Harvest Time
Trip Start
Aug 28, 2011
1
2
Trip End
Sep 07, 2011
What I did
drove from Lavaur to Beziers to the coast via back roads and not the highway
Saint-Sernin-lès-Lavaur, Midi-Pyrénées, France
Saturday, September 3, 2011
France is often associated with haute couture of Paris, romance, lovers, cafe culture and people watching, museums and art. But in a world away from the hustle and bustle of Paris, off the major highways, along toll free country roads, you will find another France towards the end of August and into September. Harvest time in the country. Here you will find the France that is agricultural, that relies heavily on the land to support itself and bequeaths the master chefs of Parisien culture, its rich culinary cuisine. And what an abundance of crops this beautiful country bestows. Ripened fields of olives, sunflowers, lavenders; groves of apples and vineyards ripe for harvesting of its succulent gold.
Harvesting trucks slowing down traffic as they weave their way from farm to farm. Dark skinned labourers resting along the roadside on a break from their toil and sweat, sustained by fresh baguettes of jamon and frommage, made rich with olives and tomatoes.
Its a far cry from the hustle and bustle of busy city life and the trendsetting culture of museums, fashion and art. The abundance of France is to be discovered along the quiet sleepy roads that are found when you select 'avoid toll roads' on your GPS to get you from A to B. These are the roads that wind their way through pictureque villages that line the streets, as if the road cuts right through the front doors of the villagers, walled on either side with coloured shutters and flower pots on windows: postcard France! These are the roads that will take you longer to reach your destination but will linger longer in your memories as you drive through France. The highways are faster but oh so boring.
At harvest time the land is overflowing with abundance waiting to be harvested and dispersed near and far. The land is rich with life, every inch ripened with goodness then harvested right to your plate. Earlier this year, at the start of July, we drove from Barcelona, Spain to Provence in search of lavender fields, only to find we were two weeks too early. And it seems now, we are perhaps two weeks too late...While the evidence of fields of lavender and sunflowers lay all around us, we have yet to be left breathless by a full field in bloom, as far as the eye can see...We did, however, capture fields of sunflowers that had past their prime and were now sadly awaiting harvest,limp and brown, though some still holding onto their vibrant yellow. Never mind, there is always next year and they made for some interesting photography of what's not normally taken !! Despite this, I am delighted to be here and now, to experience both the before and after peak season of France, avoiding the mega crowds, lack of accommodation, and extreme heat.
Below I have added a few links listing and describing the festivals of France. Its not too late to make it to one of the many harvest festivals happening throughout the country in various towns. Starting with the wheat festival in the north on the last weekend of August to the apple and grape/wine festivals in September to November, interspersed with jazz and other music festivals as well. There is still time to get to France for the Fall Arts Festival (Fête d'Automne) and the Wine harvest festivals in many towns. See Ricks link for a list of annual festivals in monthly order
http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/france/francefest.htm
and a few other random - related links.
http://www.whatsonwhen.com/sisp/index.htm?event_id=170839&fx=event
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/4205443/Harvest-festival-with-the-French-touch.html
http://www.answers.com/topic/wheat-harvest-festival-provins-france
With harvest time comes employment opportunities for seasonal pickers. Here is a link to seasonal crop picking employment in France.
http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/articles/article/France/Casual-&-Seasonal-Work-in-France/583
http://www.travelpod.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=10202
There's a fairly inexpensive and convenient way to travel effortlessly around France if you're renting a car. By downloading the Accor App for iphones you can look and book all of the Accor groups hotels online from 2 star to 5 by going to any McDonalds, where you are assured free wifi connection, search on the Accor App for hotels nearby or at your selected destination and voila!! u can book it online,and save 10 or 15 euros a night for the rate if you just turn up. The hotels are clean and predictable but there is a certain comfort in knowing what you're going to get,as my husband loves to say.
At the budget end of the scale, the Etap Hotel generally has a double bed and a single bunk up top, a toilet, a shower and basin, tv and remote, desk and mirror,air con and is always clean and rarely booked out. The economy hotel is the IBIS which generally has a double bed, desk bench, tv, air con, and is a little more spacious. Some have swimming pools. Ibis hotels generally have a decent restaurant and bar area and some even have swimming pools which is what we generally look out for in the warmer months. The one we are staying in today @ La Ciotat, the southern coast of Provence, has a pool and is high up from the town, say 2.3 km away, so it boasts a nice view of the sea and surrounding mountains....the pool is wonderful at night with the fragrance of surrounding lavender bushes delighting the senses. This has to be my favourite Ibis so far, in all of Europe, we booked for a night and have stayed five. I will definitely revisit this hotel. The previous Ibis@ Balaru-le-Bains had an indoor pool and health centre, but the pool was closed the night we arrived due to strong chemicals for cleaning or something like that. What a disappointment!! Oh well, ce la vie!
The iphone app for Accor Hotels has a scaling feature that lists all their hotel brands by from luxury - Sofitel and Hotel Luc, upscale - Pullmans and McGallery; Midscale - Novotel hotel and suites and Mercure; Economy - All Seasons and Ibis; and Budget Etap, Hotel F1 and Formule, so when you are searching online you can select what price range you're after. Quite a handy little app to have because of its convenience...It eliminates the likelihood of not finding accommodation upon an unexpected late arrival in many european countries including the UK and also in the USA.
If you are really on a tight budget, Formula 1, is good enough at 29 euros per night. You get the same style room as Etap minus the bathroom and toilet which is communal. I draw the line at Etap and only if there's no Ibis in sight, but Ibis is as low as I'm willing to go!! Although I prefer the Novotel suites as they are like a chic home away from home. A little luxury at a reasonable rate and their location is often more central than the lower scale ones which tend to be a little ways out of the centre or just off a main road.
