French Mountains and French Movies

Saturday, May 4th, 2019

Today we discovered another mountainous winding route as we drove in direction of Capendu to Olonzac. This massif peaks at 600 meters we reached about 400 meters, more than high enough for me.

No big plans just a little tour. 

The skies were broody all day.

We found fields of poppies ...

And an antique wagon ...

The rain arrived at the same time as we did in Olonzac.

We had a quick wander and then ducked into the Cafe de la Poste for some refreshments. 

We stopped by Sainte Helene to say “Bonjour” to Kay & Mark, unfortunately they weren’t home. We stayed in their apartment for a week in July 2014. 

A colourful garden border ...

We headed back to Montlaur. 

I had stopped into the Boucherie to pick up the beef I had ordered yesterday and prepared a beef bourguignon for our dinner and we settled in for a marathon of movies filmed in France ... 

“Chocolat, Paris Can Wait & My Old Lady.”

We enjoyed our delicious traditional French dinner and of course French pastries for dessert. 

Just what we needed on a drizzly day in Montlaur! 

Rosemary Beach Market Day!

On vacation ... "Market Days"  are always a fun way to experience the life and culture of the people and locals of the destination you are visiting.

When we travel to Europe visiting the "Markets" is high on our to do lists.

 The narrow street we walked from our cottage "5 rue Marsis" leading to the Saturday market in the medieval town of Gourdon ...

We can buy fresh produce, meats, cheese, wines and many other goods from homemade soaps to lavender products, olive oils, spices, etc. 

A vender selling fresh "French" garlic at one of the many markets we visited in France ...

It is always a kaleidoscope of colour ... and a social time to meet up with family, friends and neighbours at one of the many local cafés for a coffee or an early aperitif.

Baskets, baskets and more baskets at the market in Olonzac ...

On Sundays in Rosemary Beach there is a charming market with vendors selling their wares in the square. 

We drove the scenic route on Hwy. 30A arriving in Rosemary Beach mid morning, strolled through the market ... made our purchases of homemade pasta, a fresh French baguette and homemade Jumbo Lump crab cakes.

We then walked the village streets and down to the beach ... it was an enjoyable way to spend a sunny Sunday...

Enjoy our tour of the community ...

 

                 

If you find yourself in the Panhandle, put a visit to Rosemary Beach on your itinerary! 

Summer to Fall ...

As the seasons change I find myself longing for a bit more of "Summer"... We spent the first part of Summer in France and Spain this year.

The last of the leaves on our Maple tree ... 

    

                       

I do like the Autumn/Fall in Canada until the time that we must put the furnace on to add some heat to the cooler days and put the lights on earlier to add brightness to the shorter days.

Beautiful container gardening in Lagrasse, France ...

Apéros in the courtyard at Sainte - Hélène chambre d' hôte in Olonzac, France 

            

An afternoon in Bandol, France watching the boats get ready for the regatta ... in the waters of the

Mediterranean  

Fresh fruits and produce from the French markets...

Wandering tiny streets in French villages....

 

Walks high above the Atlantic Ocean in Bidart, France ...

Alfresco lunches under the shade of the beautiful Plane trees ...

Summer foods ... fresh, delicious salads ...

And so much more ... Long walks on the trails and in the parks, play dates with the grandchildren, fun in the water swimming and playing, potluck barbecues, fish frys with family and friends.

                

Soon we will be heading South for our usual escape and as Msr. Honey says " for us this trip extends the Canadian Summer that we've recently bid farewell!" 

                         What is your favourite "Season"?

Saint - Hilaire Abbey

Saturday morning we left Olonzac ... we had a rough idea of what we would like to do for the day!

As you can see from the photos Mother Nature had not blessed us with a "Sunshine" day!

We headed south to the tiny commune of Saint - Hilaire in the Aude south of Carcassonne. 

After checking out the village (tiny as it is)  we toured the Abbey... a Benedictine Monastery.

The Church ...

     

           

The Church houses an important Romanesque work of art ...

The marble Sarcophagus of St. Sernin built in the middle of the 12th Century by the Master of Cabestany.

It was carved from a single block of Pyrenean marble.

It is so narrow that it probably was not used as a stone coffin but rather a high altar.

The Gothic cloisters... Circa 1330

The Abbott's Home ... a private room for the head of the Abbey.

This room was polar opposite to the other buildings at the monastery ... "Luxury versus austerity"!

The lounge dates back to the late 15th century and is decorated with an opulent painted French style ceiling that was restored in the 19th century when the walls were painted with the Abbott's coats of arms.

In between the beams on the ceiling various scenes were painted depicting medieval characters, daily life and even some with inappropriate / sexual undertones...

                    

The fountain in the lounge made from Caunes Minervois marble...

La Cave ...The Cellar ...La Bodega 

Where the monks produced the wine used for their religious services and / or their own consumption.

It is stated that the Benedictine monks of Saint Hilaire created the first sparkling wine "Blanquette" in the world in the year 1531.

There are some stories that Dom Pérignon while on a retreat at the Saint Hilaire Abbey may have left with the secrets of how to make sparking wine ... later inventing the process to make Champagne.

                     

Inside  the "Cave"...

The building that housed the jail and the Gaurds house ...

    

The refectory (dining hall) pulpit  ...  Used by the monks for readings during mealtimes ... This room has high ceilings with great acoustics. 

When we purchased our tickets for the tour we were instructed to climb the steps and sit in the chair ... Sing a song, recite a poem so we could hear the echoes!

No I didn't get my makeshift microphone out and start singing Patsy Cline's "Crazy"...

           

After the interesting tour we travelled to Carcassonne for an enjoyable afternoon and night.