From abbey to abbey

Today was a driving around looking at things day. We really didn't have firm plans, but Ira sketched out a route visiting two Cistercian abbeys that looked like it would pass through interesting territory. Yeah, it did!

We started out at the Antiquities of les Baux, Roman ruins just outside of town. They're part of  the complex of Glanum and they consist of a well-preserved funerary marker and a triumphal arch. We strolled around before the heat of the day really began.

Imagine driving down twisty country lanes. Now, add rugged, interesting landscapes. Throw in phalanxes of bicyclists from casual tourists in twos to dedicated clubs in matching jerseys. Finally, add a Southern disregard for the laws of physics as your fellow drivers hurtle along at insane speeds. It was a fun day!

The first abbey up was Silvacane, defunct in the 15th and taken over by the French Revolution later. It's a simple structure. The Cistercians didn't believe in ornament, and impressive masses of stone give it a modern feel.

We drove to the next abbey through Gordes, a mountainous town that is the home of big money. Ira stayed here years ago with friends who had rented a house in town. The town itself spills down a huge hill. The surrounding villas all have the rock walls with flat, vertical rocks serving as kind of a charming razor-wire top. And, rather than imposing, all these walls seemed to unify the look of the town and it reads as charm rather than security.

Senanque is still an active abbey tucked away in a box canyon behind Gordes. The approach is magnificent and you can look down the steep hillside at its gardens and rows if lavender before you hit the canyon floor. Of course, the lavender is well past, but you can imagine the glories it must hold in midsummer.

The old church building was even more unadorned that the previous. And, since this was still an active church, there were people praying. In general, the rule of this place is "no short shorts and maintain a respectful silence." Apparently, the guy in the cutoff jorts didn't't get that particular memo, and the trio of really amazingly loud American women who we're walking in as we were leaving didn't get the part about the silence.

Our drive back was by a more direct route, so we had time to laze by the he pool and soak up some sun. My French is too rusty to read real literature, so I'm reading the Hunger Games in French and loving it.

We went for a lavish dinner because we skipped lunch. La Maison Jaune was highly recommended and both the restaurant and we lucked out because we got the last table, a late cancellation. The two host were young and charming, we were seated outside, in a small patio next to the main outside space. That was also fortuitous because the three larger tables of American, German and Dutch tourists got a little loud. That made our host smile a bit more in our quiet twosome.

First, the amuse, which was three small tastes, a whipped eggplant, a creamed cod--both delicious. The star was a cherry tomato turned into a small candied apple by a hard shell of caramel and a toothpick. Charming and delicious!

Ira started with the white beans and shrimp, a late substitution for anchovies, which would have been better. The shrimp were tender and delicious, but both Ira and I love anchovies. I started with a vegetable dish with swirls of copa. There were these tiny cherry tomato that popped in your mouth like champagne. Delightful!

Ira's main was rack of lamb. He left me a chop so I can confirm it was delicate and flavorful. I had the roast pigeon, and it must have been the fattest-breasted pigeon imaginable! Another treat I don't often order in the States. We continued with an order of cheese that came with some if the sweetest fig imaginable. By the time dessert came around, we were both stuffed, but I enjoyed my poache apricots and Ira loved his chocolate, which was a thin band of dark chocolate swirled around whipped cream.

We shared a half bottle of a local red that was light enough and strong enough for all the varieties of taste. Of course, there were after dessert sweets and coffee!

Luckily, it was only a ten-minute waddle back to the hotel!