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This has to be one of the most beautiful restaurant courtyards that I have ever seen. Unfortunately I was just walking the streets after eating at a cafe and I didn't record the name of this restaurant.
Beautiful Shady Restaurant Courtyard
This has to be one of the most beautiful restaurant courtyards that I have ever seen. Unfortunately I was just walking the streets after eating at a cafe and I didn't record the name of this restaurant.
Atelier D'Art
I can't think of a more beautiful and inspiring place to have an art studio than in Provence. There would be inspiration everywhere. That is where Van Gogh found his inspiration.
Arresting Mural ~ Eygalieres
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I saw this arresting wall mural above a convenience store on the main street of the scenic village of Eygalieres. I had no idea of what it was advertising, but this type of large signage is very very rare in Provence. The photography is striking.
Church Ruins - Eygalieres
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It is amazing that the highest position on the hilltops are usually always dominated by churches. These are two separate ruins of two different churches atop the same hill in the beautiful, scenic town of Eygalieres in Provence. They date to the 13th century.
At the Sucrerie
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A Sucrerie is a sugar shop or sweets shop. All sorts of goodies can be had, anything from candy, chocolates, caramels, cookies and fudge to whatever treats have sugar in them. Sweet shops are quite ubiquitous around Provence. This one was a huge beautiful store in a tourist area.
Carousel in Aigues-Mortes
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Carousels or merry-go-rounds seem to be a feature of many Provencal towns. This one is just outside the walls of Aigues-Mortes.
Medieval Festival - Aigues Mortes
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A medieval festival was held outside the rampart walls at Aigues-Mortes in the Camargue area of France. Not only were there vendors selling medieval clothing and such, but there were battle re-enactments, buskers and a fair as well.
Aigues-Mortes - City Gate
This is one of the gates of the walled town of Aigues-Mortes in the Camargue. I have posted other pictures of the walls and ramparts of this beautiful medieval town.
Window Flowers
The bars on this window are not traditional Provencal, but what is traditional, is that there are flowers almost everywhere in this special part of France.
Poppies by an ancient canal
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This ancient canal was hand-dug in the 1500's as an irrigation canal. It is located in the Camargue region of Provence. Poppies bloom canal-side in the spring.
Noah's Ark Lookout - Camargue Museum
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The Camargue is considered the "wild" place of France. It is the area of the Rhone River delta. It is a flat area created by the millions of years of sediment deposition from the Rhone. It is also perhaps the most interesting area of France. It is rich in medieval tradition. Two crusades departed from its fortified town. Ancient tradition says that the Saint Marys (Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of Jesus) landed there after being blown off course en route to Ephesus. The history is rich. They raise the Camargue horse (a white war breed that is now ubiquitous in dude riding places all over the Camargue) and the black Camargue fighting bull with the upswept horns. They grow a decent rose wine in the sediment sands -- "Vin Sablons". All of the saulniers or salt making places are there, and the Carmargue Fleur de Sel is world famous. Rice is grown in the flooded paddies created by the pump stations and the irrigation canals some of which were dug in the 1500's.
The Camargue Museum is a mostly outdoor museum currently undergoing renovation. One can see over the flat fields by going on the Noah's Ark lookout. The most ironic thing about it, is that it was designed by a Japanese, not French architect.
Shepherd's Grass House in the Camargue
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These grasses are thick sedges that grow in the Camargue. They are stitched together, and used as walls against a wooden frame. Then mortar is applied to the surface creating a strong wall. The roof is thatched over. These cabanes are rounded at the back and the rounded back faces the north wind and the mistral winds.
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
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.
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