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Monday, June 25, 2001
We were up by 4:15 again. Joined the others in the hushed lobby to find that there was a search going on. The van keys were locked in the security box and no one could find the key to the security box. No one could find the person on night duty, either. Finally, Adam called the emergency number and woke him up. He quickly located the key and got the van keys out. We were only about 10 minutes behind our planned departure time.
Our morning shoot starts in Oppede le Vieux, which means the old town of Oppede. The new town, where most of its citizens now live, is at the bottom of the hill. Most of the old town is a tourist area. Between the parking area and the town itself is a very nice garden, which also has some of the nicest lavender beds we’ve seen yet. The chateau and church are located at the top of the hill. It takes a couple of tries, but we finally found the trail to the top. The church is locked up, but a peek through the keyhole reveals a very nice church. And the chateau is marked as private property. The guidebooks recommend not going to the chateau as the way is treacherous and the trail frequently ends with a sharp plunge to the slopes below. We pass on the chateau.
The photo on the left shows most of the old town of Oppede la Vieux from below. The church is to the left of this scene and the chateau is at the top of the hill.
The photo on the right shows a closer view of the church.
The photo on the left shows the church bell tower and a cross that was near the twisty path.
The photo on the right shows this same cross from the other side (looking back down the path) with a twisted tree.
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The photo on the left shows a quiet street in Oppede. Just moments before this was taken, there was a dog laying in the street in front of one of these doors. By the time I got the tripod set up, it had disappeared. Guess it was shy....
The photo on the right shows some flowers growing out of the town walls.
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The photo on the left shows some of the beautiful lavender that was growing in the garden near the parking area.
The photo on the right shows some of the other plants in this little garden area.
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Rod didn’t join us this morning. He’s sick today. Judy Taylor has been feeling better, so she’s back with us again.
From Oppede, we drove to La Coste. The route takes us through Menebres, where we had spent some time a couple of days ago. La Coste is the home of the Marquis de Sade. Bill had never heard of the Marquis de Sade. How does one explain such a person? La Coste is a small town and seems to be all uphill. Very steep hills, too. We don’t stay long here. Bill did find the patisserie, however, so we got to eat. He bought chocolate croissants for everyone.
Hmmm. All my photos of La Coste involve arches over the streets! Here are three of them. The center one has Deb setup shooting something else from the arched area.
On the way back to the hotel, we encounter a massive traffic jam in Cavaillon. It’s their market day. It’s a larger town than St. Remy and there are thousands of people there for the market. We just about have the route through Cavaillon memorized. Most days, we have to go through Cavaillon to get to wherever we’re going. Bill played with the idea of headquartering a future trip to Provence in Cavaillon. However, he has such a good relationship with Antoine and Antoine is such a good host that I think Bill will remain in St. Remy. It’s such a pleasant place to stay. And he’s afraid he may not find such a cooperative hotel in Cavaillon. One that will work with Americans, that is.
We got back to the hotel about 11 and immediately sat down to breakfast. After breakfast, we headed for the bakery for some goodies for the next 24 hours - a quiche for lunch later, a chicken sandwich for dinner, and a sacristan (yummy pastry) for breakfast. Then we walked around to Nostradamus’s birthplace (not much to see, but we took a picture anyway). He was born in St. Remy, but made his famous predictions elsewhere. Then back to the hotel for a rest.
I wound up after sleeping almost an hour, until the construction crew began work again, then dozed for another hour and a half. Must have needed the sleep.
This evening, we split the group. About half the group took one van and went to Antoine’s parents’ farm. The rest of us took the other van and went to Bonnieux then Gordes, again.
The photo on the left shows some of the rooftops of Bonnieux with its church, from our parking spot.
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These three photos were taken while wandering around Bonnieux. The photo on the left shows the patterns in a nice rock wall. The center photo shows an archway into a courtyard with some statuary. The photo on the right shows a massive doorway.
This time, in Gordes, Bill and Adam took along the Eagle Creek luggage and did some model type shots with Gordes as the backdrop. All of us got into the act at one point or another. There was a lot of kibitzing going on, too.
The photo on the left shows Adam and his wife, Sherrie, playing tourist with the suitcase nearby.
The photo on the right shows Bill and Sherrie clowning it up - Sherrie is making bunny ears over Bill and Bill has the tour book upside down....
Then back to the hotel for a final glass of wine and bed.
The group that went to the farm seemed to have a great time. We almost told them to shut up! I had thought about joining them, but the van was already full and we weren’t taking both vans. Perhaps Bill will include the farm on a future trip.
It wasn’t really a farm, but a mas, which is a large Provencal farm. The main house was built for royalty four hundred years ago and has belonged to only four families in all that time. Antoine’s parents are the most recent buyers, having purchased it only three months earlier. They raise sheep, which were at their summer pasturage, olives, grapes (and wine), and apples. Lots of trees and vines. They also caught a fantastic sunset on the way back. We were a bit jealous....