The ancient village of Oppede la Vieux

This is my final post about our August trip to Provence, France. I am cutting and folding hand-dyed fabric at this moment. This week I received the x-ray results on my left knee. They show severe osteoarthritis, and that my cartilage has deteriorated so much that my joint is almost bone on bone. As well, there are loose bodies floating in my knee, so that explains the pain I've been feeling. I am once again being referred to a surgeon (the waiting times here are very long), and have started physiotherapy. I was not expecting this diagnosis. Only a few weeks ago I was climbing a step ladder to paint my studio, and a few weeks prior to that doing the same in our guest bedroom. No it wasn't easy, but the fact that I was able to do it, did not lead me to suspect such a severe diagnosis. I had been managing very well with my knees for the past three years since my major flare-up 3-1/2 years ago. I had been under the impression that my arthritis was only severe under my kneecaps. So we will see how things progress in the next weeks and months. I can still teach if I have a chair on wheels. Things may settle down shortly, but the writing is on the wall that I will need some sort of treatment soon.

 

There are two villages named Oppede in Provence. One refers to a relatively young and modern village. When you see "la Vieux" tagged on the name "Oppede" it means old or ancient. Our bed and breakfast during our second week was only a few kilometers from both the new and the ancient Oppede. 

Oppede la Vieux (the ancient one) is a beautiful and largely abandoned village that has fallen into ruin. However, there are signs of restoration everywhere and many people are buying up property there. You can't drive to this village unless you live there. You have to park in a lot a km or two away, and walk through fields and forest and up hill to access it (and yes I did the walk and climb!). There are a couple of cafes there,

Walking through the forest and up stairs to access the castle and cathedral.

The cathedral is situated on a windy hilltop with fantastic views of the countryside.

Heading back down from the cathedral and castle.

Village streets are quiet, often steep, and hauntingly beautiful.

A pink rose near a pink wall.

Why are so many Provencal villages situated on hilltops? Because turmoil raged for centuries when this region won and lost in warms. A hilltop setting enabled the inhabitants to see invaders approaching

Soon I'll be on my way to New Brunswick!

The Hilltop Village of Goult

Have you seen enough blue doors and windows yet? I photographed these in the charming little hill-top village of Goult.

Look at these beautiful triangle-shaped delicate lace curtains in this window.

Twelfth century castle

The lush and green village park with a fountain.

Tuesday morning market with a lovely array of vendors, including these two young entrepreneurs.

The usual lavender products.

A darling array of children's clothing. Polka dots are everywhere right now!

 

I have one more blog post to share about Provence. In the background I am dyeing, washing, ironing, cutting and folding fabric for my teaching trip to New Brunswick. I leave on Thanksgiving day. This week will be busy organizing all my workshop materials, copying notes, boxing up patterns and fabric, packing quilts, and all the personal items I'll need for my two weeks there.

 

The Village of Ansouis

Ah, Ansouis, a sleepy little village, and one of the "plus beaux villages de France". With a population of about 1,000 you can enjoy walks through the narrow streets without battling any crowds at all. Ansouis is reminiscent of the villages that you see in Peter Mayle's film "A Year in Provence". Quiet and quite real without the throngs of tourists.

The town is built on top of a rocky knoll, where a chateau (castle) looks out over the Luberon.

The streets are narrow and winding, and did I mention quiet?

We saw more cats in Ansouis than any other village, probably due to the quietness!

Blue doors and windows.

Green ones too. 

The beautiful Eglise Saint Martin.

Across from the church, we found a local art show taking place. Guess what? I came home with two small paintings.

The lavender fields painting is by Laurence Eli, Could I possibly leave it behind?

Port of Cassis was painted by Pierre Bonnefoy . We did not drive as far as the Port of Cassis, but this painting reminded me so much of many places I have visited in the Mediterranean, most particularly, the Island of Crete in Greece.

Canopies of plane trees line the street on the way in and out of the village.

The Peace and Serenity of Abbaye de Saint Hilaire

I've been keeping a low profile since I returned from my Okanagan teaching trip. The following day I banged my arthritic knee on a metal ledge at the grocery store check-out. Given that I have patello-femoral arthritis (arthritis of the knee cap) this was not a good thing. I've been using a cane since, trying to bring the swelling down, and medicating myself for the pain. I've been mostly staying around the house getting my book keeping organized and doing some dyeing for my upcoming teaching trip to New Brunswick. I'm being careful, doing small batches of 15 meters at a time, sitting on a stool as much as I can, and just not rushing. I expect to see improvement before the trip, but the good news is that I am driving and do not have to hoof through airports, and I have accessible classrooms and hotels at my destination. This is a huge help. 

I would like to finish my blog posts about Provence this week so that I can focus back on posts related to my regular teaching and creative life (yes I do plan to get back into studio mode very soon!). I'm sharing a post today that hopefully will give you a feeling of calm and serennity on a rainy Monday.

Near the village of Lacoste in Provence, France lies the Abbaye de Saint Hilaire. It is probably the most peaceful and serene site we visited in France.

References to the Abbaye date back to the year 825. Some sections of the Abbaye were built on top of previous structures, It was closed in the 18th century due to financial difficulties.

It seems now to be mostly a historical site, with and ongoing efforts to restore and protect it.

I hope you enjoyed the peace and beauty :-)

The City of Arles

One of our reasons for visiting the city of Arles was that Vincent Van Gogh had spent time here and painted here, as had other artists. Arles dates back to Roman times so it also has great ruins from the Roman period and is thus a UNESCO site. It also has fantastic Medieval and Renaissance architecture added to the mix.

Walking into Arles from the Visitors Centre, there is a wonderful installation of umbrellas over the street. We couldn't take enough photos! So here they are from every angle!

A detail at the fountain in the centre square.

A colourful town with lots of cafes.

This is a recreation of the the "Yellow Cafe" that Van Gogh hung out at in his day

and is featured in his painting "Le Cafe La Nuit"

The streets are old and cobbled and colourful.

You could be forgiven for thinking you are in Rome! Here is a photo with the Roman Theatre on the right, and a medieval church in the background.