The Maze That is The Village

A lone lamp hangs to light the way in the dark when the village becomes a maze of lanes, pathways, and charming stone houses.  I think at this point, one cannot bring a vehicle into the lane.

Climbing to the top tier of a hilltop village

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The laneway becomes steeper and steeper as you climb your way to the top tier of hilltop village.  Note the plants still growing almost everywhere that they can.

Fallen Flower Petals on the Cobblestones

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I couldn't resist firing this shot.  It is of the cobblestones beneath my feet, just strewn with purple petals that just fell off the tree.  It is either a Forsythia tree or a Judas Tree, but walking on the petals made me feel special.

Flowers Growing in the Most Improbable Places

Here, against a stone wall, atop a stone pillar, we have flowers growing.  In keeping with the comment in the last posting, flowers are definitely part of Life in Provence.  Note the flowering Judas Tree in the background.

Flower Pot in the Window

This is quite a common sight -- flower pots in the window of most houses, even though there is no room for a garden.  Flowers are a part of life in Provence.

Stone out of a village house

I mentioned in a previous blog entry that the interior of some village houses are quite convoluted due to the walls of the village, adjoining buildings, accretion of nearby buildings, etc.  These were really interesting to me.  Why are the huge stone blocks protruding above this village house door?  Charming and interesting.

Patio Table Outside Village House Door

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A patio table is outside a village house door. Among the flowers and vines, the occupants can share an al fresco meal or drink in their peaceful outdoor surroundings.

Village Lane Way

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The laneway through the village houses narrows at the end of the village.  At high noon, there is no sign of the residents that live in the houses on the hilltop village.  A wheel that was used to raise water is visible in the lower center right.  This village also has a fountain in spite of it being on a hilltop.

Worn Stone Steps In Village House

These worn stone steps lead to a village house doorway.  The houses are all built together, and you get some real weird interior and exterior configurations.  You could have the interior space of one house actually encroach the space of another house or the areas between them. They can be a maze of staircases and odd dimension rooms that do nothing but add charm.

Sleepy Village Street in the Afternoon

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A sleepy village street reposes in the afternoon sun.  The roadway narrows down into a laneway.  Flowers perfume the air and the beauty of Provence is everywhere you look.

Spring Flowers in Bonnieux

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This clump of flowers was found growing in the beautiful hill-top village of Bonnieux.  There is nothing like Springtime in Provence and the bursting out of flowers all over.

Houses on Hilltop Village Lane

The houses on the hilltop village are built of local stone and are quite picturesque, if not neatly square and planned.  This adds to the charm of the village houses.  Note, in spite of being built on stone, there is greenery where ever there can be some.

In A Cherry Orchard

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This bucolic lane winds through a cherry orchard in the Luberon valley.  Irises line the laneway and an almond tree is on the extreme right.  Peaceful countryside at its best in Provence.

Bit of Greenery

On a narrow, narrow village, cobblestone lane (you can almost touch both sides of the buildings lining the lane), you have a planter with a bit of greenery.  It looks like it was day lilies and they have yet to come out.

Building Wall

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Even a mundane building wall is graced with the lush foliage, flowering trees, creeping vines and shade trees.  The whole scene is like a hug from Mother Nature who obviously loves Provence back.

Plantane Trees Approaching a Village

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As a village is approached under the plane or plantane trees, the amber warning sign in the lower center tells you that the speed is over 60 kilometers per hour and to slow down for the village.

Medieval Village Gate and Wall

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Back in the medieval times when villagers built walls to keep out the travelling robbers, warriors, invaders and other low lifes, this is what the entrance to the village looked like.  In times of yore there would be sturdy wooden gates to be closed and barred.

A Gate and a Hole in the Wall

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This is a pedestrian entrance gate to an estate.  The little alcove hole-in-the-wall reminds me of the little portals that they used to build in the 1950's houses where the milkman would leave the milkbottles.  One could pass objects through the portal without opening the gates.  Note the lush greenery.

Village Terrace

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The upper terrace of the hilltop is held in place with the stone wall on the right.  However the lane is blocked by the terrace, so immediately the road turns into one way.  If you enlarge the picture, you will see the old wall of the village and the narrow gateway in the wall.  It is quaintness like this that adds charm to Provencal villages.

Traditional Provencal Kitchen Sink

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This is a typical Provencal kitchen sink. It was moved from the kitchen and placed outdoors to be a station for looking after potted plants.  The sink was very large, shallow, carved from stone and a huge permanent fixture in the kitchen.  While they are picturesque, they are not very useful in the modern sense for washing dishes, etc.

Looking down on the road out of the village

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All of the commercial buildings in the hilltop villages on are on the lowest level for ease of delivery and commerce.  This is the road leading to the village.  In the background you can see the large building that was some sort of usine or factory and the foreground has the garages and warehouses for the village trade.

Along A Hammeau Lane

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A rustic country laneway winds through a hammeau, and the path is lined by irises growing wild.  A cherry tree, the blossoms already gone is in the background.  This is Van Gogh country at its finest in the spring.

Baby Apricot in the Spring

It looks blemished, but this is an organic tree and the apricot will taste just fine, even with the blemishes.  This is just part of the rich bounty of Provence.

Agricultural Implement in a Cherry Orchard

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A bucolic scene.  An agricultural implement of some sort lies discarded at the edge of a cherry orchard.  Irises grow wild by the edge.

A Vineyard in the Back Yard

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This pic has it all.  Look closely in the background over top of the car, and you will see the vineyard.  The back yard where the car is parked has cherry and almond trees.  This is a bucolic setting in Provence.