Just about perfect.....

Mother Nature sent us a picture perfect kind of day and we took full advantage of it. This morning we made the short trip into Apt for the market in the center of the old town. The Saturday market in Apt is quite the event that draws in vendors who fill the area selling their wares. Just about everything from
A-Z is available and those narrow streets are full of people mingling, buying and just enjoying the atmosphere. We bought some vegetables and fruits including some black mashed olives that is called Tapenade. It's also called French caviar but doesn't cost nearly as much as the real thing. All I know is that it is very tasty spread on some freshly baked French bread from the bakery....  :-)

After a brief return back home we asked Rudy if he wanted to take a trip up into the Vaucluse range and of course he said "YES!!" So we loaded him into the car and went looking for a place where he could roam free and explore. We eventually found a forest full of pine and fir trees with some nice wide trails which were to Rudy's liking. After our hike we decided to continue west in the car just to see what was on the next horizon and around the next curve. As we were rounding one of those curves we had to yield the right of way to the biggest flock of sheep I've seen since arriving here. One man and his dog was herding all these animals and neither man, sheep or dog seemed to be in much of a hurry. That was a good thing as it gave me time to take some pictures and video of these slow moving wooly creatures.

After our delay we continued westward until we came to a crest and a clearing in the forest. To the west and especially to the north we were treated to a wide open view of valleys below us and Mont Ventoux in the distance. Naturally we had to stop the car and take a closer look as well as snap some more photos.

We arrived back home just to have enough time to grab a bite to eat and then return to Apt to attend a comedy play at the town hall. The performances and production were good although I could only understand about every 4th or 5th word spoken. Luckily Alicia was right by my side to translate enough that I could halfway understand and enjoy what was going on.  I've taken quite a few photos this week and I'll try to post some of them tomorrow or Monday.

The car pulled over and yielding to oncoming traffic 

The sheep slowly making their way down the hill...probably to get sheered.

Mont Ventoux in the distance 

Photo with the telephoto lens  

During our descent a view of the long bluff line towering over the small village of  Lioux

St-Saturnin-les-Apt

Ruins leading up to the castle. Center left is an old dam holding back a lake the village used for drinking water.

Not the best  location for flowers to grow but they seem to be doing just fine

Part of the old walls that surrounded the medieval village. 

This past weekend was spent with Naomie and Kiara as their parents were in northern France.  The girls always enjoy a road trip with us and we made good use of the nice weather both days to take them out to breathe some of that fresh air and get some exercise. They both have a ton of energy which is much better expended outdoors instead of indoors...if you see the house after 2 days of them being here you will know what I mean... :-)

Sunday afternoon we decided on a short trip to the town of St-Saturnin-les-Apt. We have visited this town before but hadn't made the walk up the narrow road past the ruins and to the old church-castle that looks out over the village and the valley below. St Saturnin lies directly north of Apt and sits right at the end of the valley and the beginning of the Vaucluse mountains. The origins of the town date back 1000 years, so needless to say there's alot of history associated with this large village. This will be another place we will have to make a return visit as the skies darkened and the rains came which cut our trip short.

View of the lake - we started to hear thunder at this point. 

Looking south and east. The Luberon range in the distance

Narrow walkway up to the castle-church. (I've heard it called both)  As you approach the entrance the path gets much narrower. In some places only 30-40 feet wide with a drop straight down on both sides.

Another trip up into the hills......

Elk out in their rocky pasture.

A nice Saturday here and since Kiara and Naomie are here for the weekend we decided to take them up onto the Vaucluse range and plateau. There is a deer and elk farm on one of the plateaus and we thought the girls would enjoy seeing them. I'm not sure the reason for this out of the way farm as I've never seen very many people in the area. Some large fields with some very large fences to keep the deer and elk from wandering off into parts unknown.

On the way up we saw some paragliders drifting along the bluff line and decided to make a detour to the area that they launch their gliders. Just when we arrived our neighbor who is a paraglider himself was landing after soaring high above the valley. He offered to walk me down to the launching area so I could get a birds eye view of where they start their flights.

