Gite on a Farm

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This gite was created from a farm outbuilding, and is now a guest house in a rural bucolic setting in Provence.

Camargue - Irrigation Canal from the 1500's

The Camargue area of Provence is the river delta of the Rhone River.  It is a flat area.  Rice is grown there since World War II, but it has always been an important agricultural area due to the richness of the land, which is river silt deposited by the Rhone River through the ages.  This irrigation canal was dug in the 1500's.

The Lavender Plant

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This is what the lavender plant looks like in early spring before it flowers.

Fields of Lavender

Lavender is in bloom and starting to perfume the air in Provence.  It built a whole economy on lavender and the making of its perfume and products.

Galettes des Provence

The food in Provence is absolutely delicious.  One of the pastries that I have tasted is galettes.  Galettes can be anything from cookies to the pastry pictured above.  It is a generic term for a round dessert.  This one is filled with an apple filling.

Beautiful Doorway

This gorgeous French doorway in a village house is typical of the architectural scenery that one sees in Provence.  The glorious flowers surrounding this doorway leads the mind to wonder about the interior of this house.

Cafe Life in Lourmarin

Note the half liter of rose wine on the table along with a carafe of water and a bowl of nibbles.  You have the sunlight and everything that you need to enjoy the open air cafe in Lourmarin.  This is the essence of Provence.

The Judas Tree

The Judas Tree is in bloom outside an apartment building in Provence.  This is one of the many colors of Provence in the springtime.

Harvesting Lavender -- A Lavender Cart

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Lavender and Provence go hand in hand.  I have seen lavender used everywhere, even in cookies as a flavour.  Here is a picture of an old time lavender cart used to haul the harvest away for processing.

Village Street Scene

Flowers and potted herbs are all over even in a paved street in a quaint Provencal village.  These villages are built clinging to hills (because flat areas were valuable for agriculture).  Villagers kept their horses in stables at the edge of the village, and each village had at least one shop for food and such and were self-contained in the past.

Villager Watching The World Go By

A villager sits on the step and watches the world go by, tourists and all in his little Provencal town.

Classy Driveway Entrance

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A stone pillar and an iron gate guard this driveway entrance and a large white forsythia bush in in bloom.  This was in Provence near the Luberon valley.

Town Fountain

 Every town has its fountain.  It is usually found in the town square.  In the days of yore, the houses did not have running water, and the town fountain was the source of water.

The lion theme for fountains in ubiquitous.  I have seen it everywhere from Aix-en-Provence to the smallest towns in the country.

Town of Lourmarin

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Lourmarin is at the foot of the Luberon valley in Provence.  It is in the Vaucluse department of France.  This is what Wikipedia has to say about Lourmarin:

Extremely picturesque, the village is a magnet for tourists. Prominent sites are the village itself, the pretty Renaissance castle, the Catholic and Protestant churches and the view from the village of the Proches Bastides, a large fortified farmhouse dating to the Middle Ages. From the village itself it is 20 minute drive down to the Durance River and then about 40 minutes on to Aix-en-Provence.

Driving in Provence II

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One of the best ways of seeing everything in Provence, is to rent a car and drive through it.  That way you will not miss the quaint villages, the funky cafes, the beautiful scenery and the enchanting ambiance.  This drive is 5 kilometers from my favourite Provence village -- the village on Bonnieux.

Grand Mas Near Loumourin

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A mas in Provence is a farm house where the owner of the (prosperous) farm lived.  The farm includes vines for wine, and orchards with cherries and olives, as well as other fruits.  This mas is a grand one, with an observation steeple.  There is a bulls-eye window on the observation tower and a stone railing atop.  Beautiful.

Breakfast Nook Overlooking The Provencal Fields

With a coffee pot full of Van Gogh irises, and a glorious view of the farm fields separated by a stone fence, one can enjoy a simple breakfast and a restful, beautiful bucolic view of the fields.  Now that is a vacation.

Private Allé Entrance

An allé is a small road way or path derived from the French verb aller - to go.  They are used for vehicle and pedestrian ways.  This entrance is private and guarded by a picket fence.  Plantane (or plane) trees line the way.  The trees are easily propagated with cuttings.

Beautiful Stone Guest House -Gite

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Often times, land owners will take small outbuildings and convert them to guest houses or gites.  This is the case here.  This charming guest house in a bucolic setting is called La Borie, and is in a simply stunning setting in Provence.

Tourists in the Square

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One of the big elements of Provence is tourism.  French people from the north come to enjoy the weather, and people from all over the world come to enjoy the charm and ambiance of Provence.  Here tourists stroll among the heritage buildings, shops and cafes of Rousillon.

Ocher Deposits

This is another shot of red and yellow ocher (or ochre) deposits in Provence near Rousillon. This is interesting in the fact that you can see a yellow band through the red.  These colours are woven in the life of Provence and you can see them on buildings, in art, in pottery, paint, and of course in nature.

Topiary on the Balcony

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In the entry below, I profiled some shaped trees that were larger than life.  Here are some topiaries that are of a smaller size on a balcony in the Camargue.  Even removed from the countryside, there are plants and flowers everywhere in Provence.

Topiaries Gone Wild

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All the tops of these trees are at the same height.  If they were hedges and trimmed when they were shorter, the tops would be ragged.  Someone trimmed the tops here.  This is typical of Provence.

The Essence of Provence

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The essence of Provence is orchards, vines, wines and a beautiful countryside with historic architecture.  This picture says it all.

