Speechaway

 

Les feuilles mortes se ramassent à la pelle
les souvenirs et les regrets aussi
et le vent du nord les emporte ... (Jacques Prevert)

22nd October

Autumn in Provence.  

The weather has cooled, the world is emblazoned with the colours of yellow, red, orange and gold and the earth is carpeted with the fallen leaves. Autumn has arrived in Provence! Whilst the mornings and evenings are cooler, the days are still sunny and pleasant; absolutely perfect for the continuation of our walks and discovery of the region.

We have focussed mostly on walks and discovering small villages but have taken the time to visit a couple of larger cities. We ventured to Nimes to see this amazing Roman town, visiting the arena, a temple and a tower all dating from the Roman times. We also observed a square filled with men (not a female player in sight) playing petanque (boules). Feminism doesn’t seem to have impacted this particular cultural pursuit! We have also spent half a day in the charming city of Aix en Provence, the old capital of Provence and a centre of culture.

Our walks have been many and varied. We have been amazed by the different landscapes and features we have encountered. Here is a snapshot of some of our favourites:

The mountains behind Volx (seven kilometres from Dauphin):  This 9 km circuit was initially quite challenging as we climbed up a very steep hill for one hour. We then had some beautiful views of the Alps and were surprised when the track took us to a point where we could look out over Dauphin.

The Alps: We had a fabulous time in the Alps on a beautifully clear and sunny day. We went to a small town 45 minutes north of Gap, La Chapelle-en Valgaudmar, which happened to be where Dominic went as a youth leader when he was in his twenties. He was wrapped: like a little boy in the lolly shop! He had no idea that we would find the same place he had been to as a young man. He had so many recollections and memories. We did a one and a half hour walk to a lake on top of one of the hills and the views were amazing. We were surrounded by many high peaks –some with snow! (See photos)

 Colorado,Provence (not USA): (The red ochre region of the Luberon park) We were amazed by the colours and geographical formations. We then took a quick visit to Roussillon, a magnificent village built on the red ochre hills and whose houses are all washed with the colours of the ochres.

Les Penitents des Mees: This is an amazing formation of rocks and legend has it that some monks encountered seven beautiful Saracen women and, because they desired the women, God turned them to stone as a punishment!

“La Chapelle du Roc” at Castellane: This walk took us to the chapel built on the top of a huge rock in the town of Castellane which is at the northern end of the Gorges du Verdon. The views were remarkable.

The Lure Mountain: This 1800 metre high mountain is just a 45 minute drive from us and Dominic and I spent an enjoyable afternoon climbing around the ridges and marvelling at the outstanding views of the valleys and nearby mountains.

The “vigneron” walk around the village of Pierrevert (south of Manosque): A walk through  the vineyards followed by a visit to a few “caves” for a “degustation”(tasting). The wine here is much cheaper but of no better quality than our own Australian wine. Many people take large plastic containers (up to twenty litres) to the wine cooperative and have them filled with wine from a tap, a bit like taking the car to the service station! Here you can afford to drink wine every day (and we have!) but those days are all too quickly coming to an end.

We have continued to enjoy the hospitality and friendliness of our Dauphin friends. We invited the Sugiers for dinner one Friday evening. I made a Pavlova for dessert to provide an Australian flavour. I couldn’t have wished for a better Pavlova. I have never been able to succeed with the hard exterior and soft inside but this time it was perfect; must be something to do with French eggs! I then used the yellows of the eggs to make a sponge cake from which we put together lamingtons for our Australia presentations. As the pavlova was such a success I made another one for the Sunday of the parents’ presentation. This presentation was actually just a small group (four families) at the home of Sabine and Michel (parents of Sacha and Louna, both in Natalie’s class). The presentation was well received and it was a lovely social afternoon. We didn’t return home until after seven following a magnificent afternoon tea including French tarts and cake in addition to the Aussie Pavlova and lamingtons which I provided.

On Monday (the following day) we made the presentation to Natalie’s class and it was also well received. There are seventeen in Natalie’s class and they were all interested and keen to ask and answer questions. At the end they were particularly appreciative of the Lamingtons.

Last week Fred and Sandrine Sugier invited us to be their guests at a restaurant. They even organized Audrey, their sixteen year old daughter, to babysit and feed Natalie. They are so hospitable! The meal was lovely and Natalie also had a lovely time with Audrey. They are talking about coming to Australia for a holiday in 2010 so we will have to return some favours then. We have been helping them a bit with the translation of their website into English. Dominic has, of course, been doing the bulk of this work.

And so we are drawing close to the end of our time in Provence. It will be a sad farewell. Natalie invited all the girls from her class to a party this afternoon to bid them ‘au revoir’ and a great time was had by all amidst lots of giggles and squeals ( 9 to 10 year old girls are the same the world over!). Over the next couple of days we will also be saying our goodbyes to all the people we have met. It has been an amazing experience for all of us and we vow that we will return to Dauphin one day. But time stops for no-one and so on Saturday we will once again pile all our possessions into the car and make our way to Florence, Italy.

Post script: This week is certainly one of farewells. We have had to say a sad farewell to Minette, Dominic’s beloved cat (le chat bien aimé de Dominic) and our wonderful family pet who peacefully went to sleep on Tuesday 21st October, aged 18 years. Lauren, Rob and Miriam have provided her with excellent care while we have been absent and we are grateful for her long and happy life.