Written on Friday, February 5th, 2010 at 3:44 pm
Our walk took us past the vieux village and chateau above Condorcet, yesterday. The local department is continuing to take care of its heritage – and its mission to inform and enlighten visitors. So it was good to see a couple of panneaux giving the history of the village and the chateau.
I hadn’t known that it was originally set up as an offshoot of the Monastery of Cluny in Burgundy. But I did know its associations with the Marquis de Condorcet, who though an aristocrat was pro-equality – including the emancipation of slaves and of women.
And there’s a view of Mont Ventoux from the site as well.
Written on Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010 at 4:25 pm
films, sunset
February is still mid winter in Provence. I managed to miss all the snow – it seems that an almost unheard of 30 cms of snow fell amongst the European snows of January. But today is bright and sunny, with just a light icing-sugar coating of the white stuff hidden away in cracks and crevices on the surrounding hills. Perhaps I’ll take the car out for a mountain drive at the weekend? Or perhaps I’ll just sit in the garden – well wrapped up – with a good book.
Fortunately, the garden and the house seem to have survived the wintry weather. Soon spring will mean that I’ve got to be out gardening, not sitting around.
There was a wonderful sunset over Nyons yesterday evening (en route to see the Coen Brothers A Serious Man) – and trusted iphone in hand, here’s a view of the witchy fingers of the pollarded plane trees.
