Living The Dream In Provence

Sablet Welcome to Maison des Pelerins

Maison des Pelerins and La Baume des Pelerins, or “les Pelerins,” as we affectionately refer to our dream come true, of owning our own home in Provence, are located in the heart of the Vaucluse. We wanted to be a part of village life, and Sablet was the perfect place for that. “Pelerins” is French for pilgrims.

Me: Marianne, details are a bit sparse in your BlogCatalog bio, and I have cribbed the above description from your blog. Will you tell us how a “California girl” like you came to live in a tiny Provençal village in France?

Marianne:  We don’t exactly live there, rather we travel there, usually twice a year, for an immersion into a more relaxed way of life.  During the 80s, my husband was working between London and Paris. He spoke French and I had always been interested in cooking, and especially French food, so it was a very natural affinity.  In the summer of 1985, we first visited Provence on vacation and really loved the towns and villages there.  The reason we chose a village and not a “house in the vineyards” was that our home in California, whilst reasonably close to San Francisco, is in quite a rural setting.  In France, we wanted to be right in a village but not a large town.

Me: I see that you began your blog in April of 2009, around the time you purchased your property in Sablet. Was this meant primarily as a second residence, or was it more of an investment? Was the decision financial or emotional?

Marianne: When we purchased Maison des Pelerins in 2005, the decision was both emotional and financial.  We had been travelling to France, especially Provence, for many years before we made the decision.  During our visits, we usually stayed at a B&B or rented Canal Boats in various areas of France.  In 2004, we rented a vacation home, and since there are usually just my husband and myself, we wanted a smaller home (not the four-bedroom home in the middle of the vines; we wanted a village house).  We were so disappointed by the quality of the home we rented and the amenities that were provided, that we started looking for something right away.  It was on that trip that we found what is now, “la Baume des Pelerins” – however, a lady from Paris beat us to it at that time, and we subsequently bought Maison des Pelerins in 2005. 

Sablet - street view looking towards Seguret

I was disappointed with the rentals that were available.  I felt that there was a real lack of understanding of a significant segment of visitors to Provence.  Most people who travel there on vacation, particularly from the US, do not do so every year and would be extremely disappointed by the rather Spartan rental homes.  Many visitors have read about the area and have an idea in their minds of what a Provençal home is. Unfortunately, the smaller homes available in the area did not address that in any way. The feeling of many of the owners of smaller properties was that they would just throw something together, as they believed that visitors would not be willing to pay an appropriate rental for a well-presented two-bedroom home, and that everyone coming from the US wanted a large house in the vineyards.  I thought that it would be terribly disappointing to someone taking a long-planned vacation, who found themselves in a thrown-together house. 

Starting from there, we looked at the idea of putting together a nice, well-presented, well-equipped “smaller” house that was not crammed with bedrooms so as to pack people in. We believed it would be well-received.  That was the beginning of Maison.  It had to cover the following areas: pay for itself and pay for our vacations. 

I feel really gratified by our results with both Maison and la Baume, because we started off with the most expensive rentals in the village (but also the nicest – not my words, but one of the local resident’s).  There were some local “expatriate Brits” with existing rentals, who were openly skeptical about our being able to attract any rentals due to the price; however, within the first rental season, Maison became the most occupied vacation rental home in the village!

The good news from all of this is that other owners in the village realized that if they fixed up their vacation rentals, they too could get better rental rates, so … the quality of vacation rentals in Sablet has improved significantly and the village in general has appreciated it, because so has the quality of the renters. This means more business for the little stores and businesses in the village.

Me: How did you discover Sablet? What little something was there about this village and no other that drew you?

