Chopin in the Chateau

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We are settling into our life here and developing routines, even after a few days. When Ms Google tells us in the car to proceed south, I am starting to remember that that is actually where the sun is - it is a little disorienting to Southern Hemisphere dwellers. I am overcoming my hesitation to throw open the double glazed windows of our cottage with no screens - I get surprised that there are no mosquitoes and hardly any flies as we come from jumbo mozzie country. Our bodies are slowly turning around (well, Peter seems to do it instantly) and I have woken as if to an alarm at 3 am, 4am and this morning, 5 am. I guess I will slumber on until 6 tomorrow!

Although Lourmarin is an ancient little stone village with only a few shops, three kilometres down the road is Super U, which we discover is a huge supermarket selling everything from carrots to cameras. We had quite an adventure shopping for supplies, especially as we had to read everything in French. What added to the excitement was that we were there just before closing time. My best find was creamy Camembert and Peter was excited to find three euro wines. As people committed to independent travel and living like locals, shopping is all part of a cultural experience.

We are always looking for concerts while we travel and spotted a poster at the local chateau (did you like that?) for a Chopin event on Sunday night, part of the Spring Festival. It looked like more of a play than a piano concert, and I didn’t think our entry level French would be enough. Peter was keen, however, and phoned for information. Apparently it would be a concert/dialogue, with more music than talking, so we booked. What a venue! Chateau Lourmarin is a converted castle that was originally a 12th century fortress which descended into ruins after the French Revolution. In 1920 it was beautifully restored and is now a trust to support young artists and scientists. The grand piano was on a stage in the concert hall in front of an enormous ancient fireplace (larger than the piano), and the ancient wooden roof and stone floor made for good acoustics. It was a full house and we must have got the last seats, but even the back row was close to the action. It was a brilliant night! Wonderful music interwoven with dramatised dialogue by Alexandra and Etienne that was tantalising for us. We picked up words and phrases but I just let the mellifluous French flow over me and become part of the evocative performance. Alexandra opened with a haunting nocturne and played everything from Scherzo 2, two mazurkas, a prelude, waltzes, to the second sonata of the funeral march, with a dramatic moment when a piano string snapped - she just kept playing and at the end Etienne pulled out the string with a flourish and improvised and joked in French and we all laughed. They both played, spoke, flirted and embraced tenderly and somehow the words made sense without understanding them.

Meanwhile the storm broke outside and thunder, lightning and rain gave it all a Shakespearean feel. I fully expected costumed figures to descend the ancient stone staircase, but there were just locals and tourists in rain jackets. We emerged onto the freshly rained on castle terrace to late sun views across the village. It was one of those magic moments that travel gives you: standing in a castle with the locals, in the afterglow of the beauty of a stunning concert and soaking up a view that is like a real time postcard. We just hugged each other and walked down the iris lined driveway of the castle, took some more photos, got into our little Yaris and drove off on the weird side of the road without even needing Mrs Google to assist. We felt like we belonged!

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Photos

Supermarket shopping
Essential supplies!