The last few days of Ling and Loren's Sablet visit ..............................
PART 3
The first thing I had to do for the morning was to send my passport off to DC.
So we left for a long walk downhill right after breakfast.
It cost a staggering 56 euros for the express mail.
But it would save us a trip to Marseille.
While I took my espresso solo at the bar, Loran went and checked out the light at the boulangerie.
The lighting was perfect.
The parking space happened to be empty where Loran could stand and take the photo.
He got the owner to move up the awning so the sign was shown.
After the baker took a pose with his baguette dressed in white apron and torque,
a cable company managed to string a cable right across the sign.
Loran was frustrated.
Fortunately, it is a very welcoming village.
He managed to talk to the workmen to hold the line above the sign long enough for him to snap the picture. Mission accomplished!

Sablet Village - Provence - Boulangerie "Festival" - a real testament to the skill of this creative young Boulanger is the long line that forms at the door and spills out into the Place every day.
I made some pates with zucchini and mushroom for lunch.
We had a leisurely coffee at the bar and pondered what to do in the afternoon.
Consensus was to return home and read more Mayle.
Since it looked though we would be able to have the Americans for an drink, around 5:00,
we popped a bottle of brut made by the local coop (La Gravillas).
We nursed it all afternoon and even saved some for dinner.
Dinner took me a few minutes, simple salad.
We checked out the spotlight on the church and took a quick stroll down to the village. Rather quiet.

Sablet Village - Provence - the lighted Campanile of de l'Eglise St. Nazaire
is clearly visible across the valley every night
April 29th
Another beautiful and sunny day awaited us.
We did some motoring and had a quick wine-tasting at La Gravillas.
Two 6 bottle boxes we safely placed in the trunk and would last us a while in Juan-les-Pins.
We spent some time in Gigondas (s is pronounced for it is Languedoc, the language of Provence).
Loran found a photo opp but by the time we picked up the camera, the scene had completely changed
(light was wrong, people scattered and no tourist was in sight).
Lunch was at Les Florets, 2.5kms from Gigondas.
It was a hotel and restaurant.
Wonderful setting, with hills surrounding it, hills are terraced with vineyards,
beautiful garden filled with roses, plane trees, linden trees.
though it was a bit windy, we sat in the courtyard.
We ordered identical items for lunch, asparagus for an Entrée and duck legs for plat.
For amuse bouche, we had crayfish with apple and mango served in tumblers.
Entrée: 3 green and 3 white spears of asparagus wrapped in Parma ham,
placed on top of tomato, feta cheese and with Italian pesto.
A jar (the kind used for jam, with a clamp) of asparagus gazpacho was served on the same plate.
Plat: perfectly cooked duck leg, a skew of gizzard (I took Loran’s share) and melon ball sized veggies
(carrot, potato, zucchini) and shredded duck meat on warm toast.
On our way home, we stopped at the Cave Gigondas and bought a box of Gigondas
(Grenache, syrah, Mouvedre and Cinsault).
Maybe it was the big lunch, or maybe it was the hay fever, we both fell asleep reading more Mayle.
The church bell reminded us it was time for a Rosé at five.
We would have to pack and get ready tomorrow morning.
It was a pity that we were staying only a week.
April 30th
Today we said, “goodbye” to La Maison des Pèlerins in Sablet.
We got up at a decent hour and had a big breakfast knowing that we might not have time to stop for lunch. Packing and rolling the luggage to the care took no time at all.
It saved us the nerve-racking experience of driving the care to the house.
The most challenging task was how and where to dispose of the garbage.
In this small town, there is not garbage collection service.
Loran came up with the solution.
He used the shopping trolley, removing the shopping bag and putting the big trash bag on the cart
and wheeled it to the fountain.
I found a row of trash bins hidden in a niche right under the rampart.
Dropping off the keys in the mailbox, we left this beautiful house behind.
Boohoo!
Thanks again to Loran List and Ling Lau for the wonderful Journal and Photographs.
On April 26th we left Ling driving the car
back from the small parking area by Maison des Pelerins down to the village
so that Loren could photograph her maneuvering it around a tight corner!
Bravo Ling!
That corner (Rue de l’Eglise to Grande Rue) is a nightmare – especially when you go down forwards in anything, but probably a Smart Car!
Continuing on…….. April 26
Loren wanted me to drive the car back down to the village
and he would photograph me maneuvering the car around the tight corner. I
was truly stuck between a wall and a rock pinching the back passenger’s side of the car.
Loren was busy taking photos instead of directing me out of the tough spot!
After he finished with the roll of film,
he realized my dilemma and lent me a helping hand.
I managed to get out of the spot with a minor scratch to the car.
I declared that the car would be parked at the village center
and would never be driven up to the church again,
even if it meant that I had to make a few trips to bring our luggage down.

