There is a romanesque church near us which was built in the 11th century. The 11th century! Six hundred years before our own Charleston was even a place.
At night the village proudly lights up their ancient church, which stands on the crest of a large hill. At sunset we often walk to see it, just after the last carillon from the giant cloche. It stands alone at the center of the village, a beacon in this radiant evening sky, its sharp stone-roofed steeple piercing the heavens. At sunset the profoundly deep blue of the early night sky takes on a luminous, one might say holy, glow around the golden stone of the church.
The church faces due west, and just over the low wall where it’s perched on its grand peak is a view that flows out around it on every side, paying homage. Hills dip and roll, the hedges divide the fields and crops as if by the hand of a fine painter, a quilt of greens dusted by the softening twilight. The white cows scattered about in the fields are tiny from our high perch, and they catch the last rays of light. Over the last hill is an otherworldly glow of ochre and gold, the final breath of fire from the spent day. We stand before the the tall oak doors of the church, breathing in the sharp coolness of the night, soaking up the absolute silence, turning now toward the rising moon.
There are really no words for this beauty or this serenity, just as no photo can capture it.
I think of a city friend who said the other day, “What do you DO all day in Burgundy, isn’t it boring?” Well it is quiet here, the foreign life can be aggravating at times, and yes we miss Charleston, and friends. But this little French moment, and so many like it, is what brought us here and, at the end of the day, what will make us stay.
In the COMMENTS: Hampton says Kate wore fake jewles with her dress, now that's a down to earth royal! Suzanne wants to know what a Pimm's Cup is (Merci Bill, for correcting my spelling). I didn't know this drink either until I started hanging out with the Brits and Aussies who live here. To make this classic British summer cocktail, you'll first have to find a bottle of Pimms No. 1 (a sort of herbed gin). Then take one slice of orange, lemon, apple, and cucumber per person and add two parts lemonade to one part Pimms. Top with a splash of club soda and a sprig of mint. If you're really a purist, you'll garnish it with borage leaves and then find a good cricket match or tennis game to watch.
Our Reader's Blogs: Diane finds her inspiration Under An Olive Tree, out in the country south of Rome. And Heather of Lost in Arles, in the south of France, is dreaming over houses this week. No new recipe chez nous this week, but over at Provence in Ann Arbor, Liza is making a really interesting watermelon salad which we'll be trying soon.
