Limerence Update # 56

Christmas in France 2003

Spending the holiday season in Europe is something we looked forward to. The children of Spain receive most of their presents on January 6^th on el Dia de los Reyes Magos (Three Kings), so Christmas lights and decorations don’t appear until mid-December. Everyone teased us for jumping the gun when we put the lights up on Limerence right after Thanksgiving! Soon however, the marina twinkled with holiday glitter and many people decorated their boats with lights.

We got an invitation from our friend Jimmy Cornell, to spend the holidays with his family and friends in Provence France. It didn’t take any arm-twisting to respond YES! We rented a car and made reservations to stay at a B&B in the village of Villecroze, just ten minutes from Jimmy and Gwenda’s home in Aups. These picturesque villages are in the hills above the Cote D’Azur and are called the “arriere-pays” or back country. This area is quintessential Provence with miles of vineyards and undulating lavender fields. High in the mountains behind Aups, the mountainous area is known as the Var – untamed and wild. We decided to use Villecroze as our base for exploring Provence, in between the celebrations at the Cornells.

The Arena (Arenes)	Boutique	Place de la Republique

Traveling by car in France is simple. However, as soon as you cross the border, ONLY French is spoken. We carried a small phrase book and used it all the time. Our first stop was Arles France, which is nearly a four-hour drive from Barcelona. Arles is a chic little shuttered village on the Rhone River, that was designed by Julius Caesar to be a Roman colony in the 1^st century BC. There are plenty of remains from medieval times – the Arenes (Arena), the Theatre Antique, and Eglise St-Trophime. The central square is the Place de la Republique with an obelisk that used to stand in the Gallo-Roman cirque. It was brought to Arles in the 18^th century. Five years ago we were in Arles on a cruise/tour and I discussed the town with my father, Jack Athey. He remembered touring it as an army Captain during WWII. Even though Dad visited Arles sixty years ago, he could clearly remember the shady square with the towering obelisk. Since he died recently, it was especially poignant for me to think of him as we stood in the square in front of the St-Trophime church.

Arles doorway	Portal of Eglise St-Trophime	The Arena (Arenes)

The two days in Arles were clear and sunny, but a mistral wind howled for a day. These relentless winds blow occasionally through the Alps, and in the wintertime torture the countryside with freezing temperatures. We shivered and imagined what it must feel like in the Mediterranean Sea to be hit by a mistral wind.   

Le Colombier B&B	Chef Claude & Madame Yvonne	Village of Cotignac

We drove Tuesday less than two hours, to Aups and Villecroze. We settled into our B&B behind the elegant French restaurant Le Colombier. The rooms are brand new and very comfortable. Chef Claude and Madame Yvonne treated us to breakfast every morning with a smile. After unpacking, we found Jimmy’s country home in Aups, and joined the Cornell family for tea in the afternoon. The house was full! The family came from England - Daughter Doina and husband Julius with kids Nera (age four) and Dan (age 19 months), and son Ivan and girlfriend Vicky. Grandmother Irene was there as well, and family friends traveled from Romania, Cica and Louis. The Christmas tree stood decorated in the corner of the huge living room and a fire perpetually blazed in the fireplace. It was nice to be with family and we looked forward to the next day – Christmas Eve! 

Santa arrives!	Christmas Eve dinner

We gathered again in the late afternoon on Christmas Eve. The house was full of yummy cooking smells, and the children bustled about nervously anticipating Santa’s arrival that evening. At dusk, the phone rang! It was SANTA! He called to announce that he was at the end of the long driveway; the sleigh wouldn’t fit through the gate. Could he leave his sleigh and reindeer at the gate and walk down? “YES” – the children screamed! (Meanwhile, Jimmy disappeared clutching a red suit under his arm) Within minutes there was a “ho ho ho” outside. The children (with adults trailing) ran outside to greet Santa. It was very exciting and soon we were back inside with gifts galore. We giggled for two hours watching the kids enjoy opening presents and playing with their new treasures. 

