A Weekend Drive In Provence

Back home in California, our family had weekend tradition of taking a drive in the country. Beach, mountains, desert-there was always somewhere new to explore. We decided to rent a car again and do the same thing here. Provence is a gorgeous place to take a drive. Leaving Aix it didn't take long to find ourselves driving by lovely villages, chateaus, old stone wall ruins, fields of wildflowers, farms and rocky mountains. We didn't really have a route planned, but we wanted to head up the valley to the north of Mount Sainte-Victoire, Cézanne's "beau motif" that watches over Aix.

A bit further up the road, we stopped to watch some goats, all outfitted with bells so the shepherd can find them in the brush. As I write this, I realize that I have a fever... and the only prescription is... More cowbell (or goat bell)!!! 

A ruin of a cellar? A barn? It was off by itself in the woods.

Château of Vauvenargues was Pablo Picasso's house and is his grave. The story goes that after he bought it, he called his friend and remarked he had bought Cézanne's Sainte-Victoire. His friend thought he meant one of Cézanne's paintings and asked which one, to which Picasso replied "the original!" It isn't open to the public, but it's beautiful from the road!

A tower in the village of Vauvenargues.

A fountain in Vauvenargues, the spouts have hooks for your bucket and the walls are short enough for your goats to drink.