Sunset on the Main Street

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This is not a tourist town, and once the business day is over, the town closes up and the main street is deserted, and the sun kisses the town goodnight for another beautiful day in 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.

Wisteria Over a Blue Doorway

A wisteria vine hangs over a blue doorway on an ancient stone building in Provence. This pic was snapped near the village of Saignon in the Luberon valley.

Wrought Iron Work

Wrought iron pieces appear on buildings all through Provence. This particular piece is a shutter hold. When shutters are opened, this device keeps them from slamming shut in the breeze.

Village Directory

The wrought iron village directory has a little iron village silhouette in iron atop it.

Post Office Street

I love the funky road signs of Provence. This village street, is Post Office Street. The sign is done in ocher.

Village Grocery Store

In the village of Menerbes, you will find this funky little grocery store.

The Most Beautiful Towns in France

These two signs say it all about Provence. The first sign says something to the effect that "You are entering one of the most beautiful villages in France." The second sign denotes the wine country. In Provence, most of the villages are beautiful.

The End of the Walk

There is a beautiful walk of a few miles between the villages of Villars and Saint Saturnin. It is the Lovely One's refuge to take this walk mentally in times of stress. As you approach St. Saturnin, you get glimpses of the village in the distance.

I phoned my Mother to wish her Happy Mother's Day while walking this trail.

My Favourite Village in Provence

This is a souvenir of my favourite village in Provence. As I sat in the terrace on the mountain top village, I wrote software that is a significant revenue stream for my company that operates in the Caribbean.

Ochre Village Bell Tower

Roussillon is the ochre village. There are large deposits of ochre and most of the town is coloured in ochre. This is the bell tower of Roussillon as seen from a lower tier of the village.

The Blue Door

This is a laneway in a mountain-top village. The blue door is an entrance way to a village house.

Changes

If you were driving a car on this narrow village lane, you would be majorly surprised. The road ends in steps.

Notice that in the medieval days when the mountain top village was different, there was a doorway in the wall. Now it is all bricked in except for a small portico for the milkman.

A resident told me that if you lived in a village house, you may have a passageway through someone elses house, or that the room directly above you belongs to the house next door. Village houses are fascinating.

Cook Buying Herbs

A cook carries a bag of herbs that he has purchased along a village street back to his own kitchen, while the owner of a cafe stands at the doorway of his own establishment.

Getting into the heart of Provence

You rent a car, and get on the A7, a toll highway that takes you from the urban Marseille into the heart of Provence, into Provencal villages like this.