A Blog-u-mentary
about one family's experience moving from a
tropical Caribbean paradise
to another type of paradise in the
heart of Provence.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Lunch on the Farm

Goat farm extraordinaire
SIVERGUES - Today's lazy French lunch was a simple affair but in a stunning setting: Le Ferme et Auberge Le Castelas in the one-horse town of Sivergues, nestled away in a far corner of the Luberon. It's a town of no more than a few hundred people and reportedly the highest-elevated inhabited village in the Luberon. Once you find it (no easy task - it's at the end of a rugged dirt track that is marked Do Not Enter, that's the culmination of winding mountain road that dead-ends in Sivergues), the joint is literally on  a goat farm and you sit picnic table style outside the main house (there are also a few guest rooms available), or down yonder in the field underneath the sprawling trees - and amongst the wandering goats and pigs, who don't seem a bit bothered that they are part of the attraction, in more than one way.

The family chows down on the farm
The friendly staff, complete with resident sheep dog who splits his time between snooping around the tables and rounding up the goats and pigs, quickly serves up the home made fare: fresh goat cheese (merci madame chevre), a charcuterie of ham (a bientot monsieur cochon), quintessential French bread and a jar of rose. And that's it (oh, a slice of pear pie for dessert)- but that's enough. The idyllic setting overlooking the mountains and fields and the casual mix of animals and people are a great experience. Not to mention the drive to get there. We enjoyed listening to the staff, which appeared to be literally one big family, sing American pop songs and carry on an easy banter with the few customers who joined us on this Thursday afternoon.
This lucky pig lives to see another day. Looks like he doesn't miss many meals


Note to self - always remember to bring cash to these remote country gems. No cards taken - we barely scraped by (25 euros an adult), borrowing some hard-earned euros from the kids.

The goats are part of the main course, the entertainment, and your friendly dining companions, too.
Speaking of kids - great place to bring some. The loved running around with the animals, who are quite domesticated and even don't mind joining you for a bite.

A shout-out to our new friends from the Tasty Touring blog. Jodi and Adam, who just got engaged in Paris during their European vacation, are from Austin and stumbled into Le Castelas at the same we arrived. They were intrigued by our Texas license plates and we struck up a nice conversation and compared tasting notes. We gave them some dining recommendations in Aix (Mitch, Poivre d'Ane) and Cassis (Bonaparte, bien sur!), where they go next, as part of trip they won from Whole Food stores in Texas. May our paths cross again and we'll add you to the blog roll!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Pablo's Place

VAUVENARGUES -- Of all the great artists who have called Provence home over the years, perhaps the most famous is a non-Frenchman - Pablo Picasso. Pablo, who shunned his native Spain when Franco came to power, was one of those rare artists who actually made money while he was still alive, and he seemed like he wasn't shy about spending it. He plunked down some coin late in life to buy an old chateau in the hills above Aix, in a village called Vauvenargues. Reportedly he bought it for the spectacular views of Sainte Victoire which so inspired one his early painter heroes, Cezanne, himself a legend in these parts.

"I just bought Sainte Victore," he bragged to his friends when he bought the 13 century fixer-upper. Well, not quite but he got a nice piece of it. Needless to say his wife of the day, Jacqueline - 40 years his junior (Pablo was nothing if not a playah) - must have been suitably impressed after she got over the shock of the cost of window treatments.

He actually only lived there for two years before health issues forced him to retreat back to the coast near Cannes to spend his final days. But he'll spend eternity there now, planted right outside the front entrance beneath a cool looking statue (where he was later joined by Jacqueline many years after she got finished spending his money).

Only recently has the house, which his step-daughter still uses from time to time as her personal residence (pourquoi pas?), been open to the public. It's a vintage French chateau, albeit a little short on accoutrements and ostentatious decorations that typify other such dwellings. Apparently, Pablo got a pretty good deal on it because it was unfurnished and he didn't have a lot of time to fully pimp it out. But it does offer some neat glimpses into the life of the genius, with hundreds of sketches and early stage works, plus his private living quarters and studio. And the revenue from the 15 euro tours probably keep Pablo's kids and grandchildren comfortable in their lifestyles

Ah, but desole - no cameras allowed. So you'll have to be satisfied by the shot from a distance, from the village center, which by the way, has a nice little cafe to enjoy a pastis and wonder if PP did the same back in the day.