Rossillon, Provence, France (part 2)

Several months ago I posted a set of pictures from our afternoon in Rossillon, that beautiful hill village in Provence (click on Rossillon to find those pictures and text). There have been so many visitors to this site that I decided to post some additional photographs taken on that same overcast day.

I was intrigued by the restaurant patio overlooking the valley, by the appearance of ocre-coloured stone everywhere (for which this area is famous) and by sprigs of lavender hanging on a church wall. A set of large old wooden doors has been painted with a Mediterranean (almost classic Italian) theme, and the village's bell is housed in the typical wrought iron cage seen in so many of these mountainside villages.

St Maurice, France

Le Ville de St Maurice (Val de Marne, France) is SE of Paris's 12th arrondissement. We stayed with friends in this quiet Parisian suburb for about four weeks last spring, helping to organize their library's research holdings on Peace and Anabaptist Studies. The small town is charming because although it is perhaps 30 minutes from the center of Paris, it is remarkably different from the capital city in architecture, economic status, culture and ambition. Rather, it seems to be a lovely place to raise children, to take peaceful walks, to participate in local culture (rather than be only onlookers) and live at a slightly slower pace. Most private gardens are hidden from public view, but we are occasionally granted glimpses of the fruits of years of labour. Some houses are decorated with gingerbread, one roof has a wonderfully useful permanent ladder for the chimney sweep, I suspect the stork hasn't moved in years, and motor scooters park anywhere.

Abbaye de Valsaintes, Provence, France

The Abbaye de Valsaintes was a Cistercian abbey, part of which dated from the 12th century. Cistercians were cloistered (remaining within the walls surrounding their property), and after being founded in 1098, the monastic order spread rapidly during the 1100s, partly under the influence and prestige of St Bernard of Clairvaux. The location selected for the Abbaye de Valsaintes was typically isolated in the mountains, offering inspiring views across valleys and mountains, an ideal location for men wanting to withdraw from politics and worldly influences for a very demanding life of prayer, meditation and unbelievably strict discipline.

The French Revolution essentially ended many centuries of monasticism throughout France. Monasteries and abbeys were forcefully emptied, lands confiscated by locals, buildings either fell into disuse or became barns for local farmers, most roofs disintegrated after decades of neglect, and even the once sturdy stone walls succumbed to disrepair as they endured several centuries of wear.

More recently, Serge Orlandi purchased these ruins, moved to the property with his family, living in trailors and slowly restoring the beautiful chapel and the grounds of the former abbey. He believed that this beautiful location had been important to pre-Christian religions and that markings on sandstone rocks and the positioning of cone-shaped rocks throughout the property indicated that drudic practionners had worshipped here centuries before monks arrived. He has therefore sought to establish a place for meditation (with no specific religious connections) and carefully constructed and reestablished terraced gardens for thousands of roses. Even though we visited toward the end of the season, many plants were still in their glory. This former ruin is definately worth a visit for gardening enthusiasts.

Simiane-la-rotonde, Provence, France

Following the recommendation of our friend Yves, we visited the beautiful little medieval/Renaissance hill village of Simiane-la-rotonde which is about 650 metres above sea level, at the south-western end of the Alpes de Haute Provence, close to Vaucluse. The village now has about 450 residents and is in the mountain region known for producing the type of lavender that is used in aromatherapy. The researchers at the aromatherapy laboratory at the site of the old castle emphasize that this is not the more prolific type Janice grows closer to sea level. Instead, this particular lavender must be cultivated in a more harsh climate at a higher altitude.

Views from the village were wonderful, overlooking the valley's farms and forests, neighbouring villages, winding roads, and the wide open sky.

Cucuron, Provence, France

We visited Provence for one week in spring of 2008, taking the TGV from Paris to Avignon, where we rented a car to drive to our B&B in Ansouis. Shortly after arriving our host asked whether we had enough petrol in our car, informing us that the long lineups at filling stations were the result of citizens' nervousness about the fishermens' blockading some ports and routes, prohibiting trucks from delivering petrol in parts of Provence. Our supply was fine but we decided to leave it that way for at least a day. So the next morning we walked about 5 kms along D56 from Ansouis to the nearby village of Cucuron.

Walking meant that Janice could examine each and every flower along the way, we could experience the changing smells of fields and meadows, take in scenery slowly, stop to admire hundreds of white snails clinging to posts and wire fencing, the fields of wild poppies, the Luberon's beautiful vineyards and rural homes, gingerly step into fields for a closer examination of foliage, and watch the climbing sun change the intensity of the colours all around us.

Walking also meant that I earned a hearty lunch. We were pleased to come upon an excellent small hotel restaurant, L'Arbre de Mai. The gracious host/owner gladly filled us in on local history and legends, and the meal prepared by his wife was some of the finest food I have had in France for a long time--simple but fresh ingredients, fresh bread, delightful local wine from the Cotes du Luberon, and the quiet street of the sleepy medieval village all to ourselves that warm day in late May. Afterwards, we strolled through the hill village's streets of stone houses, admiring lookout points from below the castle's dungeon and carefully tended pots of flowers.