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Many of our guests at Bastide Le Amis (www.bastidelesamis.com) are fascinated by some of the local residents and, although low key as they go about their daily life without hindrance. We’ve called this: Something Different: The ‘Hello’/’Paris Match’ Tour. It is a little tongue in cheek. But fun, not tacky. It’s basically a celeb hunt, and done with the right intent, not intrusive at all. Provence and the Luberon is a haven for many stars, celebrities and people who are famous for being famous. However, our area prides itself on the privacy it affords it’s residents and consequently, the viewing is not nearly as spectacular as towns such as St Tropez or the Cote d’Azur. This little peek (over the next few posts) will focus into the lives of people more famous than ourselves:

o Ridley Scott, Film Director and Producer

o John Malkovitch, Actor

o ‘A Good Year’, the movie starring Russell Crowe and directed by Ridley

Scott

o Pierre Cardin, Fashion Designer and iconic French figure

o Yves Rousset-Rouard, Film Director and Producer, Mayor of Menerbes

Let’s kick off with Ridley Scott!

Ridley Scott

The Oscar-winning Director (Gladiator, etc) has a largish estate between Oppede and Menerbes. He visits it once a year but he is notorious in the area for the ‘story of the chickens’. Briefly, his neighbour is an Avignon academic with a smallholding and the proud owner of a few chickens. Each morning the cock woke Scott with his crowing and he made no less than six attempts in a local court to have the chickens wiped out. After the sixth court had thrown the application out, the magistrate lost patience and told Scott that he may not bring his chicken case to court again. Undaunted, Scott offered his neighbour €60,000 to dispose of his chickens. The result? The professor regarded this as an insult and purchased another 30 chickens which still crow in the morning. The only loser in the case has been Scott’s popularity with the local population!

If you come across the Scott Estate in your ramblings, you will see that it is complete with lawns between the vines and a Provençal garden which could only have come from a coffee table book. Peep through the gates – its pretty impressive. Entrance, naturally, is prohibited.

Bastille Day is the French National which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale (The National Celebration) and commonly le quatroze juillet (the fourteenth of July). It commemorates the 1790 Fete de la Federation, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789; the anniversary of the storming of the fortress-prison was seen as a symbol of the uprising of the modern nation, and of the reconciliation of all the French inside the constitutional monarchy which preceded the First, during the French Revolution. Festivities and official ceremonies are held all over France. The oldest and largest regular military parade in Europe is held on the morning of 14 July, on the Champs- Elysses in Paris in the presence of President Sarkosy, French officials and foreign guests.

Vive la France - Liberty; Equality; Fraternity!

All along the autoroute, the ladies were licking their lips in anticipation of a paella in Barcelona. After all, it is the Spanish national dish.

The French paella is a delicious, based in a fluffy rice, with sea food, sausage, chicken and liberal herbs and spices dish.

In Spain, let’s say Barcelona, paella is everywhere. Literally. Buy it from street vendors, buy it at dodgy restaurants or the finest. However, it was pronounced stodgy, lacking in chicken and sausage, bland and tasteless.

The message - stay away from a Barçelona paella! The rest of the food - delicious!

Our first night was at Los Caracoles (the snail) in the old city and a restaurant since 1835. The paella got the thumbs down, the 1/2 chicken a thumbs up, but what really got the kudos was the huge stove which cooked for what seemed like 400 people all at once.

The morning dawned bright and clear and the best way to see Barçelona is by the tourist bus - blue or red, depending on the route and giving you the whole story in 13 languages (fortunately with headphones!). Some of the incredible city buildings are shown here.

After the 2-hour bus trip we stopped off at Plaza Catalunya and went off to the department store El Corte Ingles - not to shop (well, a little) but to the 9th floor and the restaurant which had been recommended by our friends at the Cafe Verandah in Menerbes. Once again a disappointing paella for some, a great fish dish for others. We spend the afternoon strolling down the many streets and boulevards of central Barcelona waiting for cocktail and dinner hour. This was satisfied down at the old harbour and in the new waterfront development where the Olympic Village has been converted into shops, offices, apartments and restaurants. A wonderful example of using an Olympic asset after the event.

We found a great looking restaurant on the water. Guess what! The paella was inedible, truly and was returned with no charge added to our bill (Why they kept trying it, I am at a loss to explain). The balance of food was edible but touristy - we should have known! On the way home we discovered the seedy side of Barçelona - we had been warned by countless peole. A small 10 year old boy came sidling up to Erica and tried to snitch her handbag. We tumbled on the ruse but what was the worst was that his family were part of the action and laughing out loud.

We survived = our Johannesburg radars were on. And to bed, and the next day, the big birthday event!

Well, it’s not really Provençe, we gathered up Erica, packed the Touran with plenty of provisions and set off down South.

A short and pleasant interlude in Montpellier for a great lunch with a flu-stricken Genevieve, Jean-Pierre, Robert and Sylvie saw us lunch over until mid-afternoon after which it was down the autoroute to the anchovy capital Collioure on the coast.