During our walk to and from the launch site he shared alot of the history of the area with me. It seems these remote hills were grazed by thousands of sheep many years ago. There are many sheep farms still in the area but the ones that I've seen are mostly in the lower elevations. The sheep herders here would be up in these hills for extended periods of time so for protection from the elements they used whatever was available. Of course the most readily available resource was rocks....lots and lots of rocks. They would also carve out rectangular "pools" right out of the solid rock. These pools would eventually fill up with water which was used for drinking  and I guess to even take baths in. It's amazing they cut these pools out of solid rock with only the tools available during that time.

My paragliding neighbor also offered to give me a ride on his paraglider sometime in the near future. Evidently they can be adjusted and rigged to handle an extra person - I just don't know yet if that extra person will be me. I think the more I ponder the idea the more inclined I will be to give it a try. I have no doubt it would be exciting and frightening....all at the same time. Hmmmmm....I wonder if I could take my camera with me?

Sheep herders headquarters - remnants of a typical house they called home.

Pool carved out of solid rock 

Looking south - village of Rustrel below

Launching area for paragliders - a hazy view to  the west

More Simiane-la-Rotonde

View from the back of Simiane-la-Rotonde

A few light sprinkles of rain falling outside as I type a few words on my keyboard. The weather has been back and forth the last 2-3 days with rain, then sunshine followed by clouds...and then more rain. Yesterday morning was very cloudy and gray but around noon it turned into a super clear day with fluffy cotton clouds drifting lazily across a very blue sky.

Last week I traveled to the village of Simiane-la-Rotonde which is known for its fields of lavender that dot the countryside. I've posted a few more photos that I snapped while strolling in and around the small village of about 500-600 inhabitants.

Old church on the outskirts of town that has seen better days 

From the church looking down towards the village

Another great view from the terrace

Simiane-la-Rotonde

After some rain yesterday afternoon the clouds are still thick here this morning. Those thick clouds are hugging the hillsides while creeping down closer towards the valley.  Along with the rain we've been greeted by cooler temperatures which are supposed to hang around the next few days.

As I mentioned in my last entry I visited the village of Simiane-la-Rotonde last Friday.  This picturesque town sits on a hill overlooking a wide open valley that in the spring will be bursting with color from the lavender fields below. In the town itself are the remains of a 12th century castle highlighted by a large round rotunda that has been restored. There is also a nice little museum that showcases the history of the village and the surrounding area.

Like many villages this one has those narrow streets which the majority are only accessible by foot. I would imagine Simiane attracts its fair share of people in the tourist season but it's off the beaten path for the heavy traffic compared to the villages and towns more to the west.

Simiane-la-Rotonde 

View of the village from across the valley

Nice little one room fixer upper right in the middle of town.  

Covered terrace with a great view of the area below 

  

View from the terrace

Narrow walkway 

The only shop I saw in the village.

Starry night....

Just got back in from one of my nightly walks with Rudy out in the vineyard. Lots of twinkling stars out this evening and even a shooting star streaking across the night sky before it burned itself out. I see alot of falling stars here at night probably because it is a wide open valley with lots of open space to see in all four directions.

This afternoon I took a 20 minute drive to the little town of Simiane-la-Rotonde which is north and east of the la maison which is French for the house. I had been to this hilltop town before and taken some photos but they just didn't turn out the way I had hoped they would. It was another nice day so it gave me an excuse to travel there, enjoy the scenery and walk the narrow streets of the town. I haven't even looked at all the photos I took but I'll sift through them all and post here in the next day or two.

This past Wednesday when I made my excursion up into the hills I took some photos of a small part of the valley below and also some in the valley itself. It was a day that shooting anywhere close to the west was nearly futile because of the sun and the very hazy conditions. I found that taking photos to the north or east was about the only thing possible. We had visited the tiny village of Gignac a couple of weeks ago and during the drive down the mountain I could see the town below, so naturally I had to stop and take some photos from my bird's-eye view. As hilly as this area is there is also and endless supply of angles and elevations to take photos of the same thing.

