Russell Crowe at Château la Canorgue

After our picnic at the top of Bonnieux, the ladies and I headed down the hill toward the village of Gordes. On the way, we were going to Château la Canorgue, the site for the run-down château and vineyard in the movie "A Good Year." In case you haven't seen the movie, Russell Crowe plays Max, a successful London banker who inherits the château after the death of Uncle Henry played by Albert Finney.

The movie is based on the book "A Good Year" by Peter Mayle and set in the Luberon. The movie was mostly shot on location during 9 weeks in the fall of 2005. Shirley and I love the movie especially the outstanding cinematography and know the movie's locations in Gordes, Lacoste, the Marseille airport and rental car area and vineyards between Oppede and Menerbes where Max gets lost in his little yellow car.

Château la Canorgue, the château and vineyard that Max inherits is the main location for the movie. The winery is really owned by Jean-Pierre Margan, the winemaker, his wife, Martine, and their daughter, Nathalie and is located about 1 mile outside of the village of Bonnieux. The view below from Château la Canorgue to Bonnieux and the Petit Luberon is shown several times in the movie.

The movie which was directed by Ridley Scott who himself owns a house in Provence and is a friend of Peter Mayle includes scenes inside the château and outside in the vineyards and garden. Several scenes in the movie were filmed in front of the house, including a final scene with Max and Fanny who is played by the beautiful Marion Cottiard, on the terrace.

You can imagine how this beautiful old house set among huge shade trees with its manicured garden and well tended vineyards could seduce a busy London banker like Max Skinner with dreams of a happier life with with sweet Fanny.

A close up of the terrace in front of the house with the adjoining chapel to the right. If you look closely, you can see a little table and chairs where you can imagine Max and Fanny sitting while they sip on a glass of wine from the domaine and look out over the vineyards.

There are a total of 30 hectares (74 acres) planted in vineyards all organically grown. In the movie, the vineyards are tended by Francis Duflot played by French Algeria-born actor Didier Bourdon while his wife Ludivine Duflot played by French actress Isabelle Candelier does cooking and cleaning at the house for Max.

The Coin Perdue is the "illegal" red wine made by Max's uncle Henry and Francis Duflot from grapes grown on the estate. The wine was illegal because it was made from grapes that were not permitted in the Luberon AOC. The wine was well known and sought by collectors but its origins were a secret according to the movie. Unfortunately, the winery was sold out of the Coin Perdue and their rosé wine when we were there last month so we will have to return so we can try them.

We watch the movie often and enjoy seeing the scenery and locations that we know so well. It makes us yearn to be back in Provence. If you have not seen the movie, download it and watch it now. Let me know what you think.

Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt. Have a great week.

A Picnic in Bonnieux, My First Picnic in Provence

We have eaten in a variety of cafés, bistros, brasseries and restaurants in Provence but we have never had a picnic. I know that is probably hard for some of you to believe but I guess the fact that we are restaurateurs makes us inclined to eat in restaurants when we are not at home.

This morning we, really Shirley decided, that since we had a refrigerator full of good eats, that we would picnic somewhere in the Luberon. We were going to Roussillon, one of our favorite most beautiful villages of France and we would eat a picnic lunch after that.

As we were driving away from Roussillon, I suggested we go to Bonnieux, a pretty village not too far away. Now I like Bonnieux and all, but my reason for going was to show Shirley and her friends Château la Canorgue, the château and winery which was the site for the old house in the movie "A Good Year" starring Russell Crowe based upon a book of the same name by Peter Mayle.

Shirley reminded me that there was an area below the old church at the top of Bonnieux with great views where she thought we would find a good place to have a picnic. I didn't tell them my plan to take them to Château la Canorgue after lunch as I wanted to see if they would recognize the château without pointing that out since we had watched the movie the night before.

Bonnieux looks pretty from the road to Lourmarin even on an overcast day. Bonnieux is built on a steep hill which overlooks a beautiful valley planted with a patchwork of vineyards, lavender fields and orchards.

