ROADS LESS TRAVELED

Saturday, March 21, 2009 Roads Less Traveled

Slept in a bit as this was planned to be a short day trip to the town of Apt to see their Market. Arrived there before 10 am and discovered that it was indeed a very large market that stretched from one end of the town to the other; and not a parking place to find without walking a good distance. So, we headed out the other end of town to our next destination: Saignon.

Saignon is a very old hill town that sits high on the top of a hill above Apt. The last time I was there with Jim we watched old men (my, that’s a relative term these days) play Bochhi Ball on the town lawn in the afternoon sun. Today it was very cold and we bundled up as we walked to see the cemetery and also visit the church that was unlocked. Mornings are the best time to find cemeteries and churches unlocked!

Back down the hill to Apt again, no reasonable parking places so we continued to the edge of town and discovered that the two lamas that we’d seen grazing going in were actually standing in front of the Circus that is in town for the weekend.

Found the road to Roussillon where we explored the area that is known for its Ochre soil, a very red earth that is embedded in everything you see in Roussillon. After many photos as we walked around the village we ate our lunch on the bridge that has a great view of the surrounding countryside: our baguettes with the olive/basil condiment that we’d purchased yesterday at the market in Lourmarin. We walked up to view the huge sun dial before getting into the car to continue our trip.

Leaving Roussillon we were headed towards Gordes and home but we didn’t see a directional sign. So, we just turned right and headed out on a small country road, note a photo of the ditches along the road…makes it interesting when passing other cars. And this one is not nearly as narrow as most! But the “road less traveled” turned into a jewel of a find for us. I’d heard about a windmill in Provence but didn’t quite know its location. We ended in the village of Goult and when we checked there was our windmill or as it’s known: le Moulin de Jerusalem. Originally built in the fifteenth century it was restored in 1998. Our final directions to find the mill were from a gentleman in town who answered us in beautiful English after I asked for directions to the “Moulin” in my broken French. If you look at the photo of the restaurant, he’s the gray bearded gentlemen sitting at a table; they were walking towards this restaurant when we interrupted there stroll with our questions.

This was a fun day full of unexpected treasurers in Provence. Tomorrow is Sunday and we’ll stay in town to enjoy the Market here in I’Isle Sur La Sorgue and prepare for our trip to Nice on Monday morning. We’re splurging and enjoying the hotel breakfast before attending Mass and then the Market which will be in full swing by noon.