The Little Alps of Provence

Wednesday 17 July

With good memories of a previous visit I was keen to take the girls to the Chaine des Alpilles which lies to the south of Avignon.  We had ruled out a trip to Avignon - Maree, Jess and I had been here before and Melanie wasn't bothered about going.  I was happy not to have to negotiate the traffic in the suburbs of Avignon, but arriving in the market town of St-Remy-de-Provence on market day was a bit hair raising! Fortunately a little local knowledge led us to a supermarket carpark within easy walking distance to the centre ville, site of all the action.  St-Remy is at the foot of the ridge of hills known as Les Alpilles (the Little Alps).  They are certainly little in terms of height, but absolutely stunning when it comes to geographical characteristics - all pale rocky outcrops, pine forests - quite a wild looking place and quite unique!
St- Remy is a large town approached through a magnificent and lengthy avenue of tall plane trees which completely shade the road - very pleasant as the temperature soared.

Road to St-Remy - so cool and shady

The middle of the town is ancient and largely pedestrianized and this is where the Wednesday market spreads through several squares and many narrow streets.  There is a huge array of items on sale, from beautiful Provencale fabrics and decorative wares to foods of all descriptions.  Local artists sell their paintings and bands play on street corners.  There were huge crowds this morning and the atmosphere is very vibrant and colourful.  In a way it is a shame to visit St-Remy on market day as the large number of people fill the streets and obscure the landmarks - you don't really get a sense of the antiquity of the buildings and the prettiness of the tree lined squares.  The stall holders operate out of canvas or umbrella covered stalls so it often seems as though there is a huge roof covering everything. 

St -Remy Market

 We were fortunate to get a table in a café adjacent to the main market square - a light as air croissant and a steaming mug of café au lait, beaucoup de lait, for breakfast.  Then it was time to browse the stalls and buy a few goodies - I am a sucker for French housey things and Jess got a great pair of skinny print jeans for a bit of a bargain.  Mel and Maree also scored with some Frenchy things and I had a wonderful time practising my French skills with the amiable stall holders - improving is  all I can say. Lots of fun!

Mel and Maree - St- Remy shopping,

 By 1 pm hunger set in so we negotiated our way out of town and drove to the nearby village of Maussane-les-Alpilles on the other side of the Little Alps.  Maussane is one of those places where you could live (well I could).  Lovely creamy stone houses with pale blue shutters and pretty gardens, a tree shaded main square with heaps of options for outdoor eating, a few shops for necessities and the most wonderful laid-back atmosphere.  The restaurants were quite busy but it is not at all a "tourist" village.

Downtown Maussane-les-Alpilles

Today was very hot with no breeze so it was a relief to sit under the trees ad have a delicious salad and a cold glass of rose ( a specialty of the area).  With the salad greens I had fresh asparagus, goats cheese, pine nuts, fig confiture and a delicious, slightly mustard dressing.  Maree and Mel had similar salads but with apple instead of asparagus and cherry confiture - equally delicious.  Jess reckoned she had the best pesto penne ever.  After lunch Maree and I found the perfect fixer upper village house with a small neglected garden that was crying out for some TLC.  Dream on!

Waiting for lunch - Maussane-les-Alpilles

We piled into the car and drove another few kilometres through some spectacular rocky scenery to Les- Baux-de -Provence, a must see village of the Plus Beaux variety.  Of course we had to park at the bottom of the hill and walk up - we are getting our quota of exercise here! 

Up the hill to Les Baux - Jessica guards the gate

We are getting used to the heat but still need to drink litres of water all the time.  Les Baux is built of the light greyish stone that is everywhere - in fact the village seems to grow out of the hillside.  It is very ancient and there are Roman ruins here. 

 

Les Baux is up there somewhere!

Path up to Les Baux

The view over Les Alpilles is great and it is an interesting village of tiny, winding streets and crumbling ruins. 

Ruins - Les Baux

 Plenty of people here and shops.  In the valley immediately below are pretty houses and gardens - some almost built into the cliffs.

Green valley and Les Alpilles countryside from Les Baux

We had a good look around and then tired and still hot clambered back into our aircon car and had a quick journey home, stopping off at the SuperU for a few supplies.  Tonight we just made it home before a thunderstorm hit us - lots of rumbling but not much rain. It is lovely to come home to this pretty house - so comfortable and welcoming.