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| The Olive Orchards of Le Verger |
....as seen through my eyes!
By: Jacqueline E. Hughes
It's deeply interesting what the mind is capable of conjuring up! The scent of sun screen evokes images of a childhood summer on the beach at Lake Michigan. Enjoying specific foods might remind us of far-off places we've traveled to and wish to revisit one day. Musical influences every so often trick our memories by summoning vignettes of pleasures or awkward situations we've experienced in our past life: a first kiss, a lullaby whispered to gently ease your child into Dreamland or, the moment he asked you to become his wife....
The sharp and delicious smell of cinnamon places me in Grandma's huge country kitchen while she's baking sweet apple pie and blueberry cobbler for our summertime dessert. The family gathers around the long kitchen table anticipating the homemade buttermilk biscuits fresh from the oven soon to be slathered with butter and drenched in country gravy, the kind only Grandma could make to such perfection.
Add to this scene a platter or two of country-fried chicken, golden brown and recently extracted from two enormous black iron skillets she uses exclusively on top of the stove. A dish of hand-mashed potatoes, speckled with fresh ground black pepper and topped with a pat of butter that oozes its golden goodness erratically down the mound like a snow-glazed mountain peak, is placed right in front of me. Grandma's favorite white porcelain bowl edged with hand-painted blue flowers contains this 'starchy' perfection, a product of her arduous labor.
It was our second night in the Luberon valley in the south of France and our first visit to Provence when I asked Dan which French foods represented this beautiful place for him and would always evoke strong culinary memories in the future. "Homemade croissants and fresh fig jam, pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant), wild strawberries, freshly brewed French coffee and Danièle," was his dreamy response. "You're blushing," I chided. "Besides, that was our breakfast this morning with Jean-Philippe and Danièle!!" In all seriousness, he looked straight into my eyes and said, "Exactement!"
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| Jean-Philippe and Daniele Rossi |
Prior to embarking on a week long stay at our rental property in Sablet, we spent a magnificent night at Le Verger, a charming Bed and Breakfast (Provençal Mas) located at the foot of the beautiful hilltop village of Gordes in northern Luberon. This quintessential Provençal stone structure is the home of Jean-Philippe and Danièle Rossi and where they rent-out three of the most comfortable rooms within the heart of an olive orchard, amidst the garrigue (Mediterranean aromatic plants) and overlooking the mountains of the Luberon!
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| View From Our Private Terrace of the Luberon |
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| Dan Walking Out On Our Terrace |
Our sophisticated bedroom, "Le Pigeonnier," on the upper floor of the house, included its own separate entrance, private terrace, air-conditioning and incredible valley and mountain views! As the title suggests, we were the luckiest pigeons ever and were soon to learn that, not only were we living a perfect Provençal lifestyle but, we were building an incredible friendship with two of the kindest, most adorable people we had ever met!
Translated into English, Le Verger means 'Orchard.' Having been drawn to the olive trees upon entering the main gate earlier, we decided to explore the grounds after unpacking. The glorious Provençal sun was shining down upon us, illuminating the silvery tones of the elongated olive leaves and making them sparkle in the afternoon glow resembling millions of diamonds hovering over the lush valley below.
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| Discovering the Beautiful Olive Orchard |
We discovered that Le Verger had a borie at the edge of the back orchard. Later, at dinner on the veranda, we learned that Jean-Philippe used this dry-stone, one-room cabin to house his tools and garden paraphernalia. More typically, a borie was a single low room where a shepherd could weather-out a storm or a cold night. It is big enough to stand upright in, often with space for a fire and a shelf or two built into the thick, stone walls.
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| Checking-Out the Borie |
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| Crusty Baguette |
The four of us sat and chatted (mainly in English, I am sad to admit), drank and ate to our heart's content.....and then drank even more until we eventually said our 'good nights' around one in the morning. Fortunately, all of us were just a short walk from our beds and the promise of a good night's sleep. Having been so caught-up in the moment, we had yet to be hit by the rigors of jet lag and intentionally dismissed the thought all evening long.
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| Terrace Views |
Unbelievably, I awoke bright and early the following morning and in time to catch the Provençal sun peeking around the left-hand side of our private terrace. Looking back at my husband's face resting gently on the creme colored linen pillows, little did I know that he was dreaming of what was in store for us this glorious morning!
A house breakfast, le petit-dejeuner, was to be served within the shade of the massive oak trees around the pool or on the veranda or by the fireplace, according to the season.
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| The Pool And Terrace At Le Verger |
"Bon matin," proclaimed Jean-Philippe, patting us both on the shoulder as he welcomed us, once again, to the charming table on the veranda. "Daniele will be out soon. I trust you enjoyed your rest? Fresh coffee is coming right out!" Ahh, coffee....much needed, strong coffee! This was to be the lifeline that would propel me into the long, exciting day ahead. For Dan...it would be Daniele's homemade pastries with a side of fig jam.
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| "The man ate as though possessed by demons!!!" |
The man ate as though possessed by demons!!! Where on earth was he putting all of it? Mounds of flaky croissants and pain au chocolat adorned colorful plates on the table and, initially, I thought that others might be joining the four of us for breakfast. I wanted to tap his leg under the table in order to send him a silent message, "Stop! Slow down! You will eat them out of house and home at this rate!" As the flaky pastries began to disappear, adorable Daniele, enabler extraordinaire, spoke these words, "Excuse me while I replenish the plates with more croissants." Noooooooo, I wanted to scream!! But, instead, all I could hear were the words 'merci beaucoup' drifting from Dan's side of the table.
I'm thinking this was Dan's form of a jet lag cure....and that Daniele's entire week's allotment of homemade croissants were sacrificed for the cause.
I was happy to see that Jean-Philippe had to excuse himself and say his 'good-byes' in order to make it on time to his meeting in Cavaillon later that morning, before breakfast turned into a feeding frenzy. Daniele smiled and conversed with us throughout breakfast. Dan ate and politely handed-out numerous compliments to our sweet hostess the entire time. Eventually, both she and I teased him about his voracious appetite. My teasing was born from a sense of pure astonishment where as Daniele beamed with a total feeling of pride and enjoyment! The man was hungry and she proved instrumental in satiating that hunger. I seriously doubt that she had ever seen a fellow Frenchman quite as famished as my American husband had been!
Kidding with her later, Dan suggested that she would probably never want to feed him her delicious croissants again for fear of running out of a seemingly ample supply. It was several weeks later after many e-mails had been written back-and-forth between us that Daniele delivered her perfect reply: "To have you both return to Le Verger and stay for a much longer time, I would make Dan as many croissants as humanly possible. We miss you so much and cannot wait to see you again. The pastries and jam will be waiting for you!"
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| On The Veranda With Daniele! |
Daniele et Jean-Philippe.....we hope to see you in 2015!
Please check-out Le Verger at this Website: levergerenluberon.com
Learn more about the village of Gordes, Abbaye of Senanque, antique shopping in L'Isle on the Sorgue, the Luberon villages of Menerbes, Roussillon Bonnieux and Lacoste. Enjoy walking tours and discover the open-air markets of this region!!
Copyright © 2014 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved
