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Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Old Village of Monteux in Provence



(Porte d'Avignon)

Along the D942  about 20 km northeast of Avignon in Provence
and 5 km from Carpentras,
lies the medieval Old Village of Monteux.
One enters through this ancient doorway,
 the old Avignon Porte  along fortified ramparts 
which was the original entry to the village.




Next to the porte sits this sweet 'dolphin' fountain. 





On my way back to Blauvac in Provence from Mary Magdalene's cave this summer,
but not quite yet ready for my adventure to end,
I stopped in this little town to explore
and found the most exquisite village
of painted canvas on old buildings.

I parked near the porte,
walked through 
and got lost in this surprise maze of medieval streets. 

And here are just a few of what greeted me! 



Basket weaver. 



Everyone wanted to get in on the charming paintings and flowers. 




Barrel maker and repairer.




Tailor.




A very Provencal scene. 




Cabinet maker.




Bibliotheque. 




What a delightful surprise this little medieval village turned out to be! 
Something niggled at me each time I drove past the exit sign for Monteux 
on my way to Avignon or Aix-en-Provence,
telling me to take a look. 
I finally had the time, being on my own
and not on a schedule 
(usually of sightseeing with a group 
or picking someone up at the Avignon train station)
and I listened to that little nudge. 
Sometimes beauty and magic happen when we listen and respond. 

*********


I was away at my writing retreat on the northern Oregon Coast this past week
working on my novel
and for those who are interested,
I've also been working on the post about my trip to MM's cave. 
But for now, enjoy these photos from Provence.
And thanks for coming on this little side-trip to Monteux with me!



(All Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

2 comments:

  1. To me,Kirsten, those little out of the way places are what make the trip special.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This was interesting to see.

    I'm looking forward to hearing about Bernadette.

    BTW,have you read All the Light We Cannot See,and The Little Paris Bookshop?

    Love,
    Cathy















    l

    ReplyDelete

Hello and Welcome!
Thanks for coming and for making your thoughts and feelings known. I appreciate all comments greatly.
Hope to see you again!
Kirsten