This and That

This will be a bit of a catch up and catch all post.  When we last we talked, I was boring you with pictures of beautiful little villages all  around the Luberon.  This last one is about my all time favorite because it has such beautiful colors.  It's th ocre village of Rousillon, also officially one of the plus beaux villages of France.  In the 19th century, the ocre mines of the area made the town prosperous. Their ocre colors were used in paints all over the world.  The First World War and synthetic ocre combined to change this scene and Rousillon declined.  People moved away and the town began to die.  In the last quarter of the 20th century, the smart, chic, people discovered Rousillon, as they were also doing in Gourdes, Menerbes, etc., and tous Paris came south to the Luberon. As happens, the only people who can afford Rousillon now are the smart Parisians.

The red soil gives the town, and the buildings which are made of it, gorgeous colors ranging from red through pink to gold.  Sunset in Rousillon glows.The ocre mines are closed now. There is a self guided walk that can be done through the abandoned cliffs.  For years I used a picture of an ocre cliff as my screen saver.

Thursday afternoon we went to Rousillon for a walk around and drink and I took a few pictures that don't do the place justice, but give a little taste. I also found the gallery owned by a nice woman to whom  I had talked on the hike last Sunday.  If you're ever here, go to see her at the Gallery des Ocres.  It's behind the church at the top of the village.  The first is a random shot of a town house, and the second is the Mairie--or town hall.

Saturday morning is market time in Apt, about 10 km. away and a town of about 10,000.  This is a really big market.  There are vegetables, fish, cheese, oil, honey, sausages, foie gras, as well as underwear, fabrics, records--not cd's, vinyl--pictures, toys, clothes---you name it and somebody is selling it at Apt.  Of course, all that interested me was food, so here some pictures.                                                                                                                                                            

There were lots of mushrooms, with chanterelles going for 23 euro per kilo.  Couldn't help thinking about how many of them we cut on our Jura Knob hike a few years ago.