Ste. Agnès: Fête de Lavande - the Distillation

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

In the main photo, we see the two 400-year old lavender stills (alambic in French). The still on the right makes double the amount of lavender oil to the one on the left.

120 kilos of the cut and dried lavender + 70 litres of water goes into the still. It's sealed tightly with the 'blue band' and the fire is lit.

With heat comes condensation. Vapour from the lavender rises into a coil tube, which is cooled by water. It condenses again and is recuperated through a separator (1st small photo) producing essential oil and distilled water.

When 40 litres of distilled water is collected, the lavender is exhausted and needs replenishing, otherwise it starts to burn.

When the essential oil is drained off, the distilled pipe is blocked off, and the copper pipe is turned downwards (2nd small photo)

Approx 250 mls is yielded from 120 kilos of wild lavender. (1000 kilos of lavender yields 2 litres of wild lavender oil.) Wild lavender oil is more expensive than cultivated oil. 10 ml sells for €5.00. It's considered to be far stronger and is used for medicinal and culinary purposes. In the 3rd smaller pic we see the oil being bottled and finally, the village stall where it is sold at the Fête de Lavande.

Please click on any of the photos to enlarge. Thanks so much to my friend Anita, who lives in Sainte Agnès and took all the photographs and also provided such an easy explanation.

If you missed Anita's photograph of Julien harvesting the lavender please see yesterday's post or click on the link. You can also read of the charming little house that Anita has for holiday rentals in Sainte Agnès - ideal for visitors to Menton who would like to stay in a medieval hill village.

Note: I've posted more photos than usual today but it seemed necessary to explain the process.

Photos: Anita Bingeman ©

Ste. Agnès: Fête de Lavande - the Harvest

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

The lavender is harvested one week before the Fête de Lavande, and as you can see Julien is cutting it with this small scythe. The lavender is wild (not the same as the cultivated varieties we grow in pots or gardens) and is cut from the mountains around Sainte Agnès.

The cutting started at 6 a.m. with 20 villagers turning up to help, including my friend, Anita, who took this photograph. Anita lives in Ste. Agnès and apart from being a super photographer, is a fantastic horsewoman, and was a noted breeder of Arabian horses in the past.

This year 800 kilos of lavender was cut, put into sacks, lugged down to the village (those sacks are heavy) and later spread out in the Salle des Fêtes to dry till the following weekend. Tomorrow we'll see the stills and learn how the essential oil is extracted.

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Anita has an absolutely charming little house she rents to visitors, so if anyone is coming to Menton on holiday and would like to stay in Sainte Agnès, let me know and I'll put you on to Anita.

Photo: Anita Bingeman ©

Ste. Agnès: Ruelle

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

An ancient alleyway - stones shiny with the patina of age. Hold on to the rail - it's easy to slip...

The French word for street, of course is 'rue.' Alleyway is 'ruelle.' Isn't that lovely and logical? It also means the 'space between the bed and the wall.'

Ste. Agnès: Fête de Lavande

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

Each year the medieval village of Sainte Agnès holds a lavender festival. We'll not only take a look at the Fête but also wander this lovely village which, incidentally, is the highest coastal village in Europe - 780 metres above sea level. As you can imagine it has a stunning view of the Mediterranean.

This pretty display is opposite the village glass maker and we'll be visiting this talented artisan too.

Looking back into the archives, where there are a few posts on Sainte Agnès (September 2007), I see I posted photographs that would be dumped in the 'trash' bin now. Probably that's true for many of us - we buy a better camera, we learn to improve our photography, and we continue our City Daily Photo journey.

Midsummer in Menton: the Young Avocados

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

This avocado tree grows in a Gorbio garden. The fruit is coming along nicely but there's still a long way to go before it's mature. November to January seems to be the time here but I believe much depends on the variety.

If you enlarge the main photo you can very fine lines, probably spider mite.

A gardener friend who grows many different varieties of avocado in Menton told me that the village of Gorbio is too high and therefore too cold in winter for avocados to grow. This tree proves him wrong. I live below the village, ignored his advice and planted two avocado trees three years ago. You need to have two different - and specific - varieties for pollination to take place. They are coming on well and this year blossomed for the first time - so far no avocados but fingers crossed for next year.

Midsummer in Menton: Hopscotch

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

Hopscotch (marelle in French) on the village square in Gorbio. Ciel (sky) at the top, terre (earth) at the bottom. I've never seen these words in the British version but perhaps I just don't remember.

We are outside the Beausejour restaurant, whose artistic owners doubtless painted this delight for children.

The totally adorable little boy is 5-year old Gabriel, the youngest son of Catherine, who some of you know from The Five of Us, where Catherine blogs about Paris, where she lives, and Menton, where she and the family spend their holidays. It's a delight for me to know Catherine - another valued blogger friend.

For anyone interested, here's a link about Hopscotch.

Midsummer in Menton: The Three Hats

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

A hat just like Mama, but with a baseball cap underneath - and why not?

"Grab your coat, and get your hat,
Leave your worry on the doorstep
Just direct your feet,
To the sunny side of the street."

- Dorothy Fields

Bird's Eye View

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

This is a shot of Gorbio village I've never taken before. We are way above the village on Gerard's land, where he keeps his beautiful horses (see the posts for 30th and 31st July).

When I moved to Gorbio around 11 years ago there were around 1000 people inhabitants in the village and commune. Now there are 1,500 with a thriving village school. It's so good to see a medieval village prosper like this, rather than diminish, as they often do. This year an enormous number of twins have been born in the village - I forget the number - must be something in the village water.

Theme Day: Night

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

It's the first of the month and as always it's Theme Day in the City Daily Photo community. Today's theme is Night and I give you a winter shot of the Café Alba at the Place du Cap in Menton.

And in the smaller photo, how about a Lady of the Night...or is she?

To see how other bloggers in our world-wide City Daily Photo community have interpreted this theme - and I promise you there will be endless delights - please click here to view thumbnails for all participants

The Man Who Loves Horses

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

Look at the gentle and sensitive way Gerard presents one of his young horses. In the smaller photograph, you see the fun he had catching him - which actually didn't take long.

Gerard is a fascinating man. He lives in the medieval village of Gorbio and drives up to check on his horses four times a day. Once he has parked, he has a long (and very beautiful) walk to get into the property. But what is interesting to me is that Gerard used to own a nightclub in Monte Carlo, he had a Ferrari and presumably all the boys' toys that go with that life. That was in the past. Now he's doing what he loves more than anything in the world, caring for his horses. He's a happy man, comfortable in his own skin, as the French say.

The Gorbio Horses

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

It never fails to amaze me that here, on the French Riviera, one can live so many different sorts of lives - a beach life, a town life, a village life, a country life. After all, not everyone wants to live on the coast, with access to Monte Carlo.

Tomorrow we'll meet a man who keeps horses on land way above Gorbio village. He has a three week old foal and so I was invited to take photographs.

The horses live a great life - they have 400 hectares to wander freely. They are never penned and never tied up yet they have accommodation when they need it.

So do come back tomorrow and meet Gerard, who lives for his horses, and I'll tell you his story.

Gorbio's Elm Tree

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

Reflected in one of the exterior mirrors of the beautiful Restaurant Beausejour in the medieval village of Gorbio, is the trunk of Gorbio's famous Orme (Elm tree) which stands in the main square. The tree was planted in 1713, the trunk is hollow yet the tree flourishes and looks magnificent. The plant cascading down the mirror is Trachlospermum Jasminoides.

The square in Gorbio and the old elm was the setting for a recent UK television commercial promoting a yoghurt drink. Click on the video below - it lasts a minute or less - you see the tree in the very first shot and later two of the children are sitting at its base. (Thanks to Don and Tony for info - The BootBoys.)




Gorbio artist, Eric Brocchi, is featured on Monte Carlo Daily Photo today with a display of his eagle 'Why?' Do click on the link to see the eagle and to see how he created his work.

Nourishment

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

The last rays of the sun, the sea, a good book - what more does one need to nourish the soul?

Place aux Herbes

Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved.

The Créole Festival is over. There are more photos but it's time to move on. Perhaps, one dull winter day, when we all need cheering up, one will suddenly appear - colour, laughter, Caribbean music.

Meanwhile, here's a typical Menton scene - pale turquoise shutters (the colour most often seen in this region of France) framed by plane trees in Place aux Herbes.

Fête Créole - Rum!

Photos & Text Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

The Casa de Cuba bar was constantly busy - I wonder why? Several different rum based drinks were available with names like Mojito, Cuba Libra, Planters' Punch and Daiquiri.

The lady in the small photo is preparing (I think?) sugar cane.

Rum, n. Generically, fiery liquors that produce madness in total abstainers

- Ambrose Bierce

Fête Créole - Beauty

Photos & Text Copyright 2009 Menton Daily Photo. All rights reserved, including reproduction or republishing.

Young, older, slim, not so slim, all the Créole women were fabulous - smiling, laughing, having the best time - and therefore, so did we.

Fête Créole - the Ice-cream Machine

Wooden barrels are used to make coconut ice cream. Ice is packed around the central container, which holds the ingredients. Then the wheel is turned continually to churn it.

There were six or seven machines on the go at once and still the queues continued.

Fête Créole - the Moment

This little girl had the best fun playing a sort of a peek-a-boo game with my camera and me.

I love the smaller photo but it's out of focus. I knew at some point she'd turn to face me yet my camera wasn't focused and ready for that moment. I was chatting to a friend at the same time - not a good idea.

Note to Self - be attentive, concentrate and so be ready for 'the moment.' The moment always comes.

In focus, out of focus, isn't she adorable?

Fête Créole - the Flowers and the Fruit

Small wonder that Créole clothes are so colourful. Just look at the flowers, the fruit and the vegetables.

Here you see Strelitzia (Bird of Paradise) in the main photo and Heliconia (below) and in the smaller photograph - bananas, ginger, yams and carambola (star fruit) and of course, limes.

"If life gives you limes, make margaritas" - Jimmy Buffet

Fête Créole - Colour!

Colour! The vibrant, exotique colours of the Caribbean stand out against the softer colours of the Old Town, although in the main photo, the sun seems to make a perfect blend of the two.

In the small photograph, you see the steps leading down from the Basilica Saint-Michel, These are known as 'les rampes.'

The photo below shows part of the crowd in the Parvis outside the Basilica, the gorgeous madras dresses sing with colour. The mass, by the way, was celebrated in Créole.