L’isle sur la Sorgue part 2. (June 17 to 19)

 
I had so looked forward to spending some time eating a good meal under the plane trees at Gigondas. The town was just as I remembered with the shady trees, the restaurants, the various wine shops, the creepers covering the walls of houses. Beautiful!

Under the plane trees	A window
Scene in the town	Water drips in the fountain

Then we chose the wrong restaurant! A bit put off by the apparently small menu at L’Oustalet we went instead to the Du verre à l’assiette. While the menu looked quite good (asparagus and ecrivisses salad for example) what I got was tinned asparagus and I suspect preserved ecrivisses, tiny, poor little things with no taste. The salmon pave was unboned but otherwise quite tasty. Meanwhile, across the road, the others were being treated to fine dining. We compensated by buying some nice Gigondas wine and a bottle of Beaumes de Venise. I suggest others choose more wisely than we did.
We hadn’t heard about the Parting of the Waters at L’Isle before, so went there first thing the next morning. Very pretty and calm where the Sorgue River splits to encircle L’Isle. Lovely parkland, a few nice cafes, some people fishing and a very pretty drive back along the canal into the city, looking at the houses that border the waters. A lovely situation to live in and the location is perfect for picnics, families and lazy luncheons as well as a gentle walk from town.

The Sorgue

Black dragonflies

Water flowing right

Off to Fontaine de Vaucluse. Last time we visited the spring was in full flight and that would have been in mid-June also. So it was somewhat a different experience to see it very low and just the huge cavern where it had been, with the rocks from the water course dry and the moss on them all brittle and brown.

The well is dry, at least for a long way down mid June 2014

But in mid June 2008 the water covered where people are standing. See the line on the wall

Lower down the river, the huge rush of water from under the rocks and bubbling up through the pools was still amazing to us, this fierce flow of water apparently right out of the earth, so once more we sat in Philip’s restaurant and had delicious ices while contemplating the white water gushing up changing to green, clear water just a few feet further on.

The local church is very old. Once again the hollowed out rectangular altar though this time with a more modern altar stone set in (Catholic altars have a stone set in them supposedly holding the relic of a saint). Old Roman columns with Corinthian capitals hold up the area around the altar and very old statues adorn the almost windowless walls.

Recessed altar top

Old Roman column put to new use

Then to Rouissillon where, in several fields as we drove, we saw lavender in full bloom. That made the trifecta, poppies, sunflowers (unphotographed, nowhere to stop the car) and lavender (well lavandin actually).


Then sitting on a café terrace looking out at the coloured soils and the roofs of the houses it seemed we could almost have been alone in the world, until a glance over the village showed tourists toiling along in the heat. Carpaccio and Café Gourmand at the Bistro de Rouissillon in the mid afternoon; don’t mind if I do. Once more we chickened out on the actual walk to the ochres; too hot, too steep and too far. But we did get lovely photos of the pink and orange village basking in the sun, punctuated by the exclamation marks of cypress trees.

Pretty Rouissillon, all pink and orange	Some of the ochre cliffs	Steps to the church bell tower
	A rather charming door

And as usual, we paid our respects to the church, this time finding a most unusual baptismal font, a half circle bowl set into the wall under lovely stucco work of the baptism of Christ

Half round font on wall

A good day, finished off at home with some beef bourguinone and little ratte potatoes from the boucherie/traiteur on Rue de la Republic.

Last day we first needed to check the wifi at the Tourist Office. Orange is not coming to the party re getting the line fixed. It is amazing how much we have come to rely on the internet, from communication with family back home to checking on a restaurant or the difference between lavender and lavandin. Then a wander through the Thursday morning market where the flowers were magnificent, bunches of roses and the gorgeous flowering artichokes in all their purple, spikey glory. Too late! We move on tomorrow. The market seemed to be mainly clothes and local produce and was much smaller than Sunday.

Off to some small villages just to explore. First Saumane de Vaucluse; perched up on its hill with charming windows and shutters with vines and flowers, but their church was shut and the chateau was being restored with much chuting of stones and dirt, raising clouds of dust, so not much action for us.

Next, St Didier which has a clock tower and arch over the road as part of the ancient church, facing the chateau. A long main street lined with linden trees, a lime and moss encrusted fountain, pleasant cafes already attracting customers at mid-day. These villages are easy to love and we love that the old, old churches are still in use.

The church clock tower

Weird accretion of calcium growing moss in the town fountain

Then to Venasque. It came into view as a bell tower and golden stone way up the hill, but was easily reached. The Planette is a sweet flat square with a fountain, some seats, some gorgeous windows that indicated various ages for the different houses backing the area; it was all just lovely. There was an outlook from La Planette over Mt Ventoux, sitting brooding over the landscape and making its own weather. Truly, it was providing the clouds as the moisture laden winds were pushed upwards by its bulk.

Medieval window opening	Hollyhocks and vines

We visited the very old Roman style church with unusual flat stones for a roof, like large flag stones, and sturdy triple arches inside with a dome over the crossing. There is a quite famous Roman baptistery but it was closed.

The church

This is in one corner of the dome supports. Two others have angels. What is it?

A bit further on we found another square with a fountain, cafes with outside seats favoured by the intrepid bicyclists in their Lycra gear, and for us, a fabulous lunch spot under a green leafed archway on the top of the village, at Les Remparts.

Cafe	Place for lunch

Well it was lunch time, the menu was attractive and we had no real plans except to meander. A complete meal on one plate; a salad and various cold meats and terrines, a slice of a superb tomato tart, a piece of very good camembert and a petit crème brulee flavoured with lavender. Plus some Ventoux rose of course. Nick had civette of pork; I didn’t tell him till after he had demolished it that civettes are usually made with the blood from the beast, which explained the dark sauce. But he loved it.