The village is quaint and dominated by three ancient forts. The largest was in fact commanded by Jean-Pierre’s grandfather just before the First World War, and is an art gallery and tourist attraction to-day. One of the other forts is still in use to-day as the headquarters of the French Foreign Legion Special Forces division.

After checking in to our charming little boutique Hotel La Casa Pairal, we ventured forth into the village. Narrow lanes open out on to a tiny bay with stony beaches. What must be a tourist haunt in the mid-season, was a delight.

A Visit to the Church is a must, as is a stroll along the breakwater and then…. as Collioure considers that it is part of Catalania (that mythical state which rates Barcelona as its capital). the girls decided: Tapas! Tapas it was.

After a leisurely breakfast in the La Casa dining room (decorated with some rather intimidating bull fight pictures - blood for breakfast is unusual), we headed out back to the autoroute. Along the way we paused and marvelled at the stone terracing which is hand built to contain the Banyul Muscat vines - small but high-yielding and responsible for the world famous Banyul sweet wine.

The road through the Pyrenees is a disappointment. Having experienced the wonder of the Bremmer Pass between Austria and Italy, we expected something spectacular. While the mountains are impressive, the road chooses the least climbing and winding.

It’s an easy run to Barçelona but once near the sprawling mass of city, you’re glad of the GPS which deposits you at our hotel - The Park Hotel Barçelona on Avenuda Marques de la Argentera. The Park is small, comfortable, spartan, clean, welcoming and, most of all, well-situated on the actual edge of the Old City and a mere one kilometre stroll from La Rambla.

Part 2 coming up ……..

Our week of discovery continued with a drive to Lake Verdun and the Gorges of Verdon. About 90 minutes from Menerbes, you travel through some beautiful countryside and some interesting towns.

The Verdon Gorge is a river canyon that is often considered to be one of Europe’a most beautiful. It is about 25 kilometers long and up to 700 meters deep. It was formed by the Verdon River, which is named after its startling turquoise-green colour, one of the canyon’s most distinguishing characteristics. The most impressive part lies between the towns of Castellane and Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, where the river has cut a ravine up to 700 metres down through the limestone mass. At the end of the canyon, the Verdon river flows into the artificial lake of Sainte-Croix-du-Verdon (Lac de Sainte-Croix).

Because of its proximity to the French Riviera, the canyon is very popular with tourists, who can drive around its rim, rent kayaks or hike. The limestone walls, which are several hundreds of meters high, attract many rock climbers. There are routes encompassing cracks, pillars and seemingly endless walls. The climbing is generally of a technical nature, and there are over 1,500 routes, ranging from 20m to over 400m.

Having been to Moustiers-Sainte-Marie a few times and expecting it to be pretty closed up at this time of the year, we concentrated on a new area close to the lake and visited the tiny Provençal village of Bauduen.

We had a great casual lunch next to the lake in a bistro called ‘HDG’ - family run and full of entertaining local characters. Two mechanics from the local service station kept us amused with their lack of conversation (all communication was in grunts), their consumption large carpaccio starters, entrecote and chips mains (the salad was swept off the plates into a receptacle of sorts), washed down with heavy local red wine and then finished off with an apple tart and cream supplemented by glasses of grappa. We were glad that they were not working on our car after that!

After lunch we took a slow drive home, enjoying the views and vistas.

The Gorges would not be the place to go during the High Season if you value peace and relaxation - it’s an adventure destination then but in the off-season a great alternative off the beaten track.

Au bientot: Lovonne and Simon xx

Enjoying the winter sunshine in Bonnieux

A very Happy Christmas to everyone - from us both and LSW xx

First entrants into the new doll cabinets!

More to come…….. no. much, much more……

They’re following the big story, the Northern Territory News. True to form, it’s all about crocs:

Airport security agents got a surprise on Tuesday when a woman in a wheelchair approached a checkpoint in Oklahoma City, took off her trench coat and was wearing only a black lace bra and panties.

Airport and security officials said that police were called over, questioned the woman, Tammy Banovac, and allowed her to proceed to security.

She was given an “enhanced” pat down because she was in a wheelchair. During screening of her carry-on and laptop an alarm for nitrates was triggered, the Transportation Safety Administration said in a statement yesterday.

The TSA said she was not allowed to proceed to her Southwest Airlines flight to Phoenix.

Authorities said nitrates could legitimately be present in medication, or if someone was hunting recently and there were traces of nitrates from the bullets.

A video of the underwear-clad Banovac, wearing a pearl necklace and holding a small white dog in her lap, was shot by a passerby and posted on YouTube.

Officials said they had no idea why Banovac acted the way she did, or if she was attempting to protest airport security.

TSA has come under attack in recent weeks for enhanced methods of patting down passengers, but Oklahoma City Airport spokeswoman Karen Carney said TSA acted appropriately.

“TSA did everything they should have done,” said Carney.

Banovac returned to the airport yesterday morning, again clad in her underwear, and cleared security

without incident.

“Once she went through the checkpoint, she put slacks and a top on,” Carney said.

News Source - The Sun (UK)

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