Our week in Provence: 4/23/2015

4/23/2015:  We ate Tues night at La Fourchette – vg food, but S asleep on his feet (or rather, in his seat) – he kept falling silent, closing his eyes and leaning even more right.  I keep being afraid he’d keel over sideways.  

Back in the room, I tried to register for a tour of Senanque Abbey (“floating above a sea of lavender”).  The website was v. definite they wanted 48 hrs notice and “tenue correct”  (correct dress), that the tour is given only in French,  and that people can’t join the tour late or leave early – sort of nervous-making.

OK, Wed AM we packed up and left our life of luxury and set off for Gordes, a cute little hilltop town – we arrived at the same time as a busload of Korean tourists.  Enourmous construction crane looming over a small hotel we passed on the way in.  Walked around – there the same gift shop wares you see everywhere, none the cheaper for having to be hauled up the steep hill.

We ate a quiet lunch and set off for Senanque – v. narrow road over the hills, w/ many hairpin turns.  The bus of Korean tourists arrived at the gift shop a bit after us – I can’t imagine how the bus made it over the twisty, narrow road, but left before the tour.

The abbey dates from the 12th century, and is made of grey stone – v. plain, which S liked of course.  Its use as a Cistercian abbey has been intermittent.  We didn’t actually see any monks.  Tour was given in French – the leader reminded me a bit of Tr. Jeanine – speaking clearly.  Although I could follow her words, I couldn’t remember a lot of the content afterward.  I bought some lavendin perfume & oil made by the monks at the very well stocked gift store.

We stayed in a guest house near Rousillon – v. nice.  Owner inclined to wax philosophical about how he never knew the deprivations his parents knew.  And what would come after?  He said “Apres moi, le deluge”, but didn’t know it was Louis XIV that said it (actually, now that I look it up, it’s Louis XV).  I started on a rant (in French) about how all the 17th century French classic authors like Racine go on about duty & honor, and there’s Louis XIV installing his mistress(es) at Versailles (with apartments on the same floor as his wife).  (Our host was impressed, but of course shouldn’t have been, since I was attributing the quote wrong).

In addition to us, the guest house held 3 ladies from NC (originally from NY, NJ, PA) who had come to NC to buy houses in a 55+ active living community in the center of the Raleigh Durham triangle.  One was a retired French teacher from near Altoona, one in telecom mkting, and forget what  the third one had done – teaching Soc studies?

S and I had a nice dinner at a converted schoolhouse – S. fascinated by RR maps.  I had foie gras (I kept being afraid PETAQ would be on my case) and quail, and sopped up every drop of sauce from both – they were that good.

Next day, we got & went to Rousillon (on lovely ochre cliffs), took in views, mostly passed by the mkt.  (I got 4 macarons).  S looking at the view, encountered a S African couple who made a livelihood buying and selling at mkets – w/ long camping trips through France, elsewhere in Europe, the US.

We went to the Lavender museum, which focused mostly on the difference between lavender (whose oil cures lice, anxiety,  sleeplessness, basically whatever ails you) and lavendin (a hybred, with, according to the museum, no medicinal properties).  Lavender oil costs about 4 times as much as lavendin, so of course I had to buy some.  A busload of Chinese descended on the museum shop, buying huge bags full of soap, lavender oil, shampoo, skin cream.

We had pizza for lunch.  S managed to find an unsecured wifi, figured out directions to our hotel in Arles, and then briefed me.  As usual, I found his directions cryptic and the last km or so of the way in Arles was through streets where our car barely fit.  However, we arrived and didn’t kill anyone on the way.
We tried setting the car’s GPS, but its directions made no sense, and then I couldn’t get it to suspend navigation mode and return to map mode.  v. frustrating.  However, the navigation map did alert us to one crucial turn, so a net plus in S’s opinion.  (I’d tried to download maps to my iPad, but hadn’t checked that they were actually accessible when I turned off the wifi connection).

Hotel D’arletan is downscale from the Hotel Europe, but fine.  On a v. narrow street.  We’re in an annex.

We went to a tapas place for dinner.  I keep meaning to take pictures of our lovely meals, but I keep forgetting.