Vence

Europe » France » Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur » Vence
July 10th 2008

Published: July 11th 2008

Edit Blog Post

Chrisby

Chateau Saint-Martin

The view from my balcony down to Vence.

“I want those entering my chapel to feel themselves purified and lightened of their burdens. …I regard it, despite all its imperfections, as my masterpiece…as an effort which is the culmination of a whole life dedicated to the search for truth.
--Henri Matisse

Let me just begin by saying how pleased I was with myself that I did not have that nightcap last night. I woke up bright and early and full of beans - the way I like to feel when I am on the road.

By 9.00, I had had my pot of French coffee and was on the road heading northeast towards Vence. Now, the French do many, many things extraordinarily well. Posting their road signs is not one of them. I got lost four (yes, four) times. The map I have is useless, so I felt my way along and eventually arrived into town. I swung by the hotel to drop everything off (more about the castle later) and headed in to see what Vence had to offer.

Turns out, quite a lot. There have been people living on this spot since the Romans came through. The history is all over the town and,

Vence

One of the gates into town.

being the good tourist that I am, I went to the information bureau and got a walking tour of the town.

To give you a sense of the history, the walk starts at an ash tree that was planted in 1538 by Francois I. I love trees, so I saw this as a very good omen for the day. I walked by a castle that had been lived in by the Barons of Villeneuve in the 17th Century. The gates are still there - or most of them - and one is one of the ancient Roman entries into the walls.

The Cathedral, which is actually really modest and pretty, is built on the site of a church that had been demolished by the Saracens. OK, that’s pretty cool, but THAT church had been built on the site of a Roman temple to Mars. I don’t care how cynical one is, places like that are holy. All around the cathedral were Roman inscriptions, many of them memorials to loved ones who had died. The Cathedral’s claim to fame is a mosaic by Chagall, done in 1979. It stands out from the rest of the medieval art, but it

Vence

The ash tree.

is lovely just the same.

But it just wasn’t the history that I loved about this town. In one of the small plazas, there was a wishing tree. Right outside the walls of the cathedral, people post their wishes. I can’t tell you what I wished for or it won’t come true.

The very best part of this town was the Rue du Marche (Market Street). Tiny little alley that was the stables back in the day. Now, it is filled with shops selling all kinds of foodstuff. The smells were amazing. Freshly baked bread, roasting meat, fresh fruit and flowers and more lavender than I have ever seen. I was completely enthralled and just wandered up and down looking at the food and sniffing. The locals, I am sure, thought I was barking.

I stopped for lunch at a café called Only Vous (I mean, how does one not?). I thought I would eat light as I am saving up for tonight, so ordered a salade nicoise. The thing was bloody enormous. I managed to get through about half of it (the good bits, I left the lettuce) before crying uncle.

I then got back

Vence

There has been a well on this spot since the Romans. This gentleman was there to collect water. How's that for history repeating itself?

in the car to see the Matisse Chapel or Chapelle du Rosaire, the reason one detours off the coast to come to Vence. Mom had actually told me about it when she was in London. I had been planning on coming anyway to stay in the castle (hang on, we’re nearly there) so it worked out beautifully. This is really something to see. The walls are mostly stained glass and, as the sun shines through them, it lights the entire room up. The room is tiny, so the light seems to go on forever. Matisse only used three colours - yellow for the sun, green for plants and blue for the sea. Interestingly, those are my three favourite colours.

In addition to the stained glass, the walls are covered by line drawings. One represents the Stations of the Cross and is quite chaotic - apropos when one thinks about it. Matisse also designed the vestments, which are simply stunning.

Matisse became ill when he was 77 and went to Vence to be nursed by one of his former models. She had become a Dominican Sister in the meantime (God knows there’s a great story there!) She asked him

Rue du Marche

Some of the things on offer.

to build the chapel as a thanks and he lived in the nearby fields for weeks to ensure that the layout would capture the sun at all times of the day. The sisters still run the place - and a scary group they are. No photos and no talking. May I just say, both strictly enforced. So rather than take photos, I sat in that beautiful place and gave thanks that I had been able to see it and for all the other blessings of my life. So, I guess Matisse succeeded. I felt purified and lightened of my burdens (not that I have so many these days).

OK - now we get to the castle. This is a hotel called Le Chateau du Domaine St-Martin. Built on the ruins of a Knights Templar castle, there are those who believe that the treasure may be buried here. Cool!