After that any further exercise seemed unnecessary so we returned to L’Isle. Afternoon nap times sometimes feature in our days now.
Next: Lyon

L’Isle sur la Sorgue (Part 1) June 13-17

We stayed a week at this pretty town in 2008 and loved it, so decided to return for the last hurrah. We won’t be back this way again given age and infirmities!  It was a quick run from Vaison but very muddled in the town when we arrived; lots of closed off roads that really confused the GPS, though all was made good with help from the Tourist Information Office. Parking is at a premium even in the little square near the apartment, Place de la Juiverie. Much busier than we remember and more cars in the town centre it seems.

So we ensconced ourselves in an apartment in a 16th century building, up one flight of a spiral staircase. Lovely big bedroom with traces of stucco decoration in what was a semi-oval room, huge dining table (and we live at tables, reading, writing, using the laptop, eating; it is our preferred space); spare bed room/sitting room, more than workable kitchen, washing machine, good bathroom. The loo is off the kitchen/laundry rather than the bedroom but fine to get to. A/C and heating too and lots of things hidden in cupboards. The undulating 16th century floor was rather a surprise but we quickly got used to it.  The apartment is in a cul de sac, so private.There is no view or outside terrace but plenty of living space.  No guaranteed parking. http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/rentals/l-isle-sur-la-sorgue/168611
 
Downside was the wifi was unexpectedly stuffed by Orange and was not reinstated during our stay, despite the best efforts of the people on the spot. We used the local Cafe de France or the Tourist Office but it was an annoyance, especially as we had banking to do and a brand new grandson born in Australia to follow up on.

Having been three times to the area in the past, it wasn’t going to be new discoveries but revisiting old favourites in the main. The rest of the first day was buying our groceries (local SPAR very close, local boucherie/traiteur excellent), settling in and choosing a restaurant for lunch and the evening meal. We ate at L’Isle o Delice for lunch where a Provencale assiette was just the light food needed. For the evening we chose L’Art de Vivre and had a lovely meal with good service. The next day was spent reacquainting ourselves with the town, visiting the OTT Collegiate church with its baroque decoration, walking along the canals and back streets and trying to settle the wifi problem using on the spot troubleshooters who could at least talk to Orange in French. We also adopted the iconic Café de France as our local bar, not only because it has good beer and café crème but because it has free wifi.

Canal	Part of the river	Cafe de France
Old porch house facades	Tromp l’oeil wall	Cast iron bracket
Dead vine patterns a wall	The collegiate church	John the evangelist
Wheels along the street	Water weed patterns	Handsome 2CV

Then Sunday was market day. We got in nice and early and sussed out the prices and quality of cheeses, salads, gorgeous strawberries, melons, raspberries, cherries, lettuce, tomatoes, bread, terrine, lavender  honey and wine, and of course a rotisseried chicken, all of which we bought. Alas, no flowers though they are at the Thursday markets! I recall huge bunches of roses in front of Cafe de France last trip and had dreams of filling the apartment. That will have to wait for Paris where I can buy paeonies again. Chook and salad for dinner with raspberries and raspberry fruit paste @ E69/kilo. I bought a very thin slice indeed but it was delicious.

Cheeses

Cherries at their peak

Not our dinner chook but holders for plastic supermarket bags

Next day, off to St Remy which we hadn’t visited before. A pretty town with a very strange church; all portico and columns in front and a barrel vault with stained glass inside, attached to an 11th century bell tower. A disaster in 1824 destroyed all but the bell tower. There is a lovely organ as well. The village was pretty but very touristy with non-French accents predominating, mostly German and American. I bought some lovely Piccoline olive oil from a producers shop for Moulin du Calanquet before turning 180 degrees and having a delicious meal on a charming patio at L’Aile ou la Cuisse, the highlight being a pastry from the pastry case in the front window. Sigh! Chocolate seemed to predominate in our choices. I wouldn’t say the rest of the meal was faultless, the twice shelled broadbeans and roast tomatoes were a nice touch with my fish, but stone cold. Umm, you are supposed to reheat them!

A St Remy street

The organ and curved roof, inset with stained glass

A pretty trompe l’oeil window

Onto Les Baux. One look at the buses and cars parked and the uphill climb to the village decided us. Not there, especially with Nick’s breathing difficulties. Instead we re-visited Les Carriers Lumieres which we last knew as Cathedral des Images. (For those who don’t know, this is a continuous video and music presentation in under the hill excavated caverns of bauxite mines. The walls are flat and floor and walls are projected with images while music plays). The subject was Klimpt and the Vienna school and it was absolutely sumptuous. We were immersed both in sight and in sound, they choreographed the art so it flowed from one image to another or grew from parts to a whole. The view differed from different parts of the quarry so that we ended up seeing it through again from a different viewpoint. An absolute highlight! My camera battery died taking photos here for over an hour.

Part of the mine

The Kiss

We followed this with Tarascon Castle, a mighty fortress on the Rhone. We had stopped there before but never entered more than the garden level. It towers over the town and I am proud to say we managed to get to the top and view the landscape from the terrace there. Mostly Renaissance in concept, it had comfortable rooms, but was also used as a prison, and there are prison graffiti. There are no furnishings now, but some descriptions of what was there before. The tiled floors and huge fireplaces give some idea of the grandeur. Well worth the visit and the climb was good for our cardio-pulmonary systems. I needed Nick’s photos here. my camera having died valiantly in the Quarries of Light.

Plan of the castle The medieval gardens	The bulk of the castle The castle from the internal gardens	The spiral stair we climbed
Proof: the view from the top	A gargoyle	Prisoner graffiti

Next post: L’Isle part 2