Chagall and Château

http://carrieres-lumieres.com/en/chagall-midsummer-nights-dreams-0

What to do on a rainy afternoon in Provence?  Go to the Carrières de Lumières "Quarries of Light" of course!  Not far from the town of Saint-Remy-de-Provence, tucked into the Alpilles mountain range, you can visit the old Bauxite quarries.  Bauxite, aluminum ore, named after the medieval provencal village perched in the Alpilles, was discovered in 1821 by geologist Pierre Berthier.  The empty quarries are fantastic, they ceilings are high, the walls are smooth and white and the temperature is around 57 degrees year round.  

Bauxite Quarry

The quarries closed in 1935 and since then they have served for many purposes.  Jean Cocteau filmed "The Testament of Orpheus" in the caverns.  In 1977, Joseph Svoboda created an light and sound exposition in the quarries projecting images on the large, smooth walls.  In 2012 the space was renamed Les Carrières de Lumières and it has featured the works of Gaugin, Renoir, Monet, Klimt, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and most recently, Chagall.  

I loved the Chagall exhibit.  When I walked into the cathedral-like spaces of the quarries that were filled with colors and light, it took my breath away.  Music accompanied the artwork and it was fun to hear the different music that was selected to complement the images.   

Separate from the Chagall exhibit, there was also a small cinema tucked away in the quarry to view Jean Cocteau's film.  The film is surreal and it displays different cinematic effects of the time. We sat on the cold stone and watched how he used the quarry as a background to his film.

The rain had stopped by the time we left the quarry so we decided to visit Les Baux de Provence and the medieval castle.  Perched high on the ledge of the Apilles, Les Baux is a beautiful little village that now is mostly a tourist destination.  We parked the car in the lot at the bottom of the village (cars don't fit in medieval villages) and we walked through the touristy shops up to the entrance of the medieval site.  The chateau is located on a plateau and you can peer over the cliffs into the valley below.  With our audio guide we learned about the medieval weapons, water collecting devices and olive oil from the area.  

the village

Views from the plateau

the Château

 Siege Engines

Base of a former windmill

Views of the olive groves.  The olive oil from this area is an AOC product  (controlled designation of origin).  It can only be called Les Baux oil if it is from this area.  It is expensive too!

We walked up into the ruins of the chateau and climbed many narrow, uneven steps to the highest point.  There were different people dressed of the time demonstrating medieval crafts such as sculpting rock, making baskets and pottery.  Sophia wanted to try her hand at the archery stand but we didn't have time.  There was a demonstration of the trébuchet - siege engine, we heard it happening but we missed all the action! Darn, I really wanted to see a working trébuchet launch an object.  

http://www.avignon-et-provence.com/provence-tourism/chateau-baux-provence/#.Vz1nhJF97IU

Although there is evidence of people from the Celtic and Gallo-Roman times, the heyday of Les Baux is from the 9th century until the mid 15th century.   The chateau/fortress was ruled by the powerful lords of Les Baux. During this time, the lords of Les Baux not only protected and enlarged their holdings but they also welcomed poets and troubadours to their fortress upon the hill. They actively participated in the art of the verse and were culturally engaged in a court of love.

Little by little, the family and its holding declined.  The fortress was taken over by the French king and given to his queen.  Later, it was inhabited by Protestants.  Once again it was taken over and eventually its destruction was ordered.  It wasn't until the 1800's that people started talking about Les Baux.  The discovery of bauxite and the creation of a traditional restaurant had people looking at Les Baux again and the historical restorations began.  

Our rainy/sunny day was fantastic.  We had the opportunity to enjoy Chagall's beautiful images and then climb the ruins of the medieval fortress.  On the way out of the village we stopped at one of the tourist stores(trap) that sells only candy.  (I hope my dentist is not reading this) We paid a small fortune for some sweets and enjoyed them on the way home.  A few days ago I found the candy bag in my raincoat.  As we enjoyed the last few pieces of candy we reminisced about our day in Les Baux.