Mock Orange Growing Near A Hedge

I was walking by a hedge in Provence, and suddenly the aroma of oranges filled the air.  I thought "Surely it is too cold to grow oranges here".  As it turns out, I was smelling a mock orange plant.  This is just another of the perfumes of Provence.

Another Beautiful Doorway of Provence

This is another in the series of doorways of Provence.  This is the doorway of a mas with shutters to keep the Mistral out.

For a book of beautiful doorways of France, follow this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D19FLIS

Lone Flower in a Bed of Succulents

I was in the yard of a mas, looking at a typical Provencal stone sink and I saw a flowerbed with succulents.  This lone purple flower was standing out in a sea of green fingers.

Traditional Terracotta Tile Roof Details

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The traditional roof in Provence is the terracotta tile roof.  These pictures show the detail and construction of how they are made.  Triangular rafters are laid down from the top of the roof to the sides of the house.  Then the semi-circular tiles are laid between the rafters.  The spaces are then covered with another layer of tiles turned over, and the whole thing is now a waterproof roof.

Bories of Provence

 Animal pen attached to borie

 rear view of borie

 Construction detail

 Arched door

 Borie construction over a well

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View looking out.

Bories dot the countryside in France.  They are unique structures built a long time ago.  Essentially they are shelters where a shepherd could seek shelter from storms as well as have a temporary place to sleep while staying with his flock.

Many bories had a bed for the shepherd and room for the animals (sheep, goats) to come into the borie.  Some had animal pens attached as well.  This particular one had a well, and a mini-borie built over the well.

They are largely unused now, or used for utility sheds, however they provide a colorful insight to the history of Provence.

The Village of Saignon

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This is the beautiful hilltop village of Saignon in Provence.  These villages have a charm and an intense history that makes the past come alive.

Bent Tree at Sunset

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This tree is bent from the prevailing winds and growing on the side of a hill.  The warm Provencal sunlight of the setting sun catch the leaves and turn them to luminescent orbs of light.

Palais des Papes

The Palais des Papes or Palace of the Popes in Avignon were once the replacement for Rome as the head of the Catholic Church.  Several legitimate popes lived there as well as schismatic popes.  The building is now a museum where they charge admission.  The outer facade is imposing.

Village House Door -- Les Baux-de-Provence

This is just one example of the beautiful doorways of France.  Notice particularly the security gate. It is essentially a piece of flat iron with incisions, and the incisions are peeled back to provide a decorative, yet function pattern for security.  This is a widely used pattern in Provence.

For a book on beautiful doorways of France, follow this link:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D19FLIS

La Montjoie Bistro and Creperie in Aigues-Mortes

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I was pleasantly surprised to find that the prices in La Montjoie Creperie in Aigues-Mortes was incredibly reasonable.  As a matter of fact, even though it is a major tourist attraction in the Camargue, the prices in all of the cafes are better than say, St. Remy-de-Provence.

Grape Vine on a Stone Wall

Grapes have been grown in Provence and wine has been made since before the time of Christ.  Viticulture was perfected in the sunny climes of France.  Here a grape vine clings to a stone wall, while young grape leaves repose in the strengthening sun.

Village Squares

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I love the little squares that one finds in the villages in Provence.  They are almost like courtyards.  This particular one is in St. Remy-de-Provence.  It has a fountain, and is shaded with chestnut trees.  There are lights strung between the trees and there is a patisserie and a creperie as well as a museum and access to shops across the street.  It is a perfect place to order an espresso and watch the world go by on a beautiful day.

Chic Outdoor Table

One thing about the French, is that not only did they invent the word "chic", they embody it and embrace it.  This chic outdoor table is very well appointed with modern Mediterranean furniture, and features that make the eating experience more enjoyable.

Banon Cheese

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We were visiting a friend's farm in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.  They live just a kilometer or two away from the mountain-top village of Banon.  As we drove into Banon there is a parking lot, and immediately to the right is a fromagerie or cheese shop.  For three euros and change, we bought one of the most delicious cheeses to ever come out of France -- Banon cheese.  It is a quaint, goat's milk cheese wrapped in chestnut leaves.

This is what Wikipedia says about Banon Cheese:

Also known as Banon à la feuille, it is an unpasteurized cheese made from goat's milk and is circular in shape, around 7 cm in diameter and 2.5 cm in height, and weighing around 100 g. This pungent uncooked, unpressed cheese consists of a fine soft white pâte that is wrapped in chestnut leaves and tied with raffia.

The Provençal specialty fromage fort du Mont Ventoux is made by placing a young banon in an earthenware jar. The cheese is then seasoned with salt and pepper, doused in vinegar and eau-de-vie and left in a cool cellar to ferment. The concoction will last for many years becoming increasingly fierce in taste.

The cheese is runny right from the start.  The chestnut leaves were leaking when we bought it.  The store clerk who was the owner of the shop (and the owner of the bakery), licked her fingers after packaging our cheese.  It is that good.  The cheese spreads like a fine butter, and it is an earthy, delicious treat.

The cheese is dipped in brandy.  Here is some more of the Wikipedia article:

The affinage period lasts for two weeks, following which it is dipped in eau de vie and wrapped in chestnut leaves that have been softened and sterilized by boiling in a mixture of water and vinegar. The cheese is at its best when made between spring and autumn.
Banon was awarded the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) label in 2003.

If you ever seen Banon cheese anywhere, wrapped in chestnut leaves, you must buy some.  It is that good!