Sure enough, when we got up to the parking area below the church, we found a place to spread out where we had a great view over Bonnieux and out towards Lacoste. As I recall, our picnic menu included stuffed deviled eggs, potato salad, couscous salad, cheese, olives, freshly baked baguette, radishes, cornichons, fruit and a bottle of rosé from Cassis.

From left to right, Shirley and three friends, Yvette, Jennifer and Liz from the 2-east unit at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital where Shirley works in Santa Rosa, California enjoy lunch and the beautiful views from our stone picnic "table".

Among the views from our picnic spot was the upper or old church built in the 12th century located at the uppermost point in the village. The upper church at nearly 1400 feet elevation is visible from every direction as you approach Bonnieux.

We also had a great view out over the valley towards Lacoste with its famous château which formerly belonged to the Marquis de Sade. Today the château belongs to Pierre Cardin, the famous stylist designer.

We had a nice view over Bonnieux and this wrought-iron bell tower on a roof.

There are actually two churches in Bonnieux, the previously mentioned old church at the top of the village and the Eglise Neuve - new church built in 1870, which we could see below our picnic spot at the bottom of the village.

It is very hard not to enjoy a picnic where you wash your food down with rosé wine in the company of 4 charming ladies with beautiful views all around. I am already thinking about the menu for our next picnic in Provence.

Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt. Have a great weekend.

Joucas, a Village of Sculptors in the Luberon

I told you that we think everyone should go visit the Luberon villages of Roussillon and Gordes. They are not far apart and both are classified as Most Beautiful Villages in France. During the summer, you will encounter many tourists, but don't worry, we always find parking not far from the "Centre du Village" (center of the village).

A few months back, we followed that advice and took friends John and Lorelei who were visiting from Santa Rosa, California to Roussillon and Gordes. After a morning walk through Roussillon and hike on the Sentier des Ocres, we headed towards Gordes.

A short distance outside of Roussillon, I saw a sign pointing the way to Joucas. We had never been to Joucas but I knew that Rick Steves includes Joucas on his list of Top 10 Provençal Towns and Villages in his ubiquitous blue guide to Provence and the French Riviera.

I am a planner and generally have a pretty good idea of what we are going to do every day we are in Provence. I confess that when we have groups of people visiting, I sometimes type an itinerary with morning and afternoon activities and restaurants specified and give a copy to everyone. I don't want to waste a minute of their time.

When we first came to Provence, our day trips were planned based on what I read in Rick Steves' book, the Michelin Green Guide to Provence, National Geographic's book "Provence and the Côte d'Azur" and other guides like Fodor's and The Rough Guide.

More recently, I am guided by posts written by expat bloggers like Tuula at Belle Provence Travels, Aidan at Conjugating Irregular Verbs, Barbara at Cuisine de Provence, Heather at Lost in Arles, Mary at Provence Food and Wine, and Sara at Sara in Le Petit Village.

We figured that if Rick Steves thinks Joucas is a special village, we should go visit since we were close by. Joucas is a small village perched on a hillside in the Monts de Vaucluse between two of the Most Beautiful Villages of France, Gordes and Roussillon.

This small village, population 316, is quiet and largely overlooked by the throngs of tourists who visit the Luberon. Of course there is not much to do or see except walk up the tiny step-streets to the top of the village or hike one of several trails that leave from Joucas.

As we walked around the village we came upon some unusual wood and stone sculptures by local sculptors Mieke Heybroek and Ulysse Plaud.

One of the refurbished homes we passed as as we walked around the village.

The cobblestone step-streets climbs to the top of the village.

This looks like it might have been part of the old city walls.

A few of Mieke Heybroek and Ulysse Plaud sculptures stand in front of this gallery.

A close up of some of the sculptures by Mieke Heybroek and Ulysse Plaud.

A pretty home in Joucas.

Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church topped with its pretty bell tower dates from the end of the 18th century.

The pretty interior of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church.

The war memorial to the children of Joucas that died for France during WWI and WWII.

The Mairie or Town Hall with its bright blue shutters.

