Looking from the hilltop to the valley

(click for larger image)

This is the view from the ruined church at the top of the village of Eygalieres down into the valley.  Rising in the background are the hills surrounding Mont Ventoux.

Stunning massive Doorway

(click for larger image)

This majestic doorway was installed on the lower floor of a hilltop village.  It was the only logical place for the grand entrance.  But you also needed a servants' entrance.  That is why you see the unassuming door to the left of it.

Wrought Iron Belfry and Clock Tower

(click for larger image)

This wrought iron belfry is very Provencal in design.  This particular one is on the active church in the village of Eygalieres.  In days gone by, villagers lived their lives according to the clock tower and church bells, and here, like in many villages, the two instrument to mark the times of the day are combined in one.

Days Gone By in the Village

It's nice to see the past preserved, even it if it relates to mundane things.  Here a hand-powered gasoline pump and an old post box (mail box) are preserved on a village wall.  You can see the lever sticking out of the pump.  As you pumped the lever back and forth, it would pump gas into the glass container above the tank, which was like a huge measuring cup.  It measured the gas by the liter.  Then gravity would feed the gasoline into the fuel tank of the car.

Complex Village House

(click for larger image)

The large entrances below suggest that in the past there may have been a commercial venture in this elegant village house. The simple shutters are to keep out the sun and the biting Mistral wind.  The turret in the background looks like it may have been a storage structure of some type -- perhaps for some agricultural products?

Mont Ventoux in the Background

(click for larger image)

When you climb to the very top of the hilltop village of Eygalieres, and look out in the distance, you will see this -- majestic Mont Ventoux in the background.

Strange Cars in the village

The last thing that you would expect to see in Provence are very strange cars.  It seems like a very conservative place.  I can understand luxury cars, but these two are just strange.

Beautiful Shady Restaurant Courtyard

(click for larger image)

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

(click for larger image)

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

 (click on pictures for larger image)

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

 (click on photos for larger images)

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

(click for larger image)

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

 (click on images for larger pictures)

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.

Sweet Perfume of Wisteria

The sweet scent of wisteria perfumes the air in the Camargue.

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

(click for larger image)

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

(click for large image)

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

(click for larger image)

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

(click for larger image)

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

We stopped by the roadside at a place selling vegetables to buy some for our dinner, when we saw this sausage.  It is made out of the famous bulls that are bred in the Camargue for bullfighting.  They are black bulls with upswept horns.  They are delicious.  The sausage is cultured sausage, so the skin has the white patina on it, and it goes well with a baguette and a glass of wine.  The brand is Le Trident Noir Au Taureau de Camargue, and if you see it for sale, you owe it to yourself to try it.

Aigues-Mortes Main Street

(click for larger image)

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

(click for larger image)

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

(click for larger image)

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.