June 18
June 19
June 20
June 21
June 22
June 23
June 24
June 25
June 26
June 27
June 28
June 29
June 30
July 1
July 2
Friday, June 22, 2001
We got up at 5:15. We actually found a bakery open and picked up some stuff for breakfast.
First stop, Menerbes, another perched village. The photo on the left is looking along the town walls of Menerbes. Most of the villages of Provence are perched villages. That is, they’re located on top of a hill. We took pictures, then took the long way back to the hotel, through the mountains. Most of us fell asleep on that road. Judy Taylor didn’t join us this morning. She’s picked up a sinus infection and decided sleep was needed more than pictures.
.
.
The three photos above were taken from an overlook at the edge of Menerbes. The photo on the left and the center photo show some of the patterns made by the irrigation sprinklers in the nearby fields. The photo on the right was our view over the rooftops of the town.
We wondered the streets of the town for a while. The three photos above were taken during these wanderings. The photo on the left has an interesting dead tree in a courtyard. The center photo is looking into a courtyard that had a wonderful glow to it. The photo on the right is an entrance to a house.
The photo on the left above is looking down an early morning street. The center photo is a fountain, flower bed, and vine covered wall. The photo on the right looks through the gate of a cemetery.
The photo on the left and the center photo are two different bell towers while the photo on the right is an open work cross. These show the interesting architecture they use for most of their bell towers and crosses in Provence. Since the Mistral winds blow so fiercely, they leave the bell towers open like this to keep them from being blown over. The center bell tower is very sturdily built and has a low profile because of these winds.
.
.
This intriguing stairway lead up the side of the hill to a house. I liked the flowerpot on the lower step. The photo on the left shows the whole stairway, while the photo on the right zooms in on the flowerpot.
.
.
The photos above show three interesting doorways in Menerbes.
After wondering the town for a while, we all piled back into the vans and drove to a vantage point below the town near a vineyard. The photo on the left and the center photo show the town over the vineyard. The photo on the right is of some poppies growing by the side of the road.
The photo on the left shows our guide (Katherine) waiting patiently near one of our vans.
We got back to the hotel about 11:30 and rested a while. Then went out to L’Olivier for lunch. I had a salad with very fresh tomatoes, grilled fish with zucchini and rice, with fresh strawberries for dessert. Very nice. Usually I avoid tomatoes and strawberries, but these were quite tasty.
After lunch, we did a little shopping. I got some postcards and a Santon of a lavender cutter. Santons were originally made back when the French tried to banish religion and nativity displays were forbidden. One of the craftsmen decided that, if they couldn’t have the big displays in the churches, then they’d have individual ones in the home. The original Santons were made for this purpose. Most are clay or porcelain. Now, they make them for the tourists! There is a picture on June 24 which shows some Santons in a shop window. Then we stopped by the bakery to pick up something to eat for this evening, before returning to the hotel.
Since this is our last day with Catherine, we all met in the lobby to discuss where we would go over the next few days. Looks like Orange is out. And I was looking forward to seeing the ancient theater there. Perhaps on another trip....
Our evening shoot was Saignon. On the way, Judy Levy was cleaning up the front seat and put Bill’s peanuts into the glove compartment. She told him she was putting his, pardon the expression, nuts in the glove compartment. He had just taken a mouthful of water. Thought he was going to spray it all over the side of the car.
Saignon was a nice town. I tried to get to the high ground, but it was too steep. There are some ruins up there. A couple of the fellows made it up there. Nice view of the church by taking a path around the back of the hill.
The three photos above were taken this evening. The photo on the left shows the village of Saignon from below. The center photo is another view of the village also from below. The photo on the right looks back over the valley from a higher vantage point.
.
These two photos show two different views of the stairs leading to the ruined castle.
.
.
.
.
The three photos above are of the village church. The photo on the right shows an open, inviting door.
The three photos above were taken while wandering the streets of Saignon. The photo on the left shows a nice garden area next to one of the shops. The center photo shows a vine covered wall with lavender colored shutters! The photo on the right shows the shop next to the garden area.
The photo on the left shows a deserted street near twilight.
My back started hurting from the camera bag. So, near the van, I got it off and tried some yoga. Helped tremendously.
On the way back to the hotel, Catherine missed our turn. We had to backtrack about a mile once she discovered it. Some guide!
When we got back to the parking lot by the hotel, we found it full of horse trailers and some very nice horses. Never did find out what was going on. Catherine had no idea.
Driving along the road, we had spotted some outlines of a human with a red zigzag through its head. Bill asked Catherine about them. She told him they were a promotional thing. However, Deb and I spotted one stretch of road where there were three of these things in a twenty foot stretch. Our hypothesis is that these mark a death. Later, Deb found a sign that confirmed our hypothesis. I wasn’t very impressed with Catherine as a guide. If she didn’t know, she’d make something up!