Sablet - picincking with freinds at la Pigeade winery

Marianne: Funny story!  It was quite literally accidental.  I mentioned that we visited the area each year and believe it or not, there are still things we haven’t got to or seen.  In 2003, we had decided to check Beaumes de Venise wines.  We visited a Winery called la Pigeade to taste some of their Beaumes de Venise Muscat wine.  The winery was in a great location with a spectacular view of two small villages. We asked the proprietor of the winery what the names of those villages were.  She thought for a couple of seconds and said, “Sablet and Seguret – they’re nice villages, you should visit them.”  We did – and the rest is history.  The funny thing is that some time later, we were looking at the location of the winery on a map and trying to figure out how you would be able to see Sablet and Seguret from there.  We mentioned it to the owner the next time we went back to la Pigeade and she said, “Oops! I made a mistake!”

Me: I can see you being led around various properties by a chic and knowledgeable realtor, à la HGTV. What is the procedure for an American buying a home in France? I can only imagine the paperwork is formidable, not to mention realtor’s and attorney’s fees?

Marianne:  The procedure is really pretty simple. There is a terrific company in the US called Just France Sales that has a lot of information and very helpful staff. They introduced us to a very helpful realtor in the area – knowledgeable, yes …. Chic … no!  He is a very nice young Provençal man who worked with us to arrange the transaction and took care of all the paperwork. I would recommend them to anyone who is thinking about buying in France. Visit Just France’s website and read through the sections about procedures. Call them, too – they’re very nice.  It was very helpful that we knew exactly where and what we wanted to buy, and that we had seen Maison the year before we bought it – so there wasn’t much looking around, although we did do some comparison shopping. The closing costs are about 10% of the purchase price – higher than California.

Me: In one of your posts on jet lag, you mention that your usual trek is from San Francisco to Paris. Is that your primary home, or is it now your secondary address?

Marianne: I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have lived here for the past 32 years.  How can anyone be so lucky? Having the choice of two unbelievably beautiful and interesting places to go between – and each has great weather!

Me: I love the sound of French and could listen to it all day, but my vocabulary is miniscule. Do you speak French? And if not, how do you manage with your neighbors and shopkeepers?

Marianne: Yes, I do speak French – it’s been an ongoing learning experience, but it is great to be able to speak with our neighbors and friends in France and actually join in an intelligent discussion with them.  In Sablet we have some really interesting people (like retired investment bankers and a woman who was the admin assistant to François Bayrou, one of the Presidential Candidates in the last Election), as neighbors, and speaking French is a real plus. We always enjoy having aperitifs or dinners with them.

Me: I’ve just looked Sablet up on Wikipedia, and as of 2006 the population was 1,308. The following came from the “Culture” section of the site: “Every Thursday morning, a small fresh fish market and a fresh goat cheese maker visit the square.” How does the village withstand so much excitement in one day? Is it really this quiet?

Sablet Neighborhood summer potluck

Marianne: I have to work very hard to have a quiet time when we’re in Sablet.  BTW I wrote the Wikipedia entry.  Apart from the incredible amount of socializing that goes on with our friends and neighbors in the village, there are all kinds of activities that go on in the surrounding areas, to say nothing of Vaison la Romaine, Orange and Carpentras, which are all between 10 and 20 minutes away from Sablet.  During the Spring and Summer, the commerçants in the village organize a number of events in the village square. Everything from open-air jazz concerts and movie screenings, to special meals and evening artisanal markets. If you are interested in Concerts of any kind, the Old Roman Theatres in Vaison la Romaine and Orange are a great venue, as is the Papal Palace in Avignon. The larger towns (Orange, Vaison and Carpentras – and of course, Avignon), have a regular schedule of both music (of all kinds) and dance theatre.  In addition, between the history, the food, the wine and other cultural aspects of the area – we originally thought that we would cover it all in a two-month stay. That was five years ago, and we still haven’t got anywhere near getting to everything.  Provence is a very active part of France, and what we really like about our village is that we can be so close to everything, and still return to a place that is not inundated with tour buses. 

Me: Marianne, actually this sounds quite idyllic to me, but what do you do when you want a bit more in the way of entertainment? With Avignon thirty miles away and Marseilles even further, what are your options?