Now, I am not one to deprive myself of treats, but this place is amazing. My bathroom (let alone my room) is bigger than my flat. The staff are French, so they are nice without being obsequies. I have a balcony that looks down onto Vence and across the hills

Rue du Marche

More of what was on offer.

to the sea, where I am sitting while I type this. The pool is shaded by olive trees. I hope the photos do some justice to this place. It is simply gorgeous. More later - I’m off for a swim right now!

By the time I got to the pool, the clouds had come through. It is very humid and one wishes the thunderstorm would come through and clear the air. The water was a tad on the chilly side, but I had to go in. The pool is one of those infinity pools and I had never seen one before. When one is in it, it really does seem to fall off into the abyss. Very cool sensation - literally this afternoon, I’m afraid.

I gave up and sat by the pool drinking a glass of Provencal wine and reading my book. When it became clear that the pool attendant was only waiting for me to leave, I came back to the room to swim in my tub instead. This tub was deep enough that I could lie nearly flat and be submerged in the water. Sat there in the bath salts until I was a prune.

Vence

The town hall.

Then, the best bit. The shower! And, what a shower. And, before you ask, yes it is better than the one at the Breakers. Best shower I have ever been in. It has it’s own room and the water just shoots down. Stood under that until my skin was beet red!

I am now back on my balcony admiring the view. The room comes with a bottle of wine and chocolates, but I know I will have a bottle with dinner, so I am on the Evian. Will let you know about dinner tomorrow.

Finally tore myself away from my balcony, donned the ever present LBD (again!) and, book in hand, wandered down to the lounge for a cocktail. I needn’t have worried. I sat on a huge terrace that had the most magnificent view and indulged in cocktails and canapés. A lovely man was playing the piano throughout, so I ended up writing more than reading. I have a very bad habit of forgetting paper when I go to dinner, so I end up writing in the back of my books.

Anyway, the music was a lovely accompaniment to the evening. Isn’t music an interesting thing?

Cathedral

I just like this shot.

It can bring back memories so strongly. He played “Bridge Over Troubled Water”, which really made me smile. That song reminds me of Matt and tomorrow, I am off to Nice where he and I spent a wonderful weekend several years ago. He also played “Lara’s Theme”, which will now always remind me of Mom, Lynn and I standing in a square in Tallinn.

Eventually, I made my way into dinner. And I thought last night’s table was great. Tonight, I am on a terrace, looking directly over the hills of Provence to the Mediterranean. Vence is directly below me and Cannes is in the distance. Remember those burdens I talked about earlier? GONE! It is moments like this that I feel truly blessed. The light right now is just perfect - no wonder all those artists flocked here. As I was sitting here waiting for my wine to arrive, it occurred to me that today is my ex-husband’s birthday. I could be have been in some suburban backyard hosting a barbeque, but instead, I am here. Life works out the way it should.

I started my meal with a mixed “buffet” of salads. Magnifique! Haricot verts, cornichons,

Cathedral

Chagall's mosaic.

asparagus, smoked salmon and aubergine. I followed it with rabbit and roasted vegetables. The food was not as good as last night (still delicious), but the setting more than made up for it. As I was eating, I could hear the church bells in Vence while the sun went down. Red sky at night….

The service was again simply wonderful. The French have, in my opinion, an undeserved reputation for arrogance. I think it stems from the fact that they become annoyed by the assumption that they should all speak English. Keep in mind that fewer than 100 years ago, French was THE language that everyone learned to speak. So, I think they really appreciate it when someone makes the effort. Now, my French is schoolgirl, but at least I try. Whenever I ask somehow how to say something, I inevitably get a huge smile. The biggest problem I have is that I mix up French and Italian. Down here? It doesn’t matter.

The other thing is that I really stand out. One never sees a French woman on her own, or at least I haven’t on this trip. Add that to the fact that I am always

Vence

One of the Roman inscriptions.

reading or writing, and they just put me down as an odd eccentric - again, something with which the French are very comfortable.

I eventually got around to the final courses. I did get through the cheese tonight (sheer heaven) and a lemon meringue pie that may be the best I’ve ever eaten (sorry, Mom). At the end of it all, I couldn’t bear to end the day, so I went back to the lounge for one more drink, to listen to the piano player and to finish my book.

What a wonderful day. It is days like this that keep me moving through the world.

Additional photos below

Photos: 22, Displayed: 22