Oppede - France

Oppede, only minutes from Menerbes, was an unexpected discovery today. There is an old and a new town/village of Oppede. The old town, complete with ruins dates back to at least 1100. From the newly created car park it is a long, steep walk up to the central village. In truth the tourist must expect hilltop towns to have long, steep, walks or alternatively accessed via narrow, windy roads. Garden terraces make the climb more manageable than the steps so take the long route as it is further than you expect to the top. Along the terraces there are many species of flora that have been identified for the tourist. At various points of interest brief signage explains the history or the perspective of the site. Once again as we've visited many villages it was evident that there were not many inhabitants out and about and it was almost 11:00am. Restoration work is evident and it seems that the old town is endeavouring to maintain its history. Some time in the mid 1900's a significant number of the town's people moved from the hilltop to the plain to build a new village. Both old and new are pleasant places to visit. Accommodation and restaurants are operational in the older precincts. Views from the old town reveal beautiful countryside of a rural nature. Tall conifers dot the walk to the hilltop and Australian visitors would easily recognise many of them. The boucherie, in the new village has the freshest meat. The butcher doesn't speak English but he was most helpful and we manged to make our purchases before coffee at the local cafe in the new township. Sculptures in the new village attest to the skill of the local artisans and artists. Few happy snaps possible here.