On a warm and sunny morning, we decide to drive inland to the next town of Ollioules. We follow a busy highway to get there, and can’t quite tell where the town starts. We also miss our turn and find ourselves already on the way out before we’ve even stopped! So we retrace our steps, find a parking spot and start walking up toward the old center. We arrive at a large square with an old stone church and follow narrow streets with colorful houses and shutters. Everything looks like it’s been here forever, and in this old part of the town the houses date from the 16th and 17th century.

You get the idea…I never get tired of these scenes. They are a part of my bones.

After a walk along a tiny river park, we drive through a deep limestone gorge and then up the mountain to reach a hilltop town built on the peak of the limestone. People still live in these old houses. Even up here, spring is making its appearance. As we walk the perimeter of the cliff, we can see our small coastal town and the Mediterranean Sea on the horizon.

Then, it’s back down the mountain. On our way back to the cottage, we take a side road to Chapelle de Pépiole, a 5th century pre-romanesque chapel, beside a still in use monastery. Sitting down a lane, with olive trees, it carries its age. Two cypress trees stand before it, conferring the traditional welcome symbol of Provence. Today, the door is open and we walk inside the darkened space that smells of wax and incense. We sit in silence and soak in the centuries that have passed in this room. We chat with the volunteer who has ties to Belgium.

We call it a day and drive home to our cottage for a good pasta meal.