Sablet Village - Provence - Cafe des Sports owner Bruno at the window
We sat at our usual table at the bar and ordered some espresso (elongée, Americaine) to calm our nerves.
It was a beautiful day but with some breezes. The town was relatively quiet.

Sablet Village - Provence - Inside the Cafe - patrons enjoy a card game
We drove through Vaison la Romaine to the Intermarche on the Route de Nyons.
Loran’s razor broke down this morning and he needed to get a new one.
We found the store and did some shopping. It was fairly easy with the shopping trolley that we found at Maison des Pèlerins. We put everything in the trolley and didn’t even need any plastic bags.
Loran found some Tavel and bought one to try. Loran attacked a stack of Peter Myle books.
The one he picked was in large print!
April 27th
The church bell roused us up from our slumber.
It always rings twice (the number corresponding to the hour) on the hour and one ring at the half hour.
Loran spent time photographing around the fountain and for props he carried a blue laundry bucket.
He had to carry it around while we were having our coffee and did our shopping.
A commercial artist (Denis Plat) spotted Loran and took interest in his work.
He invited us to his studio cum office, showing us his works
and giving us some brochures he produced for local wineries.
Lunch was a big treat for we went to the highly recommended restaurant (Les Abeilles).
Other patrons were sitting under the plane tree while e sat indoors because of the wind.
Loran ordered the plat of white fish served with 5 juicy, plump asparagus.
I ordered lamb sausage served with well cooked cabbage.
Fromage was my choice instead of dessert.
Loran went with La Babu (cake shaped like a ball) au Grande Marnier.
He loved it.
Afternoon was spent reading Peter Mayle.
really loved his sense of humor in Acquired Taste.
We took a short walk in the late afternoon since the weather was so beautiful.
Loran took more pics (Locations: Large Residence – Grande Rue; Lavatoir; patron at Café des Sports; Turret and plane tree; cat ladder to second floor window).
Diner was again fish, halibut (fletan).
I grilled it on both sides for more than 5mins, but it was stiLaull very tender and moist.
garni was French Beans tied in small bundles.
April 28th ………….
To be continued ……….. in Part 3 we will read the story behind the photograph of our very talented young Boulanger (photograph in Part 1), and some wine tasting experiences.
Thanks again to Loran List and Ling Lau for the wonderful Journal and Photographs.
Did I just finish saying that we have met the most wonderful people as a result of Maison des Pelerins and La Baume des Pelerins?
The next three Blogs will really bear this out.
During the month of April, we were very fortunate to have Ling Lau and Loren List as guests at Maison des Pelerins. They were on a tour of Europe and stopped in Sablet for a week.
Loren is a talented professional photographer, and so spent much of his time
looking for good "photo ops".
Last week, I arrived home to a very large FedEx Package!
In it was a stunning portfolio of photographs
- our village and some of its residents so beautifully captured in print....
...........Courtesy of Loren and Ling!
As if the pictures weren't generous enough,
Ling had kept a very charming and beautifully written Journal of her trip.
Ling and Loren have very kindly permitted me to share Ling's Journal
and display some of his photographs on this blog.
I have broken the Journal and the pictures up into three parts
and hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I did.
As I mentioned, Loren is a professional photographer so
if anyone might be interested in seeing more of his work, please let me know.
I have shown pictures of Loren's pictures as the originals are 24" x 18" and too big for my scanner.
The Originals are far superior in photo quality, but the composition is so wonderful
that I wanted to share them on this blog.
LING’S SABLET JOURNAL
April 24th
We got up early in anticipation of a long day of travel. We calculated the distance
from La Pineda, Spain to Sablet, France to be around 330 miles.
It would be mostly highway and 30 km of country roads.
It took us 30 minutes to get out of town and on to the AP7.
Around Girona we came across the biggest traffic jam caused by an accident.
We travelled 3.5 km in 45 minutes.
The cause of this mess was a wreck among 3 big rigs transporting oranges and veggies.
The emergency crews were busy moving crates and spilled oranges to the shoulder.
The middle rig was completely accordioned. This unexpected event put us behind schedule.
We stopped by the first aire (rest stop for travelers) in the French side.
Pressing for time, we bought some sandwiches and ate them in the car.
I made a wrong turn when I tried to pull over to a gas station.
Instead I exited the highway and had to turn around after paying the tolls.
More precious minutes lost in the process.
When we got to Orange, we had more than made up lost time.
After a few wrong turns, we found the winding and narrow (2 way) country road leading to Sablet.
In the town square, we found parking (rather lucky).
We walked into the local bar and ordered some drinks.
The owner lent us his cell phone so we called our contact, Marianne (on site manager).
She lived 45 minutes away. We sat at the bar looking at the beautiful vista
(rolling hills terraced with vineyards). We heard a couple of American gentlemen
talking about their time in Chicago and Cleveland. It was very funny that we left home for 3 weeks without any sighting of an American, only to find some in such a small village in the middle of France.
Marianne showed up on time with 2 crying boys. She said hello to me in perfect Mandarin. What a coincidence! She used to work in Tianjin. Her husband was a professional photographer!
The house, La Maison des Pelerins, situated immediately behind a 12 and 14 century church (Eglise de Nazzare), was a charmer, very spacious, living room, dining room, state of the art kitchen, breakfast nook, garden, 2 king-size bedrooms en suite. The décor was very Provencal style.
It has all the modern amenities: TV, DVD, wifi, washer and DRYER.
I took a big risk driving the car up the winding and narrow paths to the front of the church
into one of 4 parking slots.
The car, equipped with proximity alarms, rang and sounded all the way when I drove up.
We ate a simple dinner at the only local restaurant (Les Remaprts).
April 25
We had to do our shopping in the morning since all stores were to be closed on Sunday afternoons.
We raced down to main street (one block long).
Loran was distracted by a photo op, a lady painting the fountain.

