Arrival in La Motte d'Aigues

We have arrived in La Motte d'Aigues after an uneventful journey, a slight bit of confusion coming out of Nice airport, a stop at a motorway for some food and a bit of difficulty finding somewhere to park reasonably near Lucien and Christine's house. It is a slightly insecure feeling to park so far away from the house when we are used to being able to see our car in the back yard. Of course the weather chose the minutes of our walk to the house to provide a Provencal downpour. It quickly cleared and we were looking for our abode in a clearly obvious fashion when a man who was passing said "Bonjour - La, la" pointing to the house. (I wish I knew how to put the accents in on my computer but you will have to make do - the two las have an a grave.)

The entrance fro Rue Joubert Appolinaire.

This is a typical Provencal house set within narrow streets. The entrance we used to gain access is, in fact, the upstairs of the house. There are 7 levels to this house - so lots of stairs. I am being very vigilant as I have no desire to break any more bones! Inside the front door is the dining room with a stove for the colder months.

Dining Room and stove.

The living room.

Up a few rustic steps is the living area where we relax, listen to classical music or use the computer. There is no tv but we can watch DVDs on the computer. It has a roof window which gives lots of light and, when we open it in the evening, some cool air. The temperatures are around 28 / 30 degrees.

Down a short flight of stairs is the kitchen.

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Christine and Lucien left us a lovely Daube de Provence for our first evening meal. It was delicious and we were delighted to taste one of the region's specialities.

Up a few steps is the piano room which has a big glass patio door, again letting in lots of light.  The terrace looks out over rooftops to the Luberon hills. It is nice and relaxing to eat out here in the sun - couldn't do that at home!

View from terrace.

In the piano room, a ladder rises to an elevated area where there is a double bed.

Down a flight of stairs, to the right, is Frederic's bedroom and to the left, Christine's and Lucien's bedroom where we are sleeping. Behind a door and up a flight of stairs, leading from our bedroom, is a most beautiful newly decorated bathroom. The only problem is at night time when we are groggy from sleep (or even groggy from grog on occasions!). I'm sure Jim would not appreciate being woken from his slumbers by me tumbling down the steps! I have found myself talking to myself saying things like: 'Be careful, mind the steps, there's another step when you reach the door'. Would that qualify as talking in my sleep or sleep walking or both?

Our bedroom.

Down another flight of stairs and to the right is a guest room with ensuite bathroom. To the left is a guest toilet and farther on is a storage area and laundry room. Up a few more steps is another large storage area. So it is a really big house with lots of stairs! The real inconvenience is that the first available toilet is our ensuite which is 26 steps down and 7 steps up and vice versa to get back to where I started! It might be a problem if we had diarrhoea! I'm hoping that frequent trips to the loo will increase my fitness levels and help to decrease my rotundity!