Aix-en-Provence, Yellowknife ConnectionJan 20, 2011
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first sight of Provence
Frederique's house La Petite Fumee
the lovely frederique at the Bibemus Carriere where ochre rock was quarried...
| 20 janvier 2011. We took a train from Lyon to Aix-en-Provence, to visit Frederique - a friend of some Yellowknife friends. (Thanks, friends, for introducing us! Frederique sends "gros bisous" to you all!) We decided to take a detour through the mountains instead of going down the Rhône valley and through Marseille. The train from Lyon to Valence was fine but there weren’t any totally amazing parts. Except that at Valence, we suddenly noticed a distinctly southern feel to the buildings and trees. But the train from Valence to Veynes up the valley of the Drôme was so awesome! We could see the difference in everything; the houses were different, typical Southern (Provence? Spain?) houses, and there were vineyards all over the place. The mountain water was so blue and clear that we could see to the bottom of the riverbed even if it was very deep. We passed over the miniature canyons so many times we almost started getting used to it! There were so many tunnels, some were very long! The mountains were all around us, towering up, straight up. It was all just so impressive. When we got to Veynes it was very summery and we had a few good laughs at old ladies in their winter coats and jackets when it was almost 20°C out in the sun. We spent half an hour waiting for our delayed train to Aix-en-Provence, running around on the platform and playing scarf tag and scarf sword fight. When we got to Aix-en-Provence we were greeted by a rather, or should I say ‘very’, smiling, friendly Frederique. Frederique is a regular Yellowknife visitor, and so we just had to come and visit her. Her parents bought a large piece of property just outside of Aix-en-Provence, when she was a child, but in those days no one wanted the property, it was too far away from the town, no electricity, dirt track. It's a phenomenal chunk of beautiful land, on the top of the escapment overlooking Aix. Of course, now it is where everyone wants to live, but it is untouchable. The property has been divided into five pieces, one piece for ever daughter in the family. Frederique has a lovely piece of it, although all of it is quite beautiful. The family includes over 60 people just counting the sisters, and their children, and the children’s children (and husbands). They are practically a whole tribe! At ‘La Petite Fumée’, Frederique’s house, it is very calm, nothing very rushed, a very nice place to be, that made us feel at home right away. The few days we spent here have been just hanging around, taking leisurely walks and, for Kirianne especially, spending time with the horses. It was quite warm the first day that we were here but it got colder and on our last night it snowed! Frederique decided that she was going to drive us to Marseille and tour us around before we got on our train to Les Arcs sur Argens. Again, we saw some of Marseilles that we wouldn't have seen if not in the care of a local resident! Thanks, Frederique. See you again soon! (We plan to come back for a few days after our visit in Var.) |
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