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** AboutProvenceNews 14 January 2004 **
http://www.aboutprovence.com ==================================================== Welcome to the AboutProvence newsletter #14. In this issue: 1- Bonne année!
2- After the summer fires
3- Finally in the Luberon
4- This and that 5- Soon in AboutProvence ==================================================== 1. Bonne année -
My best wishes for the New Year of 2004 to all subscribers
and readers of AboutProvence. I hope that this year will be
peaceful and prosperous for you, enough at least to be able to
visit our region...
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2- After the summer fires
This summer the Provence, the department of the Var in particular,
has been hit by fierce forest fires. From the end of May till
the end of September the rain was as good as absent. The few drops
that fell out of the sky seemed to evaporate before they hit the
ground. The dryness and extreme heat were partially to blame for
the fires. They made it easier for the fires to spread
rapidly, often helped by a fierce Mistral. But the main cause of
the fires appears to have been arson. The area of the village
where I live (La Garde-Freinet) was hit three times this
summer, the last and largest fire at the end of August.
Afterwards, the pompiers and police found 92 different spots
where fires had started, a clear indication of criminal
activity. A few arrests were made.
During the week of the last fires, La Garde-Freinet was the
command center of all activities concerning fire-fighters
(who came from all over France as well as Italy and Russia)
and everyone else connected to the fight. Every French TV channel
had a presence. Even Chirac paid a visit by helicopter (since the
roads were blocked). Though not a fan of the president, I have to
admit that the day he landed, the fires were extinguished. He must
have made a deal with someone...
Despite the fright, the week of the fires also brought some
amusing moments. The radio and TV people were stuck, as everyone else,
in the village. To fill their programs they interviewed many
inhabitants. I may exaggerate, but I believe to have listened to
about half the population (1600 total) on the radio. Some
overrepresented themselves, such as the owner of a fleamarket who
claimed to be an antiquair. Then there were the serious analyses
and determination to tackle the fire hazards once and for all. Old
timers shook their heads. Similar promises were made in 1979 (even
larger fires then) and nothing has come of it. In any case, the
pizza man with his truck was a very happy camper. With more than
1500 fire-fighters stationed some 200 yards away he's had his best
season ever. I think he's left for a long winter vacation.
For more information, check the archives of the Flash! page in www.aboutprovence.com
Some followers of AboutProvence have asked me why I put such
un-touristy photos on the web site. My answer is that
AboutProvence's aim is to show and describe the region as I
experience it, including the less glamorous sides. Besides, nature
is recuperating fast. Many of the blackened trees showed new green
leaves in the fall. The undergrowth is coming back. It may take a
few years but those hills that were affected will return to their
former selves. And, finally, the area burnt is just a minor
percentage of the total. The majority of the Maures mountains are
still as wild and natural as ever.
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3- Finally in the Luberon
For the first time, AboutProvence has a place of the month in the
Luberon (Vaucluse), the region that is the setting of the best
sellers of Peter Mayle (A Year in Provence, Toujours
Provence - see the books section). Because of the
overwhelming success of these books, many people think that
Provence = Luberon. We try to debunk that myth in the What is
Provence page.
The first time I visited the Luberon was in 1992, admittedly after
reading Peter Mayle's book. It was in October and the region was
swamped with tourists, for the greater part English. A hotel room?
Forget it. We finally found one in an unattractive town south of
the Luberon. I forgot the name of the town, but the hotel was
fine, not expensive, classified as a "Logis de France,"
always a good sign.
In the intervening years I drove through or past the Luberon,
without truly stopping at a town or village. Last June, I made a
better effort and explored Bonnieux and Ménèrbes, took photos
and talked to people.
I thought it would be most appropriate to choose Ménèrbes as a
first Luberon village, because it is the village where Mayle lived
and which he referred to in his books. So unflatteringly, as goes
the story, that he finally had to leave because of hostile
attitudes. His description of the Café de progrès in particular
angered the proprietor whom Mayle described as more than surly.
When I arrived in the village (beginning of June) I was surprised
at how quiet it was. Just a few tourists sauntering through the
streets. One and a half boutique catering to the outside crowd.
The main street in my village looks like Rodeo Drive, by
comparison. Ménèrbes presented itself as a lovely and quiet
village, where there were no traces or signs of its famous author.
One would imagine that a store would display his books, but rien.
I then went on to Café de progrès for a coffee. It seemed that
the café was not oblivious to foreign contributions because it
displayed a few Provencal items in its window. (If you look
carefully in the photo on the main page of www.aboutprovence.com
you may see the few shelves with local things.) Nothing about
Peter Mayle though. Must be the private feud, I concluded. I
easily found an empty table outside for my coffee. When my order
finally arrived, the waitress insisted on being paid right then
and there (unheard of in France) and told me not to use my cell
phone there (for some reason I had taken it out of my purse, but I
had no intention of calling anyone). Since then I believe every
word that Mayle has written in his Provence/Luberon books.
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4- This and that
After the scorching summer, the fall has given us plenty of rain
to be reassured of the water wells and the survival of those
plants that have made it through the heat waves. So far, this
winter has been very mild, so much so that roses continue with
their flowers and the mimosas are starting their bloom, very
early. Perhaps the annual Mimosa festivals in Bormes-les-Mimosas
and Sainte-Maxime will be decorated with other yellow flowers?
A new edition on our links page is www.french-word-a-day.com
, a wonderful site where you can subscribe (no charge) to receive
a French word, a phrase and a quote a day. The word is placed
in an everyday context with a personal and humorous flavor.
Recommended.
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4- Coming up in AboutProvence
More about the Luberon: at least Bonnieux, a pretty perched
village. Later, finally, Nice, the old part. Any wishes or
suggestions are very much welcome: contact@aboutprovence.com
Soon in Flash!: an article on markets in Provence, as well as one
on those typical bell towers, campanilles, in Provence. In
between, anything else that pops up on the radar screen here. For
now, it's very, very quiet in Provence.
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A bientôt,
Frieda Lekkerkerker Writer, editor, webmaster http://www.aboutprovence.com ==================================================== You've received this issue, because you've subscribed to the AboutProvence newsletter.
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