I did work on my French this morning and even attempted to read the news articles on the French version of MSN.....I'm progressing lentement. (slowly)

Gignac from above 

Gignac - a wider view

In the valley after returning from the hills above.

It's getting greener around here. 

Another lovely day in the neighborhood....

Another morning with abundant sunshine and I wouldn't be surprised if we reach 80 degrees here today. Rudy and I just got back to the house and the first thing I did was change from my long sleeved shirt into a much cooler t-shirt. Rudy of course went immediately to his water bucket and drank it all and then let me know he wanted some more.

Yesterday afternoon I loaded up the camera gear and headed north and up into the Vaucluse mountains. During my trip up those winding roads I could see 2 paragliders soaring above the top of one of the ridges. They were just floating back & forth, catching the wind currents and without a doubt enjoying the views.

In doing some reading I've discovered that this part of the range was once home to part of the French nuclear arsenal. Up until the late 1990's nuclear missle silos dotted the top of this range which is called the Plateau d'Albion. In some past entries to my blog I've posted a few photos of this range from the vineyard out behind the house. In the latter part of the 1990's the French decommissioned these sites and removed all the warheads. There are still remnants of the sites and miles of tall, barbed wired fence remains in some of the area. Once you arrive to the top of the range it is called a plateau although there are still many rolling hills at this higher elevation. You don't see as many vineyards as they are replaced by many lavender fields, forests and pastures.

The roads I took were narrow and of course curvy but surprisingly paved. Not knowing where I might end up I just let the car do the driving and enjoyed the landscape and countryside that opened up around every turn. Lots of activity in the valley and on the plateau as farmers are gearing up for the new growing season. Tractors were plowing and disking and the sound of chainsaws could be heard coming from the forest. The lavender fields are still dormant but I would think with some rain and continued sun they might start showing some color soon. From what I've been told the lavender fields are at their peak sometime in June. I noticed even more green pastures during my descent back into the valley which reminded me of the wheat fields of early spring back home.

I haven't been a very good student so far this week when it comes to studying my French. Time to refocus a bit and practice on those reflexive verbs that I am ohhhhhhh so close to mastering... :-)

Lavender field on the plateau

Another field about a mile down the road

Paraglider hugging the ridge

At the peak of the ridge...I had to lift my camera above barbed wire to take this shot. Possibly the remnants of one of those nuclear silos. 

Another one of those scenic views that are plentiful in this area.

A short sleeve kind of day....

I am proclaiming spring to have officially arrived because today I went out in just a short sleeved shirt. The sun was out all day long,  the sky was a deep blue and not one cloud could be seen. Even with abundant sunlight it was still very hazy in the valley which was even more evident when I made a trip up into the Vaucluse range. You could barely see the valley far below with only outlines of the landscape barely visible. My short sleeved shirt left a little to be desired at the higher elevations as it must have been about 10 degrees cooler by the time I arrived to the southern peak of the range. I will try and post some photos of the areas I visited sometime tomorrow.

Earlier in the day my landlord Bernard was trimming a vine at the top of a rock storage garage and he invited me over to take a look at it. Turns out this vine is actually a grape vine that has grown from the inside of the garage and found its way out into the sunlight. From the inside of the garage it looks more like a small tree that has grown straight up the wall and then found a crack in the rocks to continue its journey. Bernard said that over the years he has chipped away at some of the rock to allow the vine to grow larger and it does produce quite a few grapes every season. I couldn't help but to think of Jack and the Beanstalk while snapping a few photos of this very determined and resourceful grape vine. 

No class for me this week as my instructor is on vacation and skiing somewhere in the French Alps. I might try another trip up into the mountains tomorrow and if I do hopefully the haze will have given way to some crystal clear views in all directions. 

The grapevine snaking its way up the inside wall of the garage

Bernard putting his pruning skills to work 

Just had to include this photo I took last week. I rounded a corner in the road and there they were. Not one but TWO deluxe model trailers. The first ones I've seen since arriving here....for a moment I thought I was back home... :-) 

Spring has sprung.....a leak

Canal that runs through the center of Cavaillon

Construction in Cavaillon - Notice everyone dining outdoors on this sunny and warm day.