I went to pick up the camera and returned to find them conversing in English.
The lady is from South Carolina and staying here for 1 month with her husband and another couple.
The ladies have been painting at a different village everyday.
We did some shopping at the local grocery and butcher.
I made chicken drumsticks with veggies for lunch.
Nice for a change. Laundry was also done and DRIED.
Time to head downtown for some coffee.
Loran, the photographer, was fascinated by a group of locals playing a card game in the bar.
Again, I raced off to fetch his tools.
Afternoon was spent reading and online.
The weather was glorious, in the 80’s, actually a bit too hot for us.
The church and the house are on the highest ground, the short cut has 38 steps.
April 26
It was about ten when we had our breakfast. I went down to the boulangerie
and bought pain au chocolate and a baguette.

Fresh grapefruit and orange juice was prepared by Loran.
Immediately after that, I put some veggies (eggplant, fennel, potato and carrot)
and veal into the crock pot setting it to fast cook for lunch.
Loran did some photographing around the house.
Around noon, the crock pot did not show any progress in the cooking.
We rushed down to the village hoping to buy something for lunch before the stores closed for lunch.
We did find one grocer open and grabbed whatever we needed.
Loren wanted me to drive the car back down to the village and he would photograph me
...... maneuvering the car around the tight corner. …………… to be continued!
.......How does it go?........ the future’s not ours to see? ….. the purchase of our new property in Sablet, certainly falls into that category....................
2004 - in Sablet village, we were staying in rented a vacation house.
We had noticed on a real estate website, an apartment in a very old building that was being renovated, was available for sale. We contacted the realtor and he showed it to us. It was still in a state of rough construction, the living/dining/kitchen and bedrooms with bare concrete floors, rough plumbing connections where the kitchen and bathrooms could be placed, walls were not painted, there was also a garage and a “cave” (wine cellar). We liked the location and the village – the apartment had possibilities.
It was on the lower two levels, of a very old four storey building – all of which was undergoing renovation by an Italian Contractor/Developer who had come to Sablet many, many years before, and made the village his home. Interestingly, the property above the one we were looking at, was accessed from a street three levels up, on the opposite side of the building. This one was accessed from a different street at a level three stories lower. The effect was that they were two independent houses. We looked and looked again, before telling the realtor that we would like to make an offer to purchase it.
He said, “OK, I’ll call the seller and let you know his response tomorrow.” When tomorrow came, we saw our realtor approaching our rented house with his head hanging. He explained that we had been beaten to the purchase by another buyer who had also been looking at it. I can’t believe that my response at the time was, “… never mind, it means that there’s something better waiting for us.” Our realtor couldn’t believe that we weren't upset with him - we said …. “OK we’ll be in touch”.
Oh yes, during one of our walks around the village we had noticed the house above, and remarked how much we liked that one too.
Fast forward ….. about nine months …… I was looking at the realtor’s website again and noticed a picture which I was sure was the house above! I contacted him right away and asked about it. He said , “yes” indeed it was the same one we were talking about. Great! ………. Let’s buy it! The rest is history, and that house is Maison des Pèlerins.
During the purchase and remodeling of Maison des Pèlerins, we met our new neighbor who had beaten us to the purchase a year earlier. She is a delightful, elegant lady from Paris, whom we came to know well,, and with whom we shared many enjoyable times. We loved what she did to finish her house, and the way she used the space that was originally the garage. The kitchen was finished with a classic, yet modern look and a back drop of ochre walls, so much a part of Provence. The garage, which she felt would not be easy to access with a vehicle received a new Iron Gate, a beautiful tiled floor, and the rough rock walls were whitewashed. This space had been transformed into one of the most attractive, unique “outdoor” spaces in the village (the baume). The “cave” had also been whitewashed and converted into a very functional laundry area at the front, with a relaxing sitting area further back into the hill. We loved walking past the large “baume” in the mornings and seeing the light streaming in and reflecting off the back wall. (see below)

Fast forward encore …… five years after the purchase of Maison des Pèlerins, we were surprised to receive some news from our neighbor. She was planning to leave Sablet, to be closer to her children and would be selling her house. At first, we were disappointed to be losing our wonderful neighbor, but it brought to mind a thought that we had never really contemplated, because we really liked our neighbor. Buying her property brought about the opportunity to reconnect the two properties as they once were – one house!
Even more ironic, is the fact that during last summer’s visit to Sablet, we met the gentleman who made all the renovations on this building. We told him how much we were enjoying our house and the changes he had made. He was kind enough to give us the complete set of plans that he had used – so there it is – a complete (albeit recent) construction history of the building that is now La Baume des Pèlerins and Masion des Pèlerins and …… shown in the plans is the original staircase connecting the two! ……………..Les Pèlerins!
Fortunately, the stairs were, and are planned to be in a place that will allow us to close them off and maintain the separation between La Baume and Maison, as they currently stand. When open, it will function as one four bedroom house, that will very comfortably accommodate large groups – not only because of the number of bedrooms, but also because we have several living areas, which gives everyone more of their own space.
The stairs have not been done yet as the purchase took place in mid July, and the rest of our time in Sablet was spent furnishing La Baume and getting it ready for guests. Perhaps during this winter, when things are quieter in Provence.
Until then, whenever we want to go from Maison to La Baume, we walk out of the front door of Maison to the l’Escaliers de l’ Eglise, walk down our version of the “Spanish Steps” (41 of them), and down Grande Rue to the front door of La Baume.
Who needs to join a fitness club when you can spend time in Sablet walking from one part of your house to another via two streets and 41 steps??!! The Baume 2010
Below are some Before (2003 during construction) and After (2010) pictures of La Baume

