WITH THE REIJZERS
IN AUPS - JUNE 2010
Doreen:
When Hans and Lottie Reizjer, our very good friends from Holland, invited us to join them in their rented
villa in
Aups France
we gladly accepted. Six years ago we stayed with them in
Lorgues. They
enjoy a
much more relaxed holiday than we, but a chance to do nothing seemed
most
inviting after a very busy year.
Getting there was more difficult than we had imagined as we
arrived a day
after severe flooding during which 29 people were drowned, over 20 went
missing
and many literally left homeless. We drove from Nice and reached
Flayosc, some
20 kms away from Aups and found all the roads blocked. Only after much
driving
back and forth trying all the side paths did we finally find a road
open to
Aups. The lower part of the village Aups had no electricity or potable
water.
Our days in Aups had a very special routine –
sleep as late as
possible
and when we were all ready, we would walk down to the medieval village
when we
would first go to the boulangerie to buy pain chocolat, apple slice and
whole
wheat baguette. Then off to the news stand to buy
newspapers in French
and
English. Then we would walk to the coffee shop by the village square.
There we
would order coffee and eat whatever we had bought or brought,
while
reading the
morning papers. (see This
Week's Picture June 19, 2010). To
Eitan and I this
was the most amazing thing – that the coffee shop sold only coffee and
tea (and
liquor) but nothing to eat, not even sandwiches.
The rest of the day we spent swimming, reading and cooking
and eating. We even found mulberries trees ripe with
fruit which we picked for dinner. At night Hans, Lottie
and
Anthony watched
soccer and then we played bridge. Lottie
and I were partners and took great delight that despite virtually no
bidding
conventions, we held our own against Hans and Anthony who had a most
intricate
bidding system – final tally, three all.
Saturday morning was a big day as the village square became market
square. That meant it was hard to find a table at our coffee shop, but
good as
Hans could sit while the rest of us went shopping and left our parcels
with
him.
On Sunday, while having our coffee, a sudden downpour and
hailstorm had
the bikers – bicycle and motorbike – anxiously pacing up and down the
coffee
shop while we discussed whether the roads would be closed again. But we
reached
Auberge de Chateauvertes for Sunday lunch, and although we couldn't sit
in the
garden, we enjoyed the warmth of the dining room. The specialty of the
restaurant was either lamb or quail – and both were good. The quail was
roasted in front of the fire with the aid of a weight/pulley system
which rotated the quails.
On Monday Eitan and I took advantage of the good weather
and drove to Les
Gorges du Verdon. We visited Moustiers Sainte Marie perched
on a
mountain
slope. We walked around the quaint village, window shopping. Afterwards
I
walked up many steps to the Church of Marie. A crusader knight Blacas d'Aups had promised
to string a star over the ravine if he returned safely, and so he did.
We then drove
around the Gorges.
We had bought a mediocre pictorial guide to the Gorges du Verdon, but
it
did contain one most important piece of information – where climbers go
to
scale the Gorges. I had visited there a few years ago with Morris and
Jackie
Kahan and Yona Weisman and remembered the place well, but had no
idea where it
was. We drove right around the Gorges and arrived at this amazing
vertical wall,
the
Escales cliffs. We were fortunate to see a rock climber negotiate the
last few
meters with great difficulty. It was important to us as we remembered
Fern, who
in her climbing heyday had led a climb up this extremely difficult and
frightening ascent.
Hans and Lottie decided to return to Amsterdam early. So on their last day
we shared
a farewell breakfast and afterwards as they made their way to Holland
we drove to Aix en Provence.
We spent a delightful day walking the city, full of open squares and
fountains
and statues. We even found the medieval Jewish Quarter. Cezanne
was
born in Aix
but the city has few of his paintings. At the Granet Museum
I enjoyed Granet's paintings, a few early Cezanne paintings and a
remarkable self
portrait by Rubens.
Hans and Lottie said that after holidaying for a few years
in Aups they
would go someplace else next year. We are prepared to follow them
anywhere!
GO TO TOP OF PAGE
GO TO DOREEN AND EITAN'S
HOMEPAGE
