Day 5: Bonnieux to Lacoste, September 3rd

The day didn’t start off well, I was running late and had to grab a croissant and some yogurt for breakfast before hopping on the van. Today we walked from Bonnieux to Lacoste. Bonnieux is one of many historic "hill villages" in the region. Dating back to Roman times, it is next to a Cedar forest that grew from trees imported from North Africa during the Napoleonic area.  

While walking through Bonnieux, Charlotte talked with a wood-worker who owned an antique shop in the town. He told her he had been carving small wooden figurines in various scenes for years in his shop next door and invited us in to take a look. Getting around in the small shop was a bit precarious with backpacks. His carvings filled the entire room; here’s a photo of a small part of his display.

We also came across this delightful advertisement painted on a nearby building – a little Trompe-l'œil right there in this tiny village.

We meandered out of town and into the cedar forest, past a bunch of happy, noisy children at a nearby school. 

We walked through the forest for about an hour before Charlotte stopped and suggested we sit and rest for a moment. She announced it was time to experience our first “pastis” in France. Pastis is an aniseseed-flavored apéritif, typically containing up to 100 grams/liter sugar and 40–45% alcohol. It is generally diluted with water before drinking, and tastes much like the Greek’s famous Ouzo. Charlotte magically pulled out a bottle and glasses from her backpack, assuring us that drinking a small amount of Pastis was required before one could leave France. With good humor, we all tried it. Some liked it better than others...  

woods on the way to Lacoste

As we emerged from the woods we could see the hilltop town of Lacoste in the distance, the site of Count Dracula's castle.

And as we got closer, we had a much clearer picture of the village itself.  

After climbing what seemed like an unending hill, we turned left down a paved street to find the restaurant for our mid-day meal. Le Café de France was perched on a hillside with awesome views of the valley below. Lunch was buffet style, but spectacular as usual with many different foods, delicious desserts and café.   

Lacoste is best known for its most notorious resident, Donatien Alphonse Francois comte de Sade, the Marquis de Sade.  In the 18th century he lived in the castle, Château de Lacoste.  Following a series of incidents involving local women and the police, the Marquis fled the country but was eventually imprisoned. His castle was partially destroyed in an uprising in 1779 and was also later looted and plundered by locals. Today it’s owned by fashion designer Pierre Cardin who has partially restored it and often holds cultural events within. After lunch, we climbed to the top of the city to see the current castle and grounds, including the Tree of Life sculpture by Italian sculptor, Ettore Greco, the Blessing Hands, and a contemporary sculpture of the Marquis de Sade.

Today's castle bears a silhouette of the Count surrounding the doorway. 

While the group explored Lacoste, our wonderful guides hiked back to get the vans and picked us up at the Castle. I returned to our hotel in Loumarin with just enough time for another quick bath in that magnificent tub. It was suggested we dress comfortably for dinner that night because we were off to Paula Marty's nearby herb farm, La Ferme de Gerbaud.  

Paula runs a large 62 acre herb farm by herself. She uses all organic methods of farming without watering. She found she could not keep up financially with the local herb growers who are irrigating their plants and using fertilizers. While she still processes her thyme, rosemary and lavender for retail purposes, her emphasis now is on giving tours of her farm with detailed descriptions and the medicinal benefits of each herb. After the tour, she serves a farm-grown dinner in her home, with each dish containing an ingredient grown on her farm.  

This was one of the best meals on the trip, enhanced by the warm ambiance of her home. There’s a small gift shop where we were able to purchase fresh herbs as well as other small items made in Provence.