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This grain shovel and hay fork are Provencal farm implements from days gone by.
Provencal Farm Implements
This grain shovel and hay fork are Provencal farm implements from days gone by.
Pastis
Pastis is a traditional drink of Provence. It is a strong anise flavoured liqueur traditional in the hot climes of southern France. This plaque is a joke. It was found in the bar, drinks area of a patio.
A Mas near St. Remy-de-Provence
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A renovated mas (manor farm house) is beautifully renovated near the the town of Eyragues in Provence.
Hiking the Colorado of Provence
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The Colorado is the ochre deposits of Provence. See the blog entry below for a better description. The ocher quarries are being preserved as a historic treasure, and the landscape is stunning. Here some hikers are exploring the Colorado.
Ochre in Provence
Le Colorado Provençal is famous for the rich deposits of ochre pigments found in the clay near the villages of Rustrel and Roussillon. The large quarries were mined from the end of the eighteenth century until 1930. Thousands of people found work in the quarries and factories. Nowadays the mining of ochre is prohibited here, in order to protect the sites from degradation or even complete destruction.
Les Capelins
A hammeau in Provence is a collection of farm buildings that housed a farmer, his married sons and their families and the hired help. It was a mini-village of people connected to a surrounding farm. This old hammeau is called Les Capelins, and it is near the village of Bonnieux in Provence. Note the fieldstone construction of the houses.
Provencal Poodle
A French poodle waits for its owner in a village square in a Provencal village. The dog's owner is in the cafe behind.
Antique Provencal Clay Pot
I saw this antique piece of clay pottery made out of ochre clay in a shop.
Winter In Provence III
These are the final six images in the series of Winter in Provence -- the big snow storms of early 2012.
Winter In Provence II
Some more pictures of Provence during the devastating winter storms of 2012. Provence hasn't had it this bad since 1956.
Winter In Provence I
The winter storms in Europe have dumped snow in Provence. This area of France rarely sees snow, however a huge dump of close to 20 cm blanketed the south of France this year. Even parts of Italy that never see snow got a dump.
Some House Pictures of Provence
Many of the houses in the south of France are made of field stone. In the first photo, we have a hilltop village house that has been modernized and updated.
The second picture is a farmhouse in a hammeau or a farming village compound.
The second picture is a farmhouse in a hammeau or a farming village compound.
Both of these construction techniques show a use of the indigenous building materials that make the domiciles part of the terroir.
I consider these buildings to be beautiful.
Chocolat Thermometer on a House Wall
A thermometer advertising chocolat hangs on the wall of a village house in the town of Apt in the Luberon valley of Provence.
Terrace of a Gite
Shown above is the terrace of a gite or a guest house in Provence near Orange, in the northern part of Provence. Click on the image for a larger view.
Beautiful Guest House
Imagine spending a vacation in the South of France in this beautiful little guest house called a gite in the countryside. Provence is full of these. They can be found near vineyards, orchards, lavender farms, quaint mountain-top villages and majestic valleys.
Herbs and Spices of Provence -- Rosemary
Rosemary is a spice and herb grown in Provence. It is a member of the mint family and is a woody perennial often grown as a hedge. Here a bee pollinates the rosemary flower.
Close-up of Spring Cherry Blossoms in Provence
This is a closeup photograph of the cherry blossoms in the orchards of Provence.Steeple Dominates Skyline of Saignon
Like most mountain-top villages, the steeple of the Catholic church is the highest point in the village, and the church is built on the highest point. It would be a major chore to walk to church on Sunday morning.
Cat in the Window
A calico cat sits in a shuttered window of rustic farmhouse near Saignon in Provence.
Springtime in Provence -- The Cherry Orchard
One of the surest signs of spring in Provence is cherry blossom time. This cherry orchard is awash with the fragrant blossoms of spring and cherries.
Cherry Blossom Time In the Spring in Provence
The cherry trees blossom in the spring announcing the arrival of the vernal climes and the coming season of delicious fruit from the trees of Provence.
Purple Hyacinths in Provence
These purple hyacinths were growing in the Luberon valley, high in the hills near the village of Saignon. They are beautiful.
French Château in Provence
A château sits regally on a hilltop near Loumarin in Provence. These lordly houses usually had an attached chapel, vineyards and various outbuildings of that denoted the wealth and agriculture potential of the owners.
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.
A Borie Among the Forsythia
In the background you will see a quaint stone structure. It is called a borie. They were built to house both the sheep and the shepherd in inclement weather. In the tight quarters, there is usually a very small loft where the shepherd sleeps and the animals congregate in the shelter below.Built of fieldstone during the idle hours of watching sheep, bories dot the entire countryside of Provence in old alpine meadows.
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