Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Sunday, 12 Oct, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, Oppede-le-Vieux
Today began with threatening skies, and we took our umbrellas and jackets with us thinking they might come in handy. However, the good weather prevailed and we spent the morning in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, a lovely town situated on islands bounded by the many streams of the Sorgue River, as well as some canals. We saw the antiques market area on the way into town, but passed that up in favour of the more interesting (to us) farmers' market. There were many cheese vendors - the kinds of cheese are amazing - made from cow's milk or goat's milk, and flavoured with tomato or basil pesto, smoke, truffles, etc. Likewise the sausage varieties are endless. The amusing thing to us was the fact that though there were lots of flies buzzing around, none of the cheeses or sausages were protected from the insects. Each vendor puts out samples of their wares, so you could, in fact, sample your way through lunch. There were also leather bags, clothing, cashmere sweaters, shoes, underwear, leather bags, linen housewares, jewelry, wooden goods made from olive wood, olives and the products made from them, like tapenades, fresh fruits and vegetables, and honey. The market stretched throughout the old town, winding through the streets and alleys. We stopped for lunch in a small restaurant, and Bryant had a "faux fillet de boeuf" (tasty, but not very tender) while I had a "Salade Ardechoise" with thinly sliced ham, tomato, lettuce, and walnuts that tasted totally different from the ones at home. On the way back to our car we got lost for a bit, but a parking attendant straightened us out, and gave us good directions.
We decided to stop at the little village of Oppede-le-Vieux, or old Oppede (there is a new one nearby), on the way back to Apt/Villars. We are so glad we did - it will be a highlight of our time here. The original village is approximately 900 years old, and is built into a mountainside so was a noted fortress in its time. As time passed, it was abandoned and repopulated several times. Today it is inhabited by a few hardy souls who have purchased some of the remaining buildings and are renovating them. Part of the town may have been put in trust and is protected as a historic site. The stonework is incroyable.....the alleyways are steep and cobblestoned......we made it almost up to the original church at the top of the village, and our legs know it! The village is comparable to Civita de Bagnoregio in Tuscany, in that the villages were both abandoned and are now falling slowly into the valley below but being saved by a few wealthy renovators.
Today was a great day....we are weary and about to get dinner here in Villars at our apartment. Til tomorrow.......
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Oct. 11, Saturday, Bonnieux and Lacoste
After a bright and loud lightening and thunderstorm during the night, and a somewhat fitfull sleep, we awake around 8:30 am to what would turn out to be a lovely day. We headed to APT for the market, where we found croissants and a baguette, fresh fruit and veggies, along with goat and cow cheese, sausage, and a couple of nice soaps which we needed for the apartment. We also picked up a rotisserie chicken with fried rice and noodles with veggies for an easy dinner tonight. Apt has a large market - not just food but clothing and tourist goods. There appears to be a sizeable Moslem population as well, with a whole section of the market devoted to that part of the populace. After our puchases were stashed in the car we went back to the market area and had tea and coffee at a bar.
We brought our market goods home, had a small bite to eat, and I took a good nap, while Bryant read. I had waked this morning with what I thought might be a sinus infection, but felt better as the day went on. We hopped into our little Dacia again, and drove to Bonnieux located on a steep hill. I can't imagine what it must be like here in mid-summer, when the place is crawling with tourists. There were very few visitors today - maybe half a dozen Germans, a couple of Brits, and us. We walked up to the old church at the top of the town to see the spectacular valley view, then down through the narrow streets to the center of the old village. The village is so beautiful it almost brought tears to my eyes with its stonework, ivy covered walls, plant pots arranged casually yet artfully by the entrance to these 600-700 year old buildings. Even though we know that the stone-paved streets have been restored with proper drainage, and the stone facades have been tweaked and replastered, the patina of age and elegance has not been lost.
Then it was on to the village of Lacoste, about a 15 minute drive to the west of Bonnieux. Along the way we had a marvelous view of Bonnieux from the west. Interestingly Lacoste is the site of a branch of the Savannah School of Art and Design, and we saw some students out and about. They will have muscular calves after living here for a term! We'd parked just outside the center of the village in a free public parking place and walked up into the center. Lots of beautiful doors and stonework on the steep alleyways.
On the way back to Villars we stopped at a grocery store to pick up a couple of things, and at MacDonald's where we found free wifi, and shot off some letters to family. Back at our digs in Les Petits Clements we paid the remainder of our "rent" and met Gael, Laurence's husband who is a chef. They invited us for dinner this coming Wednesday evening at 7. My hips and legs are tired after all our uphill/downhill walking today, but it's good for us. Dinner was easy, and there's plenty left for tomorrow night! Clouds look threatening tonight, but we are hoping that it will clear in the morning, when we are planning to go to Isle-sur-la-Sorgue for the brocante.....antique market.
Photos to follow are from Lacoste and Bonnieux.
Oct. 10, Friday
We arrived in Nice right on time at 10:30 am today, to warm sunshine and blue skies, after a very comfortable flight from Montreal. Had to take our luggage with us on the navette (shuttle bus) that took us from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2, but no problem there. Signed all the papers for the car, and increased the insurance. Walked some distance to the rental car park and put all our stuff into our little silver diesel Dacia which drives quietly and handles very ncely. Found our way to the A8 with no trouble at all. Stopped along the highway for a oool drink at a lay-by, and overshot Aix-de Provence by quite a bit. By the time we were almost to the Mediterranean, far to the West of where we wanted to be, we discovered that our car had a gps in it, and that worked to get us to our gite in Villars, north of Apt.
Our hosts are lovely....Laurence is the wife of our host couple - artist and mother and homemaker. She recommended Le Manoir for dinner, a lovely restaurant just outside of Apt. Her parents led us there as they live nearby. Wonderful food for dinner: a Rose by Chateau Verrrerie in Puget, appetizer: Chrvre Roti aved Tapenade, (shared), Bryant had Poulet in Sauce with roasted potatoes and other veggies, I had canard on a skewer with grilled veggies, and for dessert Me(cold strawberry soup with basil sorbet) B (Colonel: vokda with lemon sorbet). We found our way back home nearly perfectly by 9:30. Pix to follow, I hope!
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