The Living Room 2003 The Living Room 2010

The Kitchen 2003 The Kitchen 2010

The Cave 2003 The Cave 2010
The Baume 2003 when it was a garage

The time: 10pm …… the place: the sports field in the village of Monteux, Provence, France ............
“Bonsoir Mesdames, bonsoir Mesdemoiselles, bonsoir Messieurs,” the narrator’s voice boomed out over the very large open air sports field, where we had found a small patch of ground to park our folding chairs … along with about forty-three thousand of our closest friends from the village and beyond! It was time …….
The narrator continued, “…. The village of Monteux is happy to welcome you to our traditional fireworks display which takes place every August. We hope to help you spend an excellent evening.”
“True to our tradition of the art of fireworks and this theatre, this evening we propose a voyage on a theme: ‘Lilix, Princesse de Vix’. The voyage is going to take is to the home of the Gaulles, to Vix in Burgundy, during the 6th Century AD.”
“So, Mesdames et Messieurs ….. our virtual spaceship will soon be taking off,……. Prepare yourself to depart, …… attach your seatbelts, forget everything, I said forget everything, ….let your imaginations go free, ….. let yourself be transported by the magic of the evocation pyrotechnique!”
The official "affiche" publicising the 2009 "Feu d'Artifice"
Yes, another hot August night in Provence….. and this is one of the best known fireworks displays in France. How did we come to be here? Earlier that week, we had bumped into our neighbor and friend, Père Pierre the curé in Sablet. Of course we stopped to say, “Bonjour” and have a little chat. He asked us, “Are you free on Friday night?” “yes,” we said. He told us about the “grand spectacle” of the “feu d’artifice” in Monteux. He said he would be meeting his niece and family there and invited us to join them. He didn’t need to ask twice! Our first experience with a choreographed fireworks display had been in the delightful seaside village of Cassis in the early 1980’s. We had thoroughly enjoyed it and so were very much looking forward to seeing another.
On the appointed evening, we had arranged to all have an early dinner in our courtyard and leave by 8.30pm for Monteux, with folding chairs at the ready. On the drive, Père Pierre told us that it would be best to park on the outskirts of the village …. “and be sure to turn the car around, towards getaway direction!” We followed his directions and parked what turned out to be about 3 kilometers away from the sports field, and joined the growing procession of fireworks lovers, on our pilgrimage to an adventure. On arrival, we were faced with a sea of people and the challenge was to find a good spot from which to view the show – no problem, even in a crowd, everyone was in good humor and made room. Ready! As the sun started to set, excitement mounted ….. until the announcer boomed out over the PA system and for the next 45 minutes we would be on a journey “de la pyrotechnie, extraordinaire”.
The countdown started….. 10…..9….8 …… 7……………….. etc., ”c’est parti!” Liftoff! For several seconds bright light beams criss-crossed the skies above us, creating the ambience of travelling in a spaceship…. The narrator guided us on our virtual journey through the skies over the cities between Monteux and Vix …. Bollene, Montelimar, Lyon…on and on until he commanded,
“Stop! We’re here!”


As the last spectacular burst of fireworks lit up the sky and Lilix and her new husband headed off to live happily ever after, the crowd sat completely enthralled, wishing the show wouldn’t stop, but glad to have the happy ending. Applause broke out – loud and long lasting, appreciation of the outstanding artistry was clearly evident by attendance and reaction. As the crowd started to move, we were still talking about the wonderful spectacle we had just seen – the combination of storyline, music and superb pyrotechnics was magnificent and definitively “for –mi –dable!”
Spirits were high and excitement was still in the air as we gathered our belongings, refolded the chairs and started to make for the outskirts of town where the getaway vehicle awaited us. The exit was much slower than our entry to the stadium. Many other vendors and shows had started up as the fireworks ended and were taking advantage of the crowd flowing through the village. Reaching the middle of the village, we were starting to see the wisdom of Père Pierre’s parking recommendation as we watched cars jostling to try to get out of the parking lot and get away on the narrow village roads. That little village parking lot and the surrounding roads look very much like the A7 Autoroute heading south on the last week end in July! We chatted, having fun as we walked and walked until we reached the outward facing car, on the outskirts of the village well beyond the “circulation bouché”.
At sometime past midnight we drove back into our by now quiet little village of Sablet – still heaping praise on Père Pierre for his brilliant and extremely generous invitation to us, in sharing his friends, his family and this very memorable evening with us.
“Il Fait Vachement Chaud!” That’s what this irresistible picture of a heat exhausted dog seems to say.
Yes …. It was August in Provence – hot days, warm evenings - the kind of weather that reminds us of the wisdom of the Provençaux, who many years ago planted Plane trees that would grow up to tower over the parched ground and spread their branches, creating sanctuaries under their cool green canopies. This dog was serious about staying cool taking full advantage of the shaded stone bench with his head in a moist flower pot. The scene was in Villdieu, a pretty little village about 20 minutes from Sablet where the village square and surrounding buildings are sheltered from the blistering afternoon sun by five very large Plane trees. As we enjoyed a cool drink in the shade my mind went back to our first visit to Villedieu, last year – also in August.
That evening, the square had been filled with tables covered with large squares of white paper, set with plates, knives , forks, wine glasses and serviettes - dinner for the whole village – and visiting guests. It was the Fête Votive, the annual celebration held in all Provençal villages which celebrates the patron saint of the village. We were fortunate to be invited to this celebration by one of our neighbors in Sablet, who had worked in Villedieu for many years and so, had many friends there. Dinner was to be a “Grande Aioli” – a specialty, which we had yet to experience. When we drove into Villedieu for the festivities we were greeted by a rain shower, which had everyone looking nervous, but fortunately it was brief, as many rain showers in this area are.
It turned out to be a warm, balmy evening. Dinner commenced with cool, sweet, locally grown melon before the Grande Aioli. We weren’t quite sure what to expect, but what a wonderful surprise! This unassuming, yet delightfully fresh meal consisted of cool poached Cod, and steamed potatoes, carrots, green beans, cauliflower and a hard boiled egg, all served with the most delicious, most garlicky, freshly made mayonnaise known as Aioli. The fish was fresh, fresh, fresh. The vegetables crisp and flavorful. This dish became an instant favorite with us – so simple yet so delicious – so very Provençal. The main course was so delicious that I don’t even remember what desert was!
Then, it was time for the dancing to start. Towards the end of dinner, the band took its place on stage. The music was fun, upbeat, alternating French, English, Spanish and sometimes Italian! We were amazed at the versatility of this group – they sang everything from Provençal songs to American rock. The music and dancing went on until the early hours of the morning. We danced, talked with our friends, learnt about a wonderful special meal, met new friends and saw how festive the annual village celebration was – friends and neighbors getting together to just enjoy a summer evening with a great meal, lively music good company. I don’t know what time it finished, but we left at around 1.30am and went home to our nice quiet beds.
Sablet en Fete!

In all our years of visiting France, this was our first experience with the “Fete Votive” – but – walking down to Sablet village the next morning, we stopped to talk with one of our neighbors and told her about the fete we had attended the night before. She asked, “…. and did you enjoy it?” “Oh yes, very much,” we replied. “Bien, bien” she said - “Sablet’s Fete Votive is next week and it will last for three days, with music and dancing every night …” That will be fun!
During the next week we thoroughly enjoyed going down into our village – having dinner at one of the restaurants and listening to music with its amazing (for our small village) show (was this Sablet or Las Vegas??!!), seeing the kids having fun on the helicopter ride and eating their way through gigantic masses of “barbe de papa” (candy floss). It was a carnival like side of Sablet we had not yet seen, all ages from small children on the rides or ring toss, groups of teenagers, villagers and visitors all having fun and making the most of the festivities that go on well into the night!
This is early August in Provence – high summer weather and celebrations which bring a whole new meaning to “Hot August Night”.
"Il fait vachement chaud" - It Is Reeeaaalllly Hot!
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