Gwenda Cornell	Grandmother Irene	Anticipating Santa

On Christmas Eve, Gwenda prepared a traditional Provencal dinner. We feasted on fresh oysters, prawns, baked fish and vegetables, served with lovely wine. Trays of dried fruits, nuts and candies were dessert. On Christmas Day, Doina and Gwenda produced another feast from the kitchen – roasted capon with all the trimmings. Flaming Christmas pudding with brandy butter topped off the holiday dinner in a British tradition! Everyone collapsed after dinner. The children played with their toys, and the adults swapped stories about places we have traveled and Christmas traditions in other countries.  

Chateau in the Var district	Southern route to Gorge	Lake on Verdon River

Over the next few days we took day trips exploring Provence. Jimmy helped us pour over the maps and plan our itinerary. We visited two wineries, St. Tropez on the Cote d’Azur, and several ancient villages perched in the hills around Aups. Each was special with all the charm you would expect . . . cobblestone streets, shops and cafes, medieval churches. The countryside is rolling hills with acres of vineyards, fruit trees, and lavender fields. The drive to St. Tropez was spectacular through wine country dotted with Chateaus. We did see scorched black hills for miles along the French coast, a result of the fires from last summer.

Verdon River	Judy at Verdon River	St-Tropez on Cote d'Azur

One of our favorite villages is Moustiers-Ste-Marie, which was founded as a monastery in the 5^th century. It is a tiny village tucked into a cleft of vertical mountain cliffs. Ancient stone cottages, bridges, and a bubbling brook gush through the heart of the village. Moustier means “faience” to many people, which is the fine glazed earthenware that has been produced in the village since the 17^th century. The secret of enamel glazes from Faenza in Umbria was brought to Moustiers by Italian monks hundreds of years ago. Think of charming country scenes on elegant French china, and you’ll remember that you have seen “faience”. As we drove out of town we passed acres of empty parking places. It made us cringe to think of the hoards of tourists who will fill those spaces in the summer and overrun lovely little Moustiers.

Pottery maker in Villecroze	Moustiers-Ste-Marie France

Slicing through the top of Provence with the Southern Alps in the distance is the Gorges du Verdon. The jewel green Verdon River has chiseled the limestone cliffs for centuries and created a spectacular gorge and lake. The roaring green water churns hundreds of meters below.  Not for the fainthearted! We drove both the north and south routes around the cliffs. Doug clutched the steering wheel white knuckled, as I peered down at the 2,834-foot drop outside the car window. It was sensational! This is France’s version of the Grand Canyon, but more accessible because you can drive for miles along its edge. There are frequent vantage points where you can stop and take photographs. 

Gorge du Verdon	Gorge du Verdon

Gwenda and Jimmy had quite a few friends coming to Aups for their New Year’s party, many of whom are ardent sailors. As the guests began checking in, Jimmy organized a “duck” dinner for the group. This was a country experience – dinner right on the farm in a large timbered room with a roaring fire. We had duck served many different ways, and some of the cooking we did ourselves at the table in fry pans over Sterno. We consumed a case of nice vintage red wine. Our host was a rollicking French man who did the cooking, stoked the fire, and entertained us with bawdy jokes in French, which Jimmy translated. The evening could never be replicated and was a blast! 

Jimmy and Gwenda Cornell	Judy and Doug Decker

New Year’s Eve was a fancy party at the Cornell’s. Plenty of champagne, fois gras, cheeses, roast pork, salads and decorated cakes. The table was overloaded! The guests were a mélange of friends from Italy, Romania, France, Finland, USA, and Spain! Most everyone spoke English and the jolly crowd was not only entertaining, but looked especially handsome in formal dress. The next evening we all met again for dinner in a French restaurant in a mansion. Bruno, a well known Chef and friend of the Cornell’s, warmly greeted us. Tuxedoed waiters served the quintessential French seven-course truffle dinner with a nice Cabernet. What an end to a memorable holiday season.

Barry and Darlene	Cica and Louis	Antti and Nina

 The drive back to Barcelona on Friday was an easy five-hour cruise down the toll way. Everything was fine on Limerence and it felt good to be home again. The marina still twinkled with Christmas lights, as the Three Kings parade was only a few days away. The festivities of the Christmas season continued on and on and on! This holiday season was very special for us and we treasure the great memories.

Silvana and Italo	Magali and Felix	Erick and Muriel

Happy New Year to all! We appreciate the wonderful comments written in our guest book. Thank you for taking the time to drop us a note.

Doug and Judy   

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