Soon this mini canal will be flowing with water with a larger walking area to be constructed on the left

It seems that winter isn't ready just yet to make an exit in southern France. Last night the winds picked up considerably and this morning it is much colder outside. I've even heard rumors of the possibility of snow sometime this week, which I hope are just that....rumors.

Yesterday we traveled to Monteux to see Alicia's daughter and her family. The weather was nice enough to have our meal outside on the deck. One of the things you'll notice here is that when the weather is nice people take advantage of it and have their meals outdoors. Whether it's at home or at restaurants most people here prefer to dine out in the fresh air. 

I've been to Monteux quite a few times but have never really got out and walked around the city. Compared to most of the towns and villages in the area Monteux is I guess what you would call fairly modern. Originally the old part of town was completely surrounded by stone walls but now only a fraction of those old walls remain. No hills or steep cliffs to climb while walking as the town sets on a flat plain just at the western edge of the Vaucluse range. 

No class for me today in Cavaillon due to attendance. In fact Mondays class might me completely cancelled which would require me to drive to Avignon or Carpentras which would be a considerably longer commute. Attendance has been up lately but it seems possibly not enough to warrant continuing on Monday. I'm sure I will find out more about my future classroom locations tomorrow. I did take a few snapshots of the center of Cavaillon last week during lunch. There is alot of construction going on as they're trying to improve the "centre ville" area. Eventually they will have a small canal running right through the middle of town which should be nice when completed. 

Even though there is no class today I will still study as if I was actually in class. After all, that's what we model students do. :-)  Rudy is telling me it is time to go outside for a walk so the studying will commence  after our return from our windy and cold "promenade."  

Cafe de Paris.......in Monteux

Right outside the center of Monteux 

Part of the old city wall into Monteux

A chorus outside....

Wednesday morning sunrise - 5 minutes earlier the colors were much more impressive.

I'm hearing lots of singing right outside my window this morning. The birds must be looking forward to another sunny and warm day because they are singing some happy tunes to each other. The entire area seems to be waking up after a long winter as there is a definite increase in people getting out and moving around. I've seen alot of people out in the vineyards pruning back the grapevines so they'll be ready for the new season.  Some planting of new vineyards as well as cherry and olive trees can be seen as you drive through the countryside.

Wednesday afternoon I decided to drive up into a small ridge just south and a little east from where we live. I've looked up into the area numerous times and imagined it would have some great views of the valleys below so finally it was investigation time. As it turns out the ridge runs south all the way into Apt and has some great views on either side. On this afternoon I spent most of my time on the northwest side, climbing down a short distance to get some photos of Villars. It's amazing how a change in elevation and angle can give you a different perspective of the areas all around you. I plan on spending some more time on the "ridge" as I'm sure there is a great amount of photo opportunities that I haven't yet discovered.

I'm usually up right before sunrise here just because I like getting a head start on the day. Or....it could be that we have a built in alarm clock by the name of Rudy who will stand at the edge of the bed at eye level and start giving out a clearing of the throat kind of sound. He mixes that sound with a heavy dose of impatience which tells you its time to go outside to take care of morning business. One morning this week while dog and owner were taking that morning walk we were treated to a very colorful sunrise. The sun hadn't yet made it to the horizon and there were just enough clouds to put on an impressive display. It was one of those sunrises that I decided needed capturing on the Canon so I hurried back to the house, picked up the camera and dropped off the dog and then back out again. In the short time it took me to do all of this the color in the eastern sky had completely changed and much of what was so impressive had quickly faded.  I guess I'm going to have to start carrying my camera with me on those early morning walks with Mr Rudy.

I think the weekend is supposed to be nice here, hopefully nice and warm with lots of that sunshine....might even have to get out that bottle of sunscreen.

On the "ridge" - remnants of an old orchard

In the valley - I don't think these are new grapevines as they seem too far apart..cherry or olive trees?? 

On the "ridge" - Villars in the center of the photo with the Vaucluse range in the distance 

Close up of Villars