Unbelievably old tree in the Lourmarin car park

Crinkly, wrinkly

Freshly ploughed and prepared - waiting for the lettuce cash crop to be planted. Near Menerbes in the Luberon

Classic simplicity but it says so much....

Travel down the hill from the village of Menerbes in the Luberon valley of Provence and you will see a historical sign, Le Dolmen 1. Turn right towards Bonnieux and there, 1km from Menerbes, you will see another sign.

We went and peered curiously over the little bridge in the road.

The two dolmens near Ménerbes are the only two in the Vaucluse. The one dolmen accessible is at the side of the D103 road, 2 km east of the village (1 km east of the D109-D103 junction, and 100 m past the farmhouse along the north side of the road). If you’re driving by, it looks like a culvert beside the road. Looking down, you’ll see the ring of upright stones with the large stone-capped cover. The site was apparently at the base of the hill which has, over the centuries, half-covered the site. The built-up roadway also helped diminish the impact of the location, but the mystique remains.

We reverted to Wikipedia for a explanation: A dolmen, also known as a portal tomb, portal grave, or quoit, is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of three or more upright stones supporting a large flat horizontal capstone (table). Most date from the early Neolithic period (4000 to 3000 BC). Dolmens were usually covered with earth or smaller stones to form a barrow, though in many cases that covering has weathered away, leaving only the stone “skeleton” of the burial mound intact.

It remains unclear when, why, and by whom the earliest dolmens were made. The oldest known dolmen are in Western Europe, where they were set in place around 7000 years ago, at the same time as the ancient civilisations of Egypt, India, and the Middle East.^{[citation needed]} Archaeologists still do not know who erected these dolmens, which makes it difficult to know why they did it. The most widely accepted theory^{[citation needed]} is that all dolmen are tombs or burial chambers. Human remains, sometimes accompanied by artefacts, have been found in or close to them, which allowed a scientific dating. There is however no firm evidence that even this theory is correct. It has been impossible to prove that these archeologic remains date back to the time when the stones were set in place.

 

 

Great little display at the Bastide

Madame has this nifty little pot holder which provides a contrast with the traditional shutter

This guy is genuine - our local nurseryman in Coustellet! Fleurs de Calavon.

We found these early poppies on the way to Lagnes in the Luberon. But wait! There's much. much more coming!

This little nipper was spotted in Maubec

However, deep in Les Alpilles, there is one domaine which does not underplay it’s hand: Domaine de Valdition. not only is the cellar a joy, the olive oil tasting is top drawer and the herb garden…..ectasy from Madame!

Great little statue looks from the herb garden over to some lavender taking root

Inside the tasting room

A library of wines, artfully displayed

Working the herb garden - to be seen to be appreciated

The gardener is quite a character too!

There is also a little gift shop off from the tasting area

Domaine de Valdition is situated between the villages of Egalyieres and Orgon in the Bouches-Rhone area of Provence.