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| Abbey Of Senanque |
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| Trogladyte Dwelling In Cliff |
We passed dwellings built right into cliffs. The people who live there
were called troglodytes and these were troglodyte dwellings. I asked if they
had “title” thinking they would be considered squatters but in actual fact the
answer was that that they do have title even if it is in a national park. These
houses are usually passed from one generation to the next and are very old. As
we walked the Aigubrun River Canyon we passed several trogladyte homes as well as prehistoric
caves that were inaccessible because of the steepness of the cliffs. The Abbey
of Senanque we visited next had been there since the 11th century.
We were asked to be quiet as the monks were actively living there. We walked
through their lavender fields and visited their lovely shop. I admired
wood carvings and was entranced by all the things they had made and were
selling. We then ascended from the valley, the pathway treacherously stony, and
headed for a very picturesque hamlet called Gordes. Here a local
market was in
full swing, I was again over the moon seeing huge cheeses, sausages, knives,
baking, and wonderfully made goods. The famous Mistral was blowing very hard. Stones were placed to prevent the goods from blowing away and on the rooftops rocks held
down tiles. This wind comes off the Mediterranean and it is said to drive
people crazy at times. It blows very strong and sometimes goes for days before
stopping. Gordes was a picture post card of a place, medieval in feeling, and was
subject to intense German reprisal during the French Resistance of World War
ll. Subsequently a lot of the damage has been repaired. I learned that the bell
towers are supposed to be open in design and this was also the home of Marc
Chagal, the famous glass artist. We finished the day in famous Rousillon, home of the ochre cliffs. Provence is famous for the colours of the buildings derived from the ochre.
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| Lovely Gordes |
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| Ochre Cliffs Of Rousillon |