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day took us to Barjols where we expected the weekly market to be in full swing, but it seems that our information was out of date.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!