Strolling time in Stone Village of Provence

Provence in southern France.

Drive eastward from avignon, pass through Cavaillon town, and drive along the narrow D 15 Panshan Highway to the top of the mountain in Lubeilong Mountain area.

Before you meet others, the first thing you see is the low wall made of stones by the roadside and the stone house inside the fence.

Look at the roadside signs and tell you that there is still about 1 km from Golden Village.

Suddenly, the right side of the highway opened, and across the valley, a yellow-white stone mountain village built on the mountain seemed to be a city in the air, falling from the sky.

This is Gordes Village.

Stand firmly on the cliff and look at the mountain village across the valley. The Golden Village is like a carefully carved sculpture, with tall castles and churches, houses and cottages with gray tiles and white walls, descending step by step from the top of the mountain to the foot of the mountain.

Vaguely visible, the stone walls of stone houses, green vines crawling on the walls, blue or white sun visors hanging on the windows, a blue swimming pool in the small yard, and a red car parked at the door.

There are also sword pines standing in front of and behind the house.

Golden Village is called "Stone Village".

The buildings, streets, fences and houses in the village are all made of stone. Although hundreds of years have passed, most of these buildings built in the sixteenth century can be completely preserved.

We have been to this mountain village in a cold winter and had coffee in the Provence Cafe near the village square.

The northwest wind blew through the tarpaulin in front of the cafe, making a purring sound.

On the edge of the square, the leaves of the buttonwood tree have fallen out, and the branches are shivering in the cold wind.

Looking at the huge Goldberg grey wall across the square through the big glass window of the cafe. This stone castle built in the Renaissance stands quietly in the cold wind.

There was no one over the square, and a group of pigeons flew over the memorial statue of soldiers of World War I standing in the center of the square and stopped at the magnificent corner of the castle.

Mr Victor vasari must be a frequent visitor to this cafe. After drinking a small cup of black coffee, he looked at the huge castle in front of him from this position. After careful consideration, the master artist, the founder of OP Art, decided to buy this ancient castle.

He renovated part of the castle into a museum and opened it on 1970. Today, his paintings and sculptures have become important collections in the Castle Art Museum.

The Golden Village has attracted many artists to settle down. Vasarelli is not the only artist who likes this simple and nostalgic medieval stone village. Andre Lhote, an academic animist painter, went to the village in 1938 and fell in love with it at first sight. He lived here for ten years.

It is not surprising that it was rated as "the most beautiful village in France".

I will visit the Golden Village again in July.

Cafe de Provence remains the same, just like a stopped clock, never changing. The cold wind in winter didn't break the awning in front of the house. In summer, the outdoor terrace is crowded with Parisians on vacation. They looked at people walking in the square casually, drinking coffee in cups. That style is like sitting in a seat on the roadside of Les Deux Magots Cafe in Paris Saint-Germain Avenue, watching people being watched, or just sitting there without thinking about anything.

The maze of medieval streets and arcades in the village fully shows its charm at this time.

From the right side of the castle to the back street, the alley twists and turns, and there are many small shops and galleries on both sides of the alley, selling art, jam, honey, pottery, wine, straw baskets and so on.

There is a bouquet of flowers hanging in front of the exquisite shop of lavender products, which is surrounded by the fragrance of Shan Ye.

The midday sun shone in the middle of the alley, leaving a deep shadow under the eaves of the old houses on both sides. Mottled years can't drown the story behind the stone. At the end of the alley, you seem to have found the secret hidden on the wall. An eave, a window frame, a stone step, each small object has its own story, creating an ancient and confusing image.

Behind the arcade, there is a small cafe. The local people hid in the shade and drank their small cups of espresso. There are two red chairs at the door, waiting for its new guests.

A bunch of red oleanders, sticking out from the stone wall of a family, swaying in the wind.

Deep in the alley, a pair of lovers sat quietly on the narrow stone steps between two houses, watching the beautiful scenery of the valley, enjoying the feeling of mountain breeze blowing on their faces, and looking forward to stepping into a dream from reality.

Creperie-Saladerie, a small restaurant on the edge of the castle, has the quiet taste of the left bank cafe.

On the left and right sides of the narrow facade facing the street, only two small dark blue iron dining tables can be put down. There are green and yellow placemats and silver knives and forks on the stage, like a beautiful still life painting.

The shop inside is very small, only a few tables can be accommodated. On the front fireplace, there seems to be a black-and-white photo of the Golden Village inadvertently. Tables, chairs, doors and windows are all dark blue, and dishes and wine labels are arranged in white on a black background on the stone wall.

From the store along the stairs made of slate, holding the black iron handrail, go down to the bottom of the restaurant.

It is also a quiet and elegant dining place, with stone walls, slate floors and oil paintings hanging on the walls. A bronze hip flask was carefully installed on the stairs, adding a touch of elegance. Looking out of the window from here, you can see the cliff across the valley. You know, it looks like the bottom of the cellar from the street, but it's actually a cliff. Most of the old houses in the village were built on the hills in this way.

We sat in the seats facing the street in the small restaurant, stretched our legs and felt the peace and serenity at the moment.

Suddenly, I feel that life can still go on without reading newspapers, watching TV, being disturbed by emails and WeChat, and being far away from the entanglement and disputes of mundane trivial matters. Free time can be spent like this.

A gust of mountain wind blew, and I felt an unprecedented comfort and contentment. Mood is your inner scenery.

20 17.07.20