dungeon (and plastic skeletons to provide the mood) to a room devoted to Admiral Bruny. She was accompanied on the tour by her husband who acted as security guard, making sure that all candlesticks(!!!) remained in place. On discovering that we were staying in the village for several weeks, she told us that they lived in the old hospital and invited us to call around some time.

We have several elderly neighbours who gather together every afternoon sitting en plein air enjoying both the warmth of the afternoon autumnal sunshine and observing the village life. One gentleman approached our door one day, keen to show us some documents he had in a plastic sleeve including a hand drawn map of Australie with Tasmania and Bruny Island noted in particular. He also had some modern photos of Bruny Island and a young man taken whilst holidaying in Tasmania, as well as an historic photograph of Admiral Bruny. Of course he spoke rapid French and we only managed to pick up a little of what he was explaining. As we had told Madame C who lives next door that we were from Australia, it would seem that he expected that here were some people who would really be interested, unlike the majority of the guests who holiday in this cottage, who are American. He left them with us to study further and will return another day. Perhaps at that stage he will share a drink with us.

On Dot and Jeff’s last full day in Provence we ventured to the stunning Gorges du Verdon. En route we obviously passed through boar country as we noticed several men with high powered rifles and bright orange vests staged at intervals along the side of the road - it is the hunting season now. They were waiting for the boars to be flushed out of the forest by another group of men with dogs. When that happens they all start shooting. One of the English locals had previously informed us that it is the ricocheting that causes the injuries. As we drove past we were ready to duck!
The Gorges du Vergon form Europe’s largest canyon, in places as deep as 700 metres and as narrow as 8 metres across its base. Needless to say, the roads were again winding with some hair-raising drops and evidence of rock falls. Jeff admitted to feeling a bit car sick and so we turned back after several kms. None of us were disappointed - we were driving along heady heights which became quite disorienting! A visit to the quaint little village of Moustiers Ste Marie nearby with its waterfall, ancient narrow streets, bridges and churches rounded off the day.

We returned to another fabulous meal conceived and prepared by Jeff which included wines from Provence and Bordeaux - a decadent life really but, oh, so enjoyable!

The Long and Winding Road

This blog entry starts on board a ferry heading from Calvi in Corsica to Nice in France. If the writing is a bit shaky, it’s because, despite its size, the ship is rolling from side to side. Adrian is focussed on the TV on the wall which doesn’t move, as he doesn’t like this sort of rock ‘n roll. Even the bartender is a little concerned (for his grog that is) as he said “Mamma mia” and promptly moved all his bottles to a lower shelf.

Our plans to visit the north eastern part of Corsica called Cap Corse were changed after a Sunday’s drive - lots of bends and beaches that didn’t inspire. So after two nights at Erbalunga, we headed west across the top of the island towards Calvi, a large port town. En route we passed through the beachside town of St Florent and then traversed the Desert of Agriates, very rugged mountain terrain unlike any other landscape we have ever seen, and certainly not typical of our notion of a desert as there were trees and scrubby growth. We had considered stopping at Algajola, another seaside town, but again the beaches didn’t look great (Sardinia has spoilt us) and so onwards to Calvi where we spent two nights. Calvi is an attractive and interesting town with a citadel on the headland. At some stage Christopher Columbus lived there as there were signs to his house and there were hotels and streets named after him. After Calvi, we headed south to Porto, located in the Gulf of Porto, a UNESCO world heritage area, famous for its sunsets as it is surrounded by high red cliffs. The little town of Galeria was about an hour down the coast - there was an inland route and a coast route. Having travelled for 6 km down the coast road the previous day we opted for the securer feeling of the inland route. Besides it was 15 minutes faster.
From Galeria the road to Porto became progressively more scary. The road was winding and so narrow in parts only one car could fit. There were minimal guard rails, some only made from small rocks neatly placed side by side as if bordering a rose garden rather than a sheer drop to the sea or chasm hundreds of metres below. There was quite a bit of evidence of falling rocks and in parts it definitely looked like landslide territory. Nevertheless there were the perennial tour buses and Adrian commented that you would have to be gutsy to drive a bus here. The little hillside town of Piana was only 12 km further south than Porto. We are really glad that we did that drive because the scenery was stunning, even though the roads were even more narrow and buses would sound their horns as they navigated the blind curves. We were thankful that we didn’t have to reverse to let them pass. This photo of Adrian was taken at one of our panoramic stops, but he was very nervous and opted to sit rather than stand. En route back to Calvi on Friday 2 October, we beach hopped, stopping in at three of the small coves - Bussaglia, Caspiu and Gradelle. It was at the last of these that we were in for a surprise. We shared the beach with several of the local cows, some reclining on the sand as if sunbaking and taking in the view. Talk about contented cows and why wouldn’t they be? In fact, there were more cows than people. We had seen cows by the side of the road mooching about and eating whatever they could find. We came across this one sitting on the road at the top of one of the ascents, almost as if she was having a rest after the climb. Each of these beach drives necessitated some lengthy descents from the hilltop villages above. The water was crystal clear and warm and the environment so peaceful and tranquil.

On arrival at Nice port we were a little frustrated that there were no buses to transport ferry passengers into town. So we walked about 3 km to a bus stop from where we knew we could catch one to the airport, to collect our Peugeot. Unfortunately we forgot to program Karen properly and she was set to avoid toll roads. We discovered this after several kms along the coast road to Antibes and so backtracked getting stuck in local bumper to bumper traffic and wasting almost an hour. We arrived safely in the small village of Entrecasteaux at 7:30 pm after a long day’s travel and, as we unlocked our front door, we were warmly greeted by the owner of the restaurant next door shouting out Bonjour, Bonjour (in fact the restaurant is literally 4 paces from our front door!). As we had nothing to eat in the house for dinner we decided to eat there and enjoyed a lovely three course meal in a pleasant setting.

Our first day here was spent exploring some of the village, unpacking, washing and visiting one of the local markets to stock up on some food as it was Sunday and not much is open. It is a very small village with only 900 inhabitants, but our cottage is in a very central spot adjacent to the XI-XVII century chateau with a public garden designed by Le Notre, the same man who created the gardens of Versailles. Here is our cottage.