This stone step-street passes under a stone archway and continues up to the top of the village.

A beautiful gated home at the top of the village.

From the top of the village you can see the ochre colored hills of Roussillon and the wide plain below with the petit and grand Luberon mountains in the background. Like most of the perched villages in this area, the location for Joucas was chosen because they would see their enemies approaching from far off.

We enjoyed our walk around Joucas and up the stone step-street to the top of the village. To be honest, I thought it was a pretty village but I would not include it on my list of top ten villages in Provence. But if you happen to be driving in the area and see a sign pointing to Joucas, go, it will be worth your while.

Before I started to write this post, I checked the books I mentioned above to see what I could find about the history of Joucas and the two sculptors who live and work there. Guess what; none of the books besides Rick's Steves even mentions Joucas. So either the village is really undiscovered or other writers are not as impressed with Joucas as Rick Steve's is.

Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt. Have a great weekend.

Silvacane Abbey, one of the Three Sisters of Provence

Do you remember that I detoured to visit Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt on the way to cousin Annick's house near Aix-en-Provence? On the road again after my visit, I drove through Apt, passed near Bonnieux and the pretty village of Lourmarin before I reached the Durance River just past Cadenet where I saw the sign for Silvacane Abbey.

I have never been to Silvacane Abbey but I know that Silvacane Abbey is one of the three Cistercian abbeys in Provence known as the "three sisters of Provence," the other two being Sénanque Abbey near Gordes and Le Thoronet Abbey in the Var.

Sénanque Abbey is one of the most beautiful spots in Provence and certainly one of the most frequently photographed sites judging by books, posters, and postcards we see. We drive past Sénanque Abbey on the way to and from Gordes and Roussillon or other villages in the Luberon and are struck by the beauty of the place every time.

We love to visit Sénanque Abbey in July when the lavender is in bloom like the picture below.

I figured that since I already detoured once today, I would take another detour and visit Silvacane Abbey. The Abbey was founded around 1144 as a daughter house of Morimond Abbey. In 1358 the Abbey was plundered by the army of Aubignan, and from then on its financial problems grew, until in 1443 the monks were forced to leave the Abbey.

The Abbey buildings fell into disrepair during the 17th and 18th centuries and were auctioned off during the French Revolution and became a farm. After the property had passed through a number of private hands, the Abbey was bought by the French government in 1846 and declared a historical monument, and restoration work initiated.

The Abbey church was constructed in predominantly Romanesque style with some Gothic elements on the highest part of the property between 1175 and 1230. The building, a basilica with transepts, has a pointed barrel vault, with a plain ribbed vault at the crossing, on substantial cruciform columns.

A view of the Abbey church from the rear of the property.

The Abbey church and other buildings are no longer used for religious purposes. They are open to the public and are sometimes used for cultural events, including the Piano Festival of La Roque-d'Anthéron, the Silvacane Festival of Vocal Music at Silvacane, and the Festival International de Quatuors à Cordes du Luberon.

Finished with my visit to Silvacane Abbey, I drove the last few kilometers to Annick's house. Someday when we are in the Var region, I hope we can visit Le Thoronet Abbey, the third abbey that comprises the "three sisters of Provence." It would be nice to see all three.

Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt. Have a great week.

Farewell Roger and RIP

We arrived back in Sablet a few weeks ago followed by Liz, Yvette and Jennifer, three of Shirley's nurse friends from 2 East unit at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital where Shirley works when we are in California. In case you are interested, 2 East is a neurology unit.

We have gotten to know and become friends with quite a few Sabletains (men who live in Sablet) and Sabletaines (women who live in Sablet) in the village, especially the last two years.

This includes Roger who lives with his Maman and Papa near the bakery. He is a jolly guy who does handyman work for people around the area. We run into him frequently as we walk around the village; whenever he sees me he greets me with a loud "bonjour Michel".

Roger's Maman is a very sweet woman with a head of white hair who always flashes a big smile and without fail, asks about "votre dame", your lady, if Shirley is not with me.

