Provence

Wedged in the South of France is the area of Provence, with its lavender fields, Roman ruins, cragged mountaintop forests and glittering sea. We spent our time here criss crossing the back roads, trying to really get a feel for the area. Our first stop was Senanque Abbey, a spiritual retreat tucked in the Luberon mountains and only reached by narrow, winding roads. This Abbey, built in the 1100's, was ransacked by the Huguenots during the Religion Wars and then, during the French Revolution, was nationalized, with the last remaining monk expelled and the land sold to a private owner. In the 1800's it was reclaimed and now small community of Cistercian monks reside within it's walls, attending religious ceremonies seven times a day, growing lavender and raising bees. We arrived during one of the daily services, so we spent some time in the gift shop. We bought bread, honey and lavendar candy drops, tested the various lavendar lotions and perfumes and perused the beautiful coffee table books of the region. We then wandered through the quiet spaces and envisioned the monks, absorbed in spirituality, walking the halls and gardens of this beautiful place.

(This is what we missed by traveling to Provence off season!)

Then we wound back through French villages to the bories which are ancient stone huts. These structures, created only with dry stones, using no mortar, are a mystery. They date back thousands of years but have been used up until the 19th century. It is thought that perhaps the Celts inhabited them, but no one knows forsure. We visited the Village of the Bories, but the structures also dot the countryside. Throughout the afternoon, we spotted single bories in fields, behind groves of chestnut trees, and near the roadway, standing stout and solid, fitting in the landscape, as if there was nothing mystical about them.

As soon as we arrived, the kids ran off to explore, hardly having patience for my brief historical explanation. As always, Sophia and Annelise pretended to be Native Americans, a game they play together often. Of course the bories provided the ideal setting. Ezra and Mia took over a hut and pretended to be farm animals. This was the perfect spot to release their energy.

When planning this portion of our trip, I came across the Fort du Buoux on a France with Kids site. The fort was described as one on which children could climb, featuring a hidden staircase. After doing some research, I found the location, which turned out to be just about as far off the beaten path as we could get. All eight of us questioned my credibility as we twisted down dirt roads, past the smallest French villages, and onto the floor of a canyon. Once again, my driving skills were put to the test. We were relieved when we found a few signs pointing us in the right direction, but were again unsure when we parked our car and then walked a long pathway, under a rock overhang and up a mountain. We arrived at a little French cottage, with a woman who spoke broken English out front.

She took our money, gave us tickets and warned us, I think three times, to be careful. I assigned Sarah to Ezra and I held on to Mia and we climbed up to the top of the plateau. This remote structure was the perfect piece to our educational puzzle. The Fort de Buoux was built during the Middle Ages to protect the local inhabitants from invaders, such as the Visigoths, the Franks and the Arabs. This is what we learned about! We could imagine from the top of the fortress, the canyon below, which served as a communication route hundreds of years ago, being invaded by barbarians, and knights shooting arrows from atop the stone tower. This fort also served as a refuge to the Protestants who were hiding from the Catholics in the region during the Religion Wars. We learned about this also! This spot would indeed be a perfect hiding place, complete with it's hidden staircase. This funny little stop was the highlight of the day for me!

The sun was beginning to set, and we had a long, winding road ahead of us, so we packed into the car and made our way back to our hotel passing the most charming villages along the way.