The south of France

We stay at a lovely rental that we have been to for years just minutes from Christian’s family. It is in the small medieval village of St Victor la Coste.

Our Christmas tree 🙂

We went to the vineyard Chateau d’ Aqueiria that Christian’s niece manages to get some great wines for the stay.

Then the weather become really iffy. Rain, clouds and gloom 😦 We had a break in the grayness for a day and went to Abbaye de Montmajour, which was first built in the 10th century on a hill that was surrounded by marsh.

At that time it was home to Benedictine monks and expanded over the following century. The abbey was fortified during the 100-Year War in the 14th century.

The long dark shadows in the picture below were rock tombs. As early as the 3rd millennium BC the island was used as a cemetery, with individual graves carved into the rock.

Numerous additions were made in subsequent years. It was an important pilgrimage site during the Middle Ages, and in the 18th century it was the site of a large Maurist monastery, now in ruins as is much of the rest of the site. But it is remarkable how much of the ancient construction still stands solid.

Van Gough chose to sketch and paint the abbey numerous times.

credit: abbaye-montmajour.fr

After touring the Abbey, we had a great lunch in Avignon at Wilson Cafe.

I had an incredible truffle risotto.

Then we visited a farm where they distilled essential oils from lavender, rose geranium, verbena, and other plants as well as make perfume and cosmetics. The weather and time of year did not lend to any photos worth sharing. But it was a very interesting visit.

The weather forecast for the next few days is rain, and we will be visiting the family so likely no posts for a bit.