We have decided to spend one week in August in Drôme provençale in the south of France. It will be our last summer activity before the 2025-2026 new academic year (la rentrée) starts. Being an English teacher in France, la rentrée means that I have to get back to the classrooms after a long summer break. We think that the south of France will be a perfect spot for us to operate on relax mode—mentally and physically—before the new academic year. It will be a time for us to recover after the two-month stay in Singapore and the 3-day hike in the French Alpes last week.
We have rented a holiday house (un gîte) in La Baume de Transit, a little village of less than 1,000 inhabitants. It’s a semidetached restored former stone farmhouse surrounded by vast land of olive trees, pistachio trees and grape vines. From the house, we can only see greens: various shades from the cultivated lands and the regional nature parks beyond.
It’s unfortunate that our week stay in Drôme provençale coincides with the heatwave in the south of France. Temperature reaches in the late 30s degrees celsius in the day and the night falls to under mid-20s only after midnight. This means that the only breathable time outdoor is very limited. It has to be either before 10 to 11 in the morning, or close to midnight.
Various shades of green
When we reached the gite from Grenoble in the early evening after a 2-hour drive, the temperature was still at a stifling 38 degree celsius. After unpacking our stuff and a quick early dinner, we had lots of idle time. From the wide living room window, I could see the various shades of green. The landscape reminded me of the 6 different types of green watercolour that I have in my palette of which 3 were new from Singapore. It was the perfect time to try out these colours! With that in mind, I carried the bedroom desk to the living room and sketched the view before my eyes.
Things we did during the first two days of heatwave
In terms of basic amenities, there are a couple of supermarkets and restaurants. Being an agricultural region, there are the weekly outdoor markets with seasonal fruits and vegetables. There are also several wine estates which are open to wine tasting and retail sales.
The south of France is famous for rosé (pink wines). Coupled with a few ice-cubes, the orangey-pink wine, light on the taste buds, is usually an idle drink for the summer. I was actually planning to enjoying iced pink wine every day during the one-week stay in Drome Provençal. However, the long days of extreme heat discourages any desire of strong alcoholic drinks, even a rosé. As of today, we still haven’t opened any bottles. To quench our thirst (besides drinking water of course!), we have a variation of panaché (shandy). Instead of mixing lemonade with beer, we just mix Sprite with beer.
On the second day which was a Sunday, we woke up late at 9am—the result of not setting the alarm. We had planned to visit the outdoor food market at Valaurie, another village perched on small hill about 20-minute drive away. Worrying that we would have to shop under searing heat, we skipped our breakfast and headed out. Thankfully the temperature was still quite cool at early twenties.
The Valaurie market was setup behind a church and was shaded by the building and the trees. It was a charming place but had only a handful of stands. We were hoping to get some meat and vegetables for dinner. However, at the end, we bought only some local cow cheese, smoked sausages, bread and pastries, and seasonal fruits (nectarines and melons). Despite the limited shopping, we were delighted with the quality.
With the temperature still at a pleasant level, we decided to have our morning coffee at the next door café. The few shaded alfresco tables at the terrace were taken. We were invited to use the tables that were just a short flight of stone steps below the terrace. It was actually a great idea as the spot was unoccupied and shaded by a big tent and some trees. We had our coffee and enjoyed the earlier bought pastries, surrounded by greenery and gently cooled by the occasional breeze.
By the time we finished our coffee, it was close to 11 am. The earlier pleasant temperature had disappeared; we could feel the weather getting hotter as we walked down to our car parked at the bottom of the hill. The last thing we did before dashing back home to escape from the withering heat was to pop by the wine cellar that was just next to the parking lot. Guess what we bought? A local wine of course! And since it’s summer, a local rosé!
One good thing about being cooped indoor, shying away from the frightening sun, is that one tends to find more creative ways to spend one’s time. Bored out of mind, I drew the kitchen corner.