Time Hurries By

As we haven't mentioned much about Entrecasteaux, or our house, we thought we might do so now.
Entrecasteaux is a small village of about 900 inhabitants, originally built around a chateau in the 11th century. It was situated in a valley between 3 chateaux and hence it was the entrance (entre) to the castles (casteaux). It has a bar, two cafes, an epicerie (general grocery store), a boulangerie (bakery), a boucherie (butchery), a tabac (newsagent), a bricolage (hardware shop), a coiffeur (hairdresser), two shops selling pottery, paintings and other craft, two restaurants and a part-time Office de Tourisme. Most activity centres around the Bar Central where the locals gather for their morning coffee, their mid-day lunch, their apperitifs and some after-dinner drinking. These shops are mainly located around the town square which also has a fountain (built in 1787) and a war memorial. Our house is located on the edge of the square behind the war memorial, so we are close to the action. The Mairie is also on the square but it is being renovated and is currently a building site. Away from the square, there is a Church, a primary school, a post office, a wine cave, a co-operative olive mill and two community halls. There are also 2 tennis courts, a football pitch, a boules court and a cricket ground. Oh, and there is the chateau.

The chateau was originally built in the 11th century and, like all of the castles and cathedrals, has been added to and re-built over the centuries. Its major rebuilding took place in the 17th century over the top of the original 11th century structure. The old dungeon can still be seen. The chateau owes its current good condition to a Scottish patron who spent his fortune on restoring it during the 1970's. It is the largest chateau in the Var region and is privately owned and filled with an eclectic collection of furniture and many, many hunting trophies (stuffed animals, antlers, lion-skin rugs, elephant's foot umbrella stand, etc.). Its link with Australia through the French navigator and explorer, Admiral Antoine Bruny d'Entrecasteaux, was mentioned in a previous entry. The chateau contains quite a bit of Bruny memorabilia too - books describing his voyages, charts and photographs. The other feature of the town is its garden that was designed by Le Notre, the man who designed the gardens at the Palace of Versailles. It used to belong to the chateau but is now a public garden. It comprises sculptured hedges and lawns around a central fountain, with a grand statue of Admiral Antoine Bruny d'Entrecasteaux against a cliff face that runs beneath the chateau along one side of the garden.

The town has narrow streets with tall, narrow houses (usually 4 stories high). It also has interesting constructions such as a medieval stone bridge, the public wash-house, an aqueduct, remnants of the town's ramparts, the original town fountain and river ford and the original 11th century entrance to the castle. The town is situated on a ridge around a horse-shoe bend in the Bresque river, which is a pretty little stream with crystal clear water bubbling over rocky cascades alternating with quiet pools. It was once a fortified town enclosed within high walls as defence against bands of marauders who roamed through the region at many times through the centuries. The 17th century entrance to the town was across the medieval bridge below the imposing walls of the church and the chateau. You then had to navigate up a narrow street to the entrance, which was actually through a passage underneath the church, to a gate. Once inside the town there were more narrow streets going up to the hill to a small square in front of the church at the top.

Our house (pictured here with some locals in 1900) is like most of the others in the old part of town - built of stone, narrow and 4 stories high, The entrance is from the main town square directly into the kitchen, and then stairs going up to the bathroom and bedroom, then up to another bedroom, and up again to the salon at the top - 42 steps each way! There is also an attic space above the salon used for storage. The house has been renovated and is quite comfortable, although the kitchen was a bit more rustic than we had anticipated. The house doesn't get much sun, being shaded by other houses and a tall ridge that overlooks the town, and so is quite cold now. We have started to use the heaters on a regular basis.

On 31 October, the village celebrated Halloween, with all the kids dressing up as well as quite a few mothers (or teachers?). Then they paraded around the streets, chanting (to attract attention) and seeking sweets from anyone who opened their doors or looked promising. Fortunately we were prepared, and Fran joined many other locals in handing out a bag-full of lollies. French children seem very well behaved though and we didn't see any "tricks" being played. We captured parts of the occasion on video.

At 11 a.m. on 11 November (Armistice Day), the village held a short and simple service at the memorial in the square, followed by a procession to the cemetery (about 500 metres away) where another minute of silence was observed. Bouquets of flowers were laid at both sites. The Mayor officiated, wearing a tri-colour sash. The official party comprised a number of local government officials, some retired army, navy and air force officers in dress uniform, and others concerned with veteran affairs (similar to an Australian ceremony). It was very moving standing shoulder to shoulder with these people honouring the lives of fallen brothers, lovers, fathers, grandfathers, uncles or friends. The memorial also celebrates the liberation of the village on 18 August 1944. Following the service, everyone adjourned to the Salle de l'Age d'Or for wine and pizza. We went along with the crowd (about 100 people) and met the mayor, who recognised us as etrangers and welcomed us (not sure whether it was a welcome to the village or to the ceremony). But we didn't get to chat to him other than to say bonjour and that we were from Australia.
As we expected, there are certain advantages in staying in a small village. The people are friendly and welcoming, and forgiving of our limited French. We recognise people and are getting recognised in return. Not too many get past the Aussies without getting Bonjoured. This week we have been invited to dinner at the home of a local couple that Fran met at Mass - Bernard and Lucy. Like us they have adult children and grandchildren. We have several elderly neighbours who are delightful, but, not surprisingly, speak no English which provides another opportunity to practise our French.

Last week we were invited to the home of a Danish couple - Vivien and Lief - just outside Entrecasteaux. They have lived here for 6 years now, opting to retire from work and leave the cold climate of Denmark for sunny Provence. They are friends of our American landlords. Their large and sunny home is set in peaceful surroundings. Lief has planted olive trees and the neighbouring fields have vineyards. They have three separate apartments, all self catering and with lovely views, that they rent out on a weekly basis. We started our visit with coffee and cake and finished with a glass of rose.

We have two weeks left in the village of Entrecasteaux before heading north to Lyon and on to Paris.