When it is time for us to leave Sablet, we usually have a full refrigerator; some leftover cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, butter, olives, crème fraîche and other things we didn't use. It is really hard not to buy too much at the weekly markets. Wait till you see the pictures of the mushrooms at the Vaison-la-Romaine market this past Tuesday.

Anyway, rather than throwing out all this food, we give it to Roger to give to his Maman and they can save "monnaie" for other things.

Last March, I made a comment to Roger about the baseball style hat he was wearing. He told me loves "casquettes" and would love to have a baseball hat with California on the front of the hat.

As soon as we got back to California, I began to search on line and in tourist shops as I walked through the Los Angeles, San Francisco and John Wayne airports. To my great surprise, they don't make a lot of hats with California on them.

There are lots of baseball style hats with California sports teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels, the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics. There are hats with California Bears for the University of California at Berkeley but I couldn't find any with just California till I found two of them at Oakland airport just before I was supposed to return to Sablet.

After parking my car upon my arrival in Sablet, I saw Roger across the street. He was happily surprised with the hats and he put them on so I could take pictures to show Shirley which I included with this post. He was wearing one or the other of the hats and would point to his head every time I saw him that week.

By the time we got our car unloaded a few weeks ago, it was late afternoon and time for aperitifs and I went out to go to the Café des Sports. Walking down the street, I saw Roger's Maman and Papa sitting in front of their house as they often do at the end of the day.

I went over to say "bonjour". She flashed me one of her big smiles and then reminded her husband that it was me who brought Roger the "casquettes". She then said "Roger is not here." I asked her what she meant and she told me Roger had passed away in August.

I was obviously and visibly shocked and she went on to tell me that she had come downstairs one morning and Roger was lying on the floor and he was gone. I was so happy I had brought Roger his hats last June. This was a harsh reminder that life is short and you never know what the future holds.

The evening before we left Sablet to go visit friends Dominic and Diane near Como Italy, I took a big bag of our refrigerator leftovers plus some things I bought specifically to give her to Roger's Maman. I told her we were leaving the next morning and would miss her.

Now we almost never see her in the morning. But the next morning when we were to leave, there she was standing by our car waiting to tell us goodbye and give Shirley la bise (face kiss).

She gave me la bise too. Roger's Maman has become a special part of our life in Sablet and we hope she will be there when we return in 2013 and for many years to come. I will miss seeing Roger and hearing his "bonjour Michel" as I walk down the street. RIP Roger.

Have a great week! Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt.

A visit to Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt, a town on the edge of the Luberon

After stopping often to shoot pictures of fields of blooming lavender and other scenery along the road from Aurel to Sault, I headed in the direction of Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt. I had not been to Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt before but I thought I recalled seeing pictures of the village in a book or magazine.

I was on my way to cousin Annick's who lives in a small village near Aix-en-Provence. I didn't have to hurry as Annick had said she would be sleeping till mid-afternoon, she works the night shift on the pediatric unit at a local hospital, so I figured I might as well visit Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt.

Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt is a small village that sits at the base of a low cliff with ruins of a castle above the village at one end and a 16th century windmill on the opposite end. The village dates from the 10th century.

Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt.

The windmill as seen from the center of Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt.

The memorial to the children of Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt who died in wars for France.

A café on the main street of Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt.

One of the many colorful buildings I came upon as I wandered the streets of the village.

Shutters in Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt.

11th century church at the top of the village's fortifications.

More of the defensive fortifications.

There are a couple of main streets that run through the village parallel to the hills lined by pretty, medieval houses.

The fountain at the center of Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt.

The church of Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt.

A hotel-restaurant in Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt with colorful shutters.

Part of the stone defensive fortifications.

Another street that runs through the village parallel to the hill.

One of several little cross streets that pass through low vaulted passageways beneath the houses

At one end of the village, the street passes out through the 13th-century "portail Ayguier", an arched defensive entry through the fortified corner building of the old fortifications

Thanks for joining me on my visit to Saint Saturnin-lès-Apt. Have a great week! Bonne journée mes amis et à bientôt.