La Tour des Beaumes is the gorgeous villa that we rented in Provence this year. On the scant basis of the proprietors names, Eric and Jean, I fabricated an elaborate fantasy of a romance between an English schoolmistress (Jean) and a French restauranteur (Eric). Then I got an email at New Year which caused me to rethink:
Dear Paul,
Bonjour,
We want to send you our very best wishes for a wonderful 2006, with good health, love, "bonheur", and nice holidays in Provence.
Awaiting the great pleasure to welcome you in the future in Gordes, we are sending you our very best regards from Gordes!
à bientôt
Eric et Jean
There was something, I don't know... something gay about this email and on a whim I did a search on Google. I discovered the website http://www.gay-provence.org/ which listed accommodation as either "gay-friendly" or just "gay". And there was La Tour des Beaumes - gay.
So it proved as we drew up at the gates. Eric (camp as a row of tents, funny and with excellent English) and Jean (dark, quiet and brooding) were waiting for us. Within minutes of installing ourselves I was thinking to myself, "In the future we must always go gay. Gay is the way to stay."
It was the little touches that made all the difference. A bowl of fresh figs waiting for us with a chilled bottle of rosé. Actual thought appeared to have gone into the purchase of every item of furniture and decoration. There was a pervading sense of calm, orderliness and care.
I took some photos with my new miniature digital camera.
La Tour des Beaumes
Gourds at a market
Exotic Tomatos
A Market
Our Lunch
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