Simplicity And Elegance

There are many striking elements of this photograph of a Provencal doorway.  First there is the ancient stone construction.  Then you have a delicate wrought iron gate with a beautiful Gothic design.  You have an aged simple doorway.  You have greenery and a tree apparently growing in the stone. You have the Provencal sun shining down.  It is a combination of simplicity and elegance.

Pool At a Gite

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With the warm summers, a swimming pool is almost a necessity at any gite that you are staying at.  This one was at a beautiful gite in the northern part of Provence.  When visiting Provence, we tend to stay at gites to get the local flavor of the place.

Here is a bit of French trivia.  A pool in French is a piscine.  It is pronounced "piss-in", which is what some people do in a pool.

A Good Shot of the Luberon Valley

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This is a good shot showing the hills and the Luberon Valley from the villiage of Bonnieux.  One can see the verdant agricultural land where all sorts of fruits, vegetables and vineyards thrive.

People and Cafe Life

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The cafe culture is ingrained in life in Provence.  Cafes are the perfect place to stop, refresh, and people-watch.  The cafes are a great place just to spend time and drink in the life and culture of Provence.

Inside A Provencal Gite

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This gite is called Le Papillon (The Butterfly) and it is an incredibly well-appointed vacation house, and reasonably priced in a beautiful, yet secluded area of Provence.  The amenities include a pool, and scenic countryside and villages.

Tiny Balcony

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This is charming.  Even though the balcony is barely wide enough to fit a man with very large feet and shoes, it was put in so that one could step outside in a corner of the building that is dark and windowless.  That is what I love about Provence.  Note the wavy wrought iron balcony railing.  That wavy pattern is also a feature of Provence design.

A Quaint Guesthouse Gite in the Country

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This quaint farm building in a bucolic countryside has been converted into a gite or a guesthouse.  It is the perfect way to holiday in Provence.

Clock Tower Near St. Remy-de-Provence

This clock tower is in a small village near St. Remy-Provence.  Note the long, narrow rounded-top windows and the tile roof in the background.  Tres charmant as they say in Provence.

Brasserie

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This brasserie made the best pizza in the world -- the Savoyarde pizza.  It is made of creme fraiche spread over the crust, and then covered with bacon (lardons) and potatoes and covered with a rebluchon cheese.

Unfortunately, this brasserie is now closed.

A Beautiful Sun Room on the side of a Mas

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This sun room is a modern touch on a stately mas or farmhouse.  The rest of the building has been kept as historic as it was built.

From Hilltop Village To Hilltop Village

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If you click on the picture to enlarge it, you will see the detail of another village across the valley.  In the valley you will see vineyards and farms in this bucolic picture of Provence.

A Modern Stone Building

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Just to show that all stone buildings were not constructed 100 years ago in Provence, this stone building in Aix-en-Provence is just as attractive as the old ones.

Pollarded Plane Trees

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This is a picture of the pollarded plane trees or plantane trees in downtown Aix-en-Provence.  Pollarding is a technique in France where all of the branches are cut off, leaving the big old stumps.  The tree regenerates many many little branches after this treatment.

The Modern Side of Aix-en-Provence

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There are some quite modern buildings in Aix-en-Provence.  As you drive to the old downtown square, you will see these modern apartment buildings.

Driving Through Les Alpilles

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Les Alpilles are picturesque, crumbly limestone mountains in the south of France.  The scrub land is known as the maquis.  It is actually quite beautiful to hike in, and come across herds of sheep and goats grazing on the sparse herb vegetation.

Simple Provencal Lunch

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A simple Provencal lunch consisting of cheese, tomatoes, eggs, salad greens, spelt bread and of course the rose wine that Provence is famous for.

A Field of Poppies

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Everyone associates fields of poppies with Flanders and Belgium due to the poem.  However Provence is also filled with fields of wild poppies that are beautiful.

Aix-en-Provence Street View on the Way to Downtown

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This is the street view as one approaches the downtown of Aix-en-Provence.  Downtown center, the streets are line with the plane trees or plantane trees and you can see the beginning of them in the left of this picture.

Gite Terrace

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This is the private terrace of a guest gite.  It is in a wonderful setting with the ubiquitous flowers and the gorgeous scenery of Provence.

Garden Near Orange

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Orange is considered the northern end of Provence.  The hills are a little higher as one approaches the Alps.  The beauty is still indescribable.

Boulangerie au Feu De Bois

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The translation of this bakery is the Wood Fire Bakery.  It is also a tea room, and (the Academie Francais would have a fit) -- a sandwicherie.  It is in a small crossroads town near St. Remy de Provence.

Lupine Flower

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These lupine flowers were found growing wild in a field.  I suppose that their seeds had traveled by the wind and found themselves growing here, because they are a beautiful garden flower.  But this just shows you of the ubiquity of flowers everywhere in Provence.

Lovely Wrought Iron Work

Just like crystal door knobs in Victorian houses, the wrought iron work in the old houses is artisan craftsmanship beyond compare.  The work is magnificent, graceful and artistic.  You don't see the care, design and decoration going into the new houses.  This is part of Provence charm.

Vines And Forsythia Through The Window

Yesterday, I showed forsythia blossoms in detail close up.  When you are in the farm building looking out of a rustic window, you will see the thick grape vines and the forsythia bush growing near the rock wall.  A beautiful view through the window.

Forsythia Blooming in Spring

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Forsythia in the spring brings on a vibrant yellow shower of blossoms that turn gold in the evening setting sun.  Forsythia lines the narrow farm lane ways creating a splash of color worthy of a Van Gogh painting.  These blooms just add to the theme of flowers everywhere in Provence.