Visit to a ‘perched village

Today’s selection of village is Fayence, one of the ‘perched villages’. It was only a short drive of 24 km north from Bagnols and there are 8 such villages on the hills but Fayence would be the pick of them. From a distance it was eye-catching and as we wound our way up the charming, narrow streets to the top we could see that this was going to be one of the best we had seen so far. It was obviously very old, but well preserved, and as we came under an archway and saw all the tables set out invitingly under the plane trees we couldn’t wait to find a restaurant and sit down. Jim and Louise joined us after a barrage of texting and lunch turned out to be very pleasant – nice salads. I have made promise to myself not to have any more French fries!

We started our walk in what they call the old town, which made us wonder where we had been having lunch. Steps led down to a square in front of the church and the stage told us that this was where they had celebrated Bastille Day. The exterior of the church was almost identical in shape to the one in Trinidad, Cuba. It was the same soft salmon pink colour and inside was cool and dark and made a lovely retreat from the heat about 40 minutes later. Very narrow, cobbled streets led out in all directions from the square and the further we went from the church the narrower they became until they were only about 6 feet wide. The houses were all about 3 stories high giving some shade to the laneways, but now and then there would be a mini square, usually filled with sunshine and hanging baskets of flowers, and we came across a mother and toddler kicking a ball around in the only space available. The houses were of soft pastel tones and shuttered with contrasting colours. Large pots of flowers marked each entrance. We came across an open doorway and inside was a life size diorama of a baker’s kitchen set up exactly as it would have been 500 years ago, with a husband, wife and child working.

By this time the streets were just a maze. We had no idea which way was out, so thought if we went up we would come to the main road into the town. That was right and we walked back to our lunchtime restaurant and then down the steps to the church, stopping to buy an ice cream on the way. Sarah and Louise had been spending time in the shops around the square and Jim was having a bad time with his mobile phone. He was set to have a tantrum and throw it on the ground and stamp on it when we caught up with him. A cold drink at one of the restaurants was the only answer. The temperature was about 33 but the humidity was the main problem, hence it is no wonder the French in this part of the world (except those in tourism) hibernate between 12.30pm and 4.00 pm.