I loved today… just the right balance of activity and relaxation… and best of all, we shared it with friends.
We planned to do an interesting morning hike with our friends the McConnells today-- something with some excitement that teenagers would enjoy. But after our recent experience on the Falaise at Lioux, we decided it was too hot for a major hike and we would have to start way too early to make it a fun experience for the kids. Instead we suggested that our families meet in Bonnieux at 9:00, drive down to Oppède-le-Vieux and explore the village and the castle ruins, and then come back here for lunch and swimming. We invited our new friends the Hamids (Farris, Kit and Olivia from our Tour de France excursion) to join us after lunch for swimming.
The McConnells are from Pennsylvania, and we met Christine and two of her sons during our stay in Bonnieux last summer. We joke and say that Charley “picked her up at the boulangerie,” since Charley and Christine were introduced by our baker-friend Henri Tomas, and Charley invited the family over to swim the next afternoon. Christine and her husband Jeff bought a sweet little village house near the top of Bonnieux last spring… the place our family rented when we were here this past March. Now Christine is in Bonnieux for most of July. Her stay has involved various combinations of family members: first her mom and a friend, then just her mom, then the three boys, then the arrival of husband Jeff, and when Jeff leaves on Sunday, just the three boys again for the last few days. The boys—Cameron, Curt, and Collin—are 16, 14 and 12, which is a nice combination with Kelly. We’ve gotten together several times these last few weeks to share meals and to swim and play at this big country house. We really enjoy having friends in Provence!
The McConnell family outside the Oppède church (Jeff, Curt, Cameron, Christine and Collin)
Today we were excited to share Oppède-le-Vieux with the McConnells. It’s one of my favorite places in the Luberon… a ruined village that dates back to the Middle Ages, seemingly hanging almost half-way up the side of the Petit Luberon. Sometimes—depending on the light—it’s almost camouflaged on the mountainside. The village was once a very important place with about 900 residents inside the old walls during its peak in the 14th century. But beginning in the 16th century, people began moving down to the plain to be closer to their farming activities. Life was much easier on the level ground, and by the early 20th century the old village was deserted. After World War II a small group of artists returned to the old village, and little-by-little it is returning to life… but in a way that really preserves the magic of this old and very special place.
Collin, Curt and Kelly pause for a photo
The parking area is downhill from the old village, with a two euro parking fee per car. The walk to the old village takes you through a beautiful terraced garden of plants and trees native to this area. The gardens were especially lush and interesting back in May, but not so interesting at this time of year. From the old “aire de battage” (threshing floor), there’s a great view of the old church and castle further up the mountainside.
Oppède-le-Vieux seen from the "aire de battage" (photo by Kelly)
The village itself is tiny… some restored houses, some still in great disrepair. There’s very little commerce: a small café with an appealing terrace, a pottery gallery, another little café that has a few racks of postcards for sale, a B&B that now seems to serve meals. (The “new” village of Oppède a few miles away in the valley has the post office, boulangerie and other services.)
The church, seen from the chateau ruins
We crossed the large square, passed under the belfrey tower, and then began the hike up the steep rocky lanes past the ruined houses to the old church and wide terrace with the fantastic view. On a clear day there is a beautiful view of the valley, the Monts de Vaucluse, and Mont Ventoux, but this morning it was still cloudy… adding to the magical feeling. If the conditions are right, it’s even possible from the ruins to see all the way to the Palais de Papes in Avignon… but not today. (In April 2005 our family hiked over the Petit Luberon, emerging on the top above Oppède. Oppède seems very high when you are in it… but on that day it seemed very small down below.)
The Petit Luberon, rising behind the old village
I thought the kids would really enjoy the old castle ruins. The last time we had been here with Kelly—probably in spring 2005—it wasn’t possible to climb up into the ruins, but Charley and I discovered last year that the ruins are now accessible. All of us—kids and adults—had a great time exploring in the ruins. Christine and I never seem to run out of things to talk about, and we talked as we explored.
Christine in the ruins
The kids especially liked climbing down some hidden passageways and emerging on another level of the ruins. There are a couple of small postings that provide information (in French) about what the various areas of the castle once were. The chateau was a massive construction, all the more impressive when you think about the complexity of construction on a rocky hillside five hundred years ago.
Kelly explores a hidden passageway
When we climbed back down to the terrace by the church, the church was open, with a young lady on duty. There has also been a project to gradually restore the church. It’s an amazingly grand and ornate church for what seems like such a small isolated village-- another indication that this was once a very important place. I dumped all my extra change into the voluntary collection box… this is a cause I think is well worth supporting.
Inside the 12th century church (photo by Kelly)
Before we left Oppède-le-Vieux, we had a little mystery to solve. I had read about a stone in a wall that had Latin writing, words that were the same when read in several directions. This isn’t anything major… just a small curiousity, among many in the Luberon. We asked a couple of people and hunted around the area east of the belfrey. Finally we were told to look down a “ruelle,” a tiny lane… and there it was in the wall next to a door. As we clustered around and talked in our very-American way, an older man with a long beard came out of the open door next to the stone and told us we were being too loud. He was trying to sleep. I’m sure when he bought or rented the house, he never realized his bed was just on the other side of a tourist attraction!
The mysterious stone with Latin writing (photo by Kelly)
We spent the rest of the day back at Le Mas St. Paul… a pot-luck lunch, swimming for the kids, wine and conversation for the parents. The Hamids arrived, and Kelly was excited to see Olivia again. The boys and girls seemed to have a good time together. The McConnells left late in the afternoon, but Farris, Kit and Olivia stayed on another hour or two and another glass of wine. We were happy to share another leisurely summer’s day with friends.
Comments (1)
Dear Wood Family:
Thanks for sharing all of your good times on your blog. This serves as my vacation this summer, and what better place to see than all of the lovely villages and hikes in the Luberon that you are visiting. We loved Oppede-le-Vieux, too, so these photos are especially enjoyable.
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July 27, 2007 4:57 PM
Posted on July 27, 2007 16:57