Gordes, France. – Find Walden

1/18/2020

Active Summary: This morning, after rising from bed and performing exercises, I journeyed to Gordes with my brother. The short twenty-minute ride was followed by a brief walk up the hill and then by a stroll around the town for about two hours. During this time, we stopped at a small bakery. The shop was in off-season mode, meaning that it had no store-front displays and not much for signage, but my brother and I saw people go in and out, and so we ventured inside.

There, the baker recommended to us a sugar-coated brioche with some form of very flavorful seeds in it. It was of a decent size, so my brother and I shared it for breakfast while looking out over one of Gordes’ many scenic walls. This was ensued by more walking around town and through one of the nearby graveyards. Our gallivant lasted about 2 hours before we decided it was getting a bit cold*, and it was after that period that we headed back to the car and then back to our Airbnb stay.

(4:48 PM Update:) We just returned from another walk around L’Isle. During the journey, we found that the actual island (the landmass that is surrounded on all sides by rivers) after which the town is named to be far larger than originally thought. The bit that we walked through late on the first night was only about ¼ of the entire island.

(9:56 PM Update:) Just got back in from a dinner at a river-side restaurant in town named L’a PartÉ. The various dishes are in the images below along with a few pictures of our trip around town at 4:48 PM.

Signage for L’a PartÉ.
A very sweet ‘Muscat’ wine along with some very interesting tasting olives. They were seasoned with something reminiscent of rosemary.
Salmon rillettes and salad. The image turned out slightly blurry at the forefront, but the postern-most rillette shows what it is: a spread that is used on bread. It was delicious and refreshing.
My brother’s appetizer: duck bacon on toast covered with cream-of-corn.
My main dish: mushroom raviolis. They were small, but very filling. Also, the mushroom taste was quite prominent (I approve).
Miniature raviolis. Much smaller than any ravioli I have had. It seems like a lot of work to make such tiny noodles and then pack them such a small amount of filling.
My brother wanted to eat, so this hurried picture turned out a tad blurry. It was pork cooked in a caramel sauce.
My brother’s dessert of fruit-topped yogurt-like substance. It was much more rich than yogurt, though… akin to a combination of custard and creme.
Banana crumb.
This is not an apple crumb. It is a banana crumb, and it was probably one of the best banana-tasting desserts I have ever had.
A small city courtyard with a large tree at its center.
More views of the L’Isle.
Interesting yellow flowers.

TIL: Lately, while working on my laptop, I have been feeling tiny vibrations in my hands and fingertips. With some research, however, I discovered that they were not vibrations but instead ‘micro electrical shocks’. This is due to my computer not being able to ground itself through the cable like it usually does in the United States*. So, instead of grounding through the cable, it is grounding through me. Fortunately, these so-called ‘micro shocks’ are harmless where laptops, phones, and cameras are concerned.

Commentary: Two primary highlights come to mind when thinking of our journey to Gordes this morning. The first, of course, is the scenery and the way that it seemed to ‘pop up’ around every corner. Though the town was somewhat chilly and very depopulated due to the winter season, it was well worth a visit, and I could most certainly see myself living in such a town in warmer climates.

The second point of interest was the graveyard. It was filled with graves that were both above and below ground, but that was not the interesting part. The interesting part was how there were familial graves with dates ranging from the early 1800’s all the way through 2019. Despite the variance in dates, though, every stone, decoration (usually flowers, both ceramic and living) and name all matched the rustic Itlian – er, French – scene.

(10:16 PM Note): Just a quick note about L’a PartÉ. At night, it is only open from 7:30 PM to 9:00 PM – at least in the off season – yet the locals must consider as fine a restaurant as I did. I say this, because that place was packed by the time my brother and I were done with our meals.

Driving up to Gordes.
Walking up into the town. It was about 1,000 feet from where we parked.
The castle in Gordes.
The main street.
Moss growing amidst the cobbled stones.
Our breakfast Brioche and the wall where we ate it.
A piece of brioche.
A view into the vale.
A sunny morning, shining upon ancient lichen-coated roofs.
Another side-street.
An artfully hidden radio tower.
Another disguised radio tower. From a distance, they cannot be distinguished from actual trees.
Old stone walls lining a road above Gordes.
For some reason, this region of France looks almost exactly like how I thought Italy would look. The prevalence of terracotta tiles and the presence of Tuscan cypresses completes this illusion.
Inside the courtyard of the castle at Gordes. Alas, we could not go any farther because the castle is closed from November to March.
Another view of the courtyard inside Gordes’ Castle.
A side-street in Gordes.
The church’s entrance.
The church of Gordes – a massive structure fit into a tiny block of town.
The presence of a mat beneath the first few pews on either side signifies that the church is still in use and that it does not fill near to capacity during the winter months. (I think the mat is to help keep people’s feet off of the cold stone floor.)
The church even had its own pipe-organ.
‘Just’ another side-street in Gordes.
A view from Gordes.
My brother enjoying the bright morning sun. (He got slightly sunburnt in Paris despite the sky being clouded / rainy for our entire stay).
A view back up the alley (without brother).
Steps in the center and ‘smooth’ to either side for carriages, carts, and cars.
A view of the surrounding territory – one of many to be found in the hilltop village.
My brother and I in Gordes.