Fontaine Moussue

This is where Jean Louis grew up - Salon de Provence, France. We love having a coffee at le café while sitting and watching the passersby.

A popular attraction in Salon is the Fontaine Moussue, on the Place Crousillat. This 18th-century fountain is covered by a thick mound of moss. Some say the moss is dying due to global warming. The fountain is surrounded by plane trees planted over the centuries: one was planted in 1799 to mark the end of the Revolution and another was planted in 1919 to mark the end of the Great War.

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

Fontaine-de-Vaucluse is a medieval village at the southwestern corner of the mountainous Plateau Vaucluse, 25 km east of Avignon. It is one our favorite places to visit. In the summer months, the streets are lined with tourists to get a glimpse of the mysterious bubbling spring which is the most beautiful color of blue-green that I have ever seen.

I'll never forget my first trip to Provence to to spend the Holidays with Jean Louis and his family. He took me to Fontaine de Vaucluse and I remember it being so cold. This Southern California girl was not used to the cold winters of Provence.

Personally, I like to visit this village because it has my favorite shop to buy Provencal tablecloths (napes). We buy a new one every time we visit. It also has a fabulous santon museum. The picture below was taken in the museum. (more on Santons tomorrow)

Downtown Salon de Provence

Welcome to downtown Salon de Provence, France. This is a town next to my my in-laws village in Provence. Jean Louis took this photo a few months ago while visiting his parents.

La Croix

The crosses in France are art to me. I love visiting old churches and cemeteries. I learned on this last trip to slow down and enjoy the moment. I had such a peaceful time simply walking and observing. Of course, it helps if you ADORE who you are travelling with!

This first picture was taken outside an old church in one of our favorite villages, Eygalières. It happened to be on Good Friday. I have some amazing shots of inside the church as well. I will post all about Eygalières another day.

Vernègues

My inspiration for this blog was from a recent trip to Provence. It was here that I played with my new camera and thought it would fun to share our trip with you. Enjoy!



I love crosses - you will always see some from my travels. The one to the left is from Vernègues. Vernègues is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities/cities in the US.




The remains of an old olive tree. The sky is an amazing shade of blue.


14th century Provençal Romanesque St. Jacques church. On June 11, 1909 an earthquake destroyed the castle and most houses in Vernègues