A Massive Plantane Tree Shades a Café

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The trunk of a large plantane tree is visible in the foreground shading the pubs in the background.  This is a street scene in Aix-en-Provence and ironically the green cafe in the background is called "The Irish Pub".

Bull Sausage - Delicacy of The Camargue

We stopped by the roadside at a place selling vegetables to buy some for our dinner, when we saw this sausage.  It is made out of the famous bulls that are bred in the Camargue for bullfighting.  They are black bulls with upswept horns.  They are delicious.  The sausage is cultured sausage, so the skin has the white patina on it, and it goes well with a baguette and a glass of wine.  The brand is Le Trident Noir Au Taureau de Camargue, and if you see it for sale, you owe it to yourself to try it.

Aigues-Mortes Main Street

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The last two entries were the outside walls of Aigues-Mortes in the Camargue area of Provence, and what the walls looked like from the inside.  As soon as you enter, you see the main shopping street and it looks like this.

Aigues-Mortes Inside The Walls

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The posting immediately below shows the outer walls main gate of Aigues-Mortes in the Camargue area of Provence.  This is the view just as you enter the main gate with the steps to the ramparts.

Aigues-Mortes Outside Walls

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Aigues-Mortes is translated from the Occitan language as Dead Water.  It has its fortifications origins in the 13th century and at least two Crusades were launched from this seaside town in the Camargue.  This is the main entrance to the town.

Le Couscoussier de Provence

 The outdoor patio

 The front door

 The window of the dining lounge

The fireplace where they cook the food

Yesterday, I profiled the chateau where Picasso is buried in Vauvenargues. Vauvenargues is a tiny, but picturesque little village in Provence.  The center of it has Le Couscoussier de Provence which is a restaurant and Café.  They serve marvelous meal at good prices in an amazing setting.  They have both an outdoor and indoor seating arrangement, and they actually cook meat on the indoor fireplace.  The menu is French and Arab foods like tagines, couscous and other meat dishes.  This is a must-stop place while in Vauvenargues.

Beautiful Provencal Doorways

This is a picture book of 50 beautiful doorways of Provence in France.  It is available only as an eBook on the Amazon Kindle platform for Kindle eReaders.

You can download the book from this address:

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

If you are a fan of Provence and French architecture, you should download this book.

Victory Day in the Village Square

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The shadow cast by World War II still lingers in every town, village and square in France.  In the villages, streets were renamed to honor the war dead and heroes.  Even today, the church bells peel all across France on Victory Day, and the tri-color adorns the war memorials that are ubiquitous at the center of every city, village and town.

The Chateau Where Picasso is Buried

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This is the chateau in the tiny village of Vauvenargues where Picasso is buried.  He bought this chateau because it was in the shadow of Mont Saint Laurier, painted often by Cezanne.  One of his wives who committed suicide is also buried on the grounds here.

Papeterie Aixoise

A papeterie is a shop where they sell paper goods like post cards, calendars, greeting cards, wrap and general paper goods.  This one is located in the main town square of Aix-en-Provence.  Aixoise means it belongs to Aix.  The word Aix itself is a contraction of its old Roman name, Aquae Sextiae    which was a natural spring named after a Roman Consul Sextius Calvinus who found the town and gave his name to the spring.

Fig Tree Loaded with Figs

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I was amazed at this fig tree.  First of all, it was in the middle of a village, growing among the paving stones.  Secondly it had very few leaves, but it had a very, very large number of figs.  The climate makes things grow in abundance in Provence.

Fountain Square

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This is one of the most painted fountain squares in Aix-en-Provence.  It is not too far from the center of town.

A Coeur de Boeuf Tomato - Flavors of Provence

The tomato of Provence is the Coeur de Boeuf Tomato or Beef Heart, so named because it looks like the heart of a cow.  These things go huge, and are delicious.  Julia Child would call them `tomatoey`.  Very rich flavor, like most of the flavors of Provence.

Café Life in the town square

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There is nothing like sitting in a café in the town square, and suddenly the church bells start to chime, and you are glad to be alive and glad to be in Provence.

St. Jean de Malte Church

This is a hugely historic church.  It was originally located in an olive grove outside the walls of Aix-en-Provence, in a priory belonging to the Knights Templar.  You can even see the Maltese Cross of Knights Templar over the door.  During the French Revolution, it was converted to a military storehouse, and its paintings and treasures were plundered.  It was then converted back to a church.

The famous Blessing of the Calissons takes place in this church.  The Calisson is an almond cookie, and it was distributed as Holy Bread as a protection against the plague.  Today the Calisson is one of the epicurean delights of Provence.

The Wine Store

Provence is known for its rosé wines.  Other wines are grown there, but the climate is best for rosé wines.  Some really good table wines are inexpensive in Provence, and for the sunny warm clime, the pink rosé wines go perfectly with any meal.

Baby Carriage in the Street

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With a vine canopy for an awning, a woman walks by a baby carriage on the sidewalk.

Antique Ice Cream Vendor Cart

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This was a street vendor's cart that sold ice cream on the streets of Provence back in the day.  I don't know the year of origin, but I would suspect it to be in the late 1930's.

An Apartment Building in Aix-en-Provence

These are images of an apartment building in Aix-en-Provence where one can stay while taking French lessons in France.  This gives you the true feeling of living in a Provencal city.

Life is (so) Good

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La Vie est si Belle -- Life is So Good is the name of a shop in Provence.  It describes the life in Provence in general.  It is SOooooooo good!

Buildings in Downtown Aix-en-Provence

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These buildings are located in downtown Aix-en-Provence.  The bottom are shops and commercial and the other stories are walk-up apartment buildings.

Fish Market on Market Day

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These pics were snapped on Market Day of the fish market in Aix-en-Provence.  The mackerel in the foreground in the lower pic and the salmon in the upper pic looks particularly enticing.  Seafood is a major food group in Provence, with the Mediterranean so handy.

Church Street

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On a quiet Sunday morning a mother walks her child to church in a sunny narrow street of Provence.

On the Road to Eyragues

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I snapped this picturesque village on the road to the village of Eyragues, with the beautiful plantane trees overhanging the roadway.

Looking up through the Plantane tree

I was sitting in a cafe, under the plantane tree and I fired this shot.  Its canopy of shade was a welcome relief.  The plantane trees are iconic of Provence.  I was astounded to learn that the trees can be propagated from cuttings.

Market Day

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It's very exciting to be in the village or town on market day.  Almost everything under the sun is sold.  Here is a small sampling.

Glanum Roman Ruins

Site Archeologique de Glanum is near St. Remy-de-Provence.  At the heart of the magnificent Alpilles mountains, the archaeological site at Glanum features the remains of an important Roman settlement that prospered from the 6th century BC to the third century AD. This fascinating site includes the ruins of both civic and religious edifices and is unique in Provence.

This is the view from the road, however there is a whole village under excavation.  Admission is 7.50 euros.  It is well worth seeing.

The Merry-Go-Round

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You still tend to see merry-go-rounds or carousels in the village squares in France.  There is a particular fine two storey one in Aigues-Mortes.  This one is closed for the evening.  It is in St. Remy-de-Provence.

Lavender For Sale on Market Day

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From a distance, I thought that this was a basket of sausages being offered for sale on market day.  It turns out to be lavender tied in traditional cloth print fabric of Provence.  It is a treat for the eyes and a treat for the nose as well.

Fountain in the Square

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Almost every square has a fountain in Provence.  For many of the houses, it was the only source of running water a hundred years ago.  The richer the city, the more ornate was the fountain.  This one has gargoyles are the four corners and the fountain consists of four streams.