They say that the sun shines 310 days of the year here and I have just had day three! Can't believe that just a few days ago I was looking out at snow and wondering if I'd ever see my snowdrops much less spring!! The plan for today was to stick close to St. Laurent and see the little villages in the area. So much for plans! I had done two of the villages on my list before noon and got the urge to go further afield. Back to the the Var region and stops in some of the places I had driven through on my way back last night. Flower boxes are planted with pansies and primroses and there are iris growing wild along the side of the roads. I've even seen a few poppies.
Many of the villages seem to be shuttered up with a very small permanent population. While this area isn't quite as popular as Peter Mayle's Provence in the Vaucluse farther west, I still see evidence of family properties being turned into holiday homes. It's sad to think that the locals can't afford to stay in their home villages and that these villages are becoming overrun by "tourists". So much of the charm and flavour is the people and their way of life. I love listening to the chatter in the epicerie or the post office and watch as they go about their daily business. If the locals go, will the fountains in the village squares still flow and will the church bells still ring every hour and half hour? Will the shops shut down so everyone can enjoy a hearty lunch with family and friends? Those are my deep thoughts and questions for the day!
I decided to head to Comps-sur-Artuby - a 12th century base for the Knights Templar! High on the hill are two chapels - St. Andre and St. Jean. Up I hiked with a stiff breeze blowing against me only to discover that both chapels were locked! It was a bit disappointing but the stunning 360 degree view of the mountains and surrounding countryside more than made up for it! I sat for awhile and drank it all in. I was all by myself on top of the world!
I keep forgetting that life is more civilized in France. Couldn't figure out why the villages were deserted and shops closed up when I arrived. There were cars around but no people. It was dinner time...from noon until 4:30 in some villages!! I read somewhere that a Provencal proverb says "Slow in the morning and not too fast in the afternoons." Sounds like some of the kids I've taught!!
It was a nice time of day for someone who doesn't like hordes of "tourists" around but I was getting hungry and couldn't find a boulangerie or patisserie open for a sandwich and I didn't want to go the restaurant/full meal route. So I just kept driving! Thank goodness for the granola bars I stuffed in my suitcase from home!
I left Comps and was going "cross country" when I came upon a farmer herding his sheep! I fell in love with sheep in Britain and French sheep are just as adorable. And there were lambs!! They were all colours too - black, white, rust, brown, spotted... The car in front of me had stopped so I stopped to and took pictures and watched and listened. The air was a chorus of bleats and bahs as the lambs ran around looking for their mothers and trying to avoid the sheepdogs! I could have watched all day and wanted to snatch up a lamb as a wee souvenir!! It was another one of those "moments"!
My return trip took me along the other side of the Gorge du Verdon (rive gauche) and, despite the fact that the right side is the one people are encouraged to take, this side was even more rugged and the scenery more spectacular, I thought. More guardrails on the left bank too - albeit wooden! The road felt narrower and with more kinks and bends and twists. The scenery was usually at its peak at those points so I only caught glimpses of the best parts. Still, I did get some good shots from the few pull off spots there were. And, I am becoming a pro at shifting gears and cranking the steering wheel as I go around tight hairpin turns! I'm ready for the Monaco Grand Prix - although I won't win any speed trials!
I discovered the clock and temperature guage on the car today!! It was 18 degrees for most of the day but dropped to 10 at the top of the gorge drive (1000m+ alt. one sign said).
I was almost to the end of the gorge trip when I came upon a little restaurant overlooking Lac de St. Croix. They were just serving sandwiches and salads at that time but I was willing to eat just about anything by that point! I ordered a saussicon sandwich and a pate sandwich for tomorrow. I was pleasantly surprised when my "sandwich" arrived - thick crusty baguettes stuffed with the sausage and pate! FABULOUS!! Somehow "sandwich" doesn't seem an appropriate name for it! It was NOTHING like the sandwiches I have for lunches at home!
My section of les Alpes de l'haute Provence is more a series of plateaus and valleys than mountains. The contrast was quite clear on my drive back as I looked across green pastures and fields of lavender to the rugged mountains where I had just been driving.
I got back to the chateau at 6:30 to discover that I couldn't get my key to work in one of the entry doors!!! I remembered that I had read that the caretaker (Denis) lives in the village but couldn't remember exactly where. So, into the village I walked and stopped at the little restaurant there. I said I was looking for Denis (in perfect French, of course!!) and was told "Il ne pas la"! Ok, I knew that!!...Ou habite il?!!! I got directed down a little lane just around the corner and, with the help of two local kids, found the correct door....la deuxieme, la deuxieme!! Denis speaks little English so it was up to me to make myself understood! I was thanking the Ontario education system and all my French teachers of years past as vocabulary came flooding back (well, at least trickling back!) and I was able to tell him my problem AND carry on a simple conversation (when I arrived, how long I'm staying etc.) as we walked back to the chateau!! Fortunately the problem was with the key and not me! He is either going to leave the door unlocked tonight or will unlock it for me in the morning, not sure which... my comprehension skills are far weaker than my oral skills!!!
And so ends another day. I won't even begin to guess what tomorrow will bring. I think I'd like to go back to Moustiers and Aiguines - about 30 minutes from here. I have market days marked on my calendar and have found villages around each market to visit during those days. The first market is Wednesday in Riez. My mouth is watering already!
