And now…….the winds…………
If you have done any reading about the south of France, you have probably read something about “le mistral”, a particularly strong current of wind that blows from the Rhone Valley to the Mediterranean. “Le mistral” now seems to be the norm here in Aix en Provence. When I ask the locals here whether this is normal for this time of year, they just look at me and say,
“Ce n’est pas normale. Mais, c’est le mistral.” (It’s not normal. But, it’s the mistral.”)
As I was reading about these winds on the internet, it said that this is a cool, dry wind that can move as fast as 90 kilometers an hour. This is not the case here, so I question whether or not this is really “le mistral”. It could be one of the other several wind conditions that can be found here. Who knows?! But, what we have here is lots of rain along with the 90 kilometer winds. (In truth, I can’t say that the wind is 90 kilometers per hour. But, it’s pretty strong. I’m on my 3rd umbrella!) But, who am I to argue with the locals! If they say it’s the mistral, then it must be!
What I can tell you is that it’s pretty windy here and really wet. Wet enough that I have invested in some of those weird rubber boots that are in style now. I never thought I would have a pair of those boots….cute in an off beat sort of way, but not my favorite. However, they do keep the feet dry! I can also tell you that my hair and “le mistral” have created a fast and impenetrable partnership. Together, they are creating styles seen only in horror movies! My poker straight, flat to my head hair now has the capability to stand on end with one swift motion of the wind. If only, I could get it to do that on command. HMMMM…….
On the up side, “le mistral” has blown in an interesting and varied mix of activities for me in the last week or two. I think I have had every sensory experience that is possible to have since this wind has kicked up. For that, I say, keep it coming!
This past week, I began to explore the vast bus system that we have here in Aix en Provence. On Monday, I decided that I would take a run to one of the small towns on the side of Mont Sainte Victoire called Puyloubier. It is the base of the wine industry in the AOC Cotes de Provence. I expected that I might find some opportunities for wine tasting there. What I didn’t expect was the absolutely stunning scenery as I rode along and the hairpin turns that the bus had to negotiate to get to the towns. What a ride!
I did find some wine tasting. But, sadly, I was too late to do any tasting. (I planned to go back earlier on another day. But, then it started raining again. Needless to say that it is still on my target list.) So, I spent a very pleasant and leisurely day walking through the town. This town is positioned on the side of the mountain. On one side, there are views of the mountain and on the other side of the many vineyards that make up the appellation. The town itself is kind of sleepy on a Monday in the fall. But, it was similar to the other towns I visited in the Luberon with their cobbled, winding streets that go straight up to the center where there is a church and few restaurants. I wandered for quite a long time before I made my way back to Aix. What a great way to spend the day.
Because of the high winds and rain this past week, I spent more time in the apartment than has been the norm for me on this trip. On Thursday, Thanksgiving, I decided that I needed to go somewhere. I was getting a little bit of cabin fever….and, it was Thanksgiving. I felt obligated to do something interesting. Since my last trip to Marseille, I had been thinking about visiting a museum near the port. So, I decided that this would be the day to go. When I started out, the rain seemed to be subsiding and the winds were reasonable. This was my chance!
The museum was hosting an exhibit of all things to do with food, which is what I thought I would be most interested in. I was wrong. The artwork was a multi-media mixture of odd things that I had a hard time connecting with. I’m sorry, but I don’t understand a video where someone is pouring a “Coke” over his head. What’s the point?!
But, in the next room, there was a photographic exhibit by an artist named Raymond Depardon. Among other things, he had been a french photo journalist who traveled all over the world taking photographs, mostly of people. The exhibit was a study of the progression of his use of color in the photographs. It was fascinating to see how the color in his photos became more vivid as the years went by. And, his ability to capture the subjects was outstanding. It was well worth the effort.
This museum is also connected to one of the many ancient fortresses that one finds here, so I also spent some time wandering through there. Again, the views to the port, the city and Notre Dame de la Garde, the old church on the hill that I had visited with my friends were just lovely. All in all, it was a day well spent!
I also attended an interesting performance at the “Grand Theater de Provence” here in Aix en Provence. It was a kind of “Cirque de Soleil” adventure based in the modern day. The performers were young men mostly…one woman…….They captivated the audience with spectacular acrobatic feats. Every time I see one of these kinds of shows, I am amazed at the musculature of the bodies of the performers. Their shoulders and backs are dis-proportionately wide. All you can see is hard, rippled muscle. It was impressive…both the bodies and the tricks!
The weekend was full of fun for the senses as well! On Saturday, I went on a tour of the provence wine country with a local expert. We visited two wineries, one in the Coteaux d’Aix and one in the southern part of the Luberon. We had some outstanding wines. This area is primarily known for rosé as I mentioned in another post. However, the rosé is primarily enjoyed in the summer, so much of it was gone for the year. Instead, we enjoyed two whites and some of the reds.
Just as in the other areas of France, this area also has about a million rules that the wineries must follow in order to be able to have a quality designation from the region. Here, the rules range anywhere from the types of grapes that can be used in the wines to the number of bunches of grapes that can be on a vine. The “approved” grape varietals found in this area are, again, similar to those in Paso Robles. Grapes such as mourvedre, grenache, and syrah are common. Here, while the winemakers are following the rules in order to get the appellation designation, they are also beginning to branch out with other grape varietals to make non-designated wines. We tried several of these.
The first winery, Chateau Vignelaure, was founded in the 1960’s by a winemaker who came from Bordeaux. He planted Cabernet Sauvignon vines in addition to the regulated grapes. We had two outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah blends (2006 and 2007), a forbidden blend according to the rules here. At this winery, the standard was to barrel the juice in oak for 18-24 months and then bottle and age for 2 years. Hard to believe the long aging in this day of instant gratification. But, the result was exceptional. I would say these wines were the most elegant that we had. Just great!
The other winery, Chateau La Dorgonne, was a little different. The wines were good and approachable, but younger. They were also not as sophisticated, but I liked them. My favorites were a white that was a blend of Rolle (Vermentino), Uni-blanc, Grenache Blanc, and Roussanne and a red that was a Syrah and Grenache blend. Both were quite good. This winery was also branching out to make some undesignated wines. We tried a Merlot and a Cabernet Sauvignon there as well. They were both nice.
I ended my weekend with an afternoon at the Sainte Sauveur church, the main church here in town. I really didn’t have a plan for the day and was walking by the church on my way to get a cup of coffee. There were some people putting up signs advertising an afternoon concert. I inquired about a ticket and was encouraged to come back thirty minutes in advance of the concert to purchase a ticket.
I did. Good call.
The concert was being done by the Bach Society here in town, whose roster of artists was pretty impressive. I heard Bach’s “Cantate BMV 26”, a feast for the ears. And, because I got there early, I was able to sit in the fourth row from the front and got a close up and personal view of the musicians. It was fabulous!
I was sitting next to a nice older french man. He was very cute! He liked the women singers because they were cute! I also think he knows music, but he did like the view! At the end of the concert, he looked at me and asked whether I was staying for the organ concert in thirty minutes. After some thought, I decided to stay and heard that one as well…it was free…and, also spectacular!
I just love stumbling onto things like this. Unexpected pleasure!
So, friends, that’s my week here in provence. I’m going to take a day or two to catch my breath! But, I have a few things on the roster for this week. I’ll keep you posted on these activities and anything else that “le mistral” blows in!
So, from wind tunnel central, I’ll wish you a good night and a good week!
Travel With Betsy 
Leave a comment