Marianne: Seeing friends and neighbors is a very important activity in Sablet and I think in Europe in general.  There is a lot of socializing that goes on with friends and neighbors – I love the whole idea of the aperitif, which is a 6 pm+ activity and can go on for hours with finger foods and lots of good fun.  Dinners start at 8 pm and go on till well after midnight.  If you want the theatre or a concert, they are very readily accessible. Vaison la Romaine, Orange and Carpentras have movie theatres. Entertainment has never been a problem. 

Me: Marianne, my son, who has visited the South of France on several occasions, suggested that I ask you about the Avignon Theatre Festival. He said it’s a big deal! Have you attended?

Marianne: Yes – In fact I have some great pictures of the Festival and was wondering just recently why have I never done a blog about the Festival.  One year we happened to arrive at Avignon TGV station on the same day and train as a number of French actors. We walked out of the station to flashbulbs and TV cameras. Yes, French actors and politicians do take the Train. We have seen a number of them travelling between Avignon and Paris! Your son is right, the Festival is a big deal. It has two stages: the “on”, as in On Broadway, which goes on during the month of July, and then the “off”, as in Off Broadway that carries on until the end of August.  It’s a lot of fun and the

Avignon The Festival

streets of Central Avignon are all a part of the theatre.

Me: I have been reading your blog with much enjoyment. You write so easily and naturally, and so very well. Have you been writing long, or is this a recent thing for you?

Marianne: I haven’t been writing for very long before the blog. I have always enjoyed writing but have not done much of it since I was at university.  In school, and at university, we were required to give answers to exam questions in essay form, so writing was essential. (School and university were in Australia and I’m probably dating myself by talking about the way exams were conducted!)

Me: When you are not in Sablet, do you rent les Pelerins? Do you use an agency or do you find your own renters? Do you find that tenants treat your lovely home well?

Marianne: Yes, we do rent les Pelerins when we are not in Sablet. We have been fortunate to have the BEST renters in the world! To quote our onsite manager, a delightful Provençal young lady, “I have never seen guests who are so respectful of the houses.” The vast majority of our guests come from our website:  www.sablethome.com – check out the guest reviews. I copy and paste them in from their emails.  When we first decided to buy Maison des Pelerins – one of our main concerns was that the idea of Provence is a dream for many guests who might only visit one time.  We really wanted to make sure that our guests’ experience of Provence was what they were dreaming of, as we had had very disappointing experiences in renting vacation homes in Provence.  In the five years we have been renting the house(s), we have only had two sets of guests who have left a mess (and we have at least 26 weeks a year rented in each of the Pelerins). We also have a number of referrals from past guests and about a half a dozen return guests each year. 

Me: What do you do in your other life, when you are not living your dream in Sablet?

Marianne: I am an ordinary person, mother, wife – I work in the financial industry – with a background in Elementary School Teaching and then Real Estate.  I love to cook, garden, take photographs and do a lot of walking – I just like to have fun!

Me: The pictures of your garden in Sablet are extraordinaire indeed. Every page of your website simply drips with beautiful flowers. I can imagine little get-togethers there on warm summer evenings, with delicious French food and the fragrance of the flowers. Was the garden there when you found your lovely house, or is it a creation all your own?

Sablet summer lunch at Masion des Pelerins

Marianne:  The basics of the garden were there, but we made a few changes, adding the fountain and more flowering plants and herbs. I love it when our guests write and tell us how much they enjoyed being able to cook with the fresh herbs.  We are right at the back of the old church, and having the Presbytery windows open out onto the courtyard is really great, especially when the kids are having their catechism lessons and you can hear them singing. The rest of the time the windows are closed and there’s no one looking into the garden. What is also lovely is sitting in the garden on a warm night with the church steeple towering above and lighting up the garden.  We have lots of fun get-togethers in the garden. In fact, we eat most of our meals out there in the summer.

Me: Marianne, do you think there will come a time when you call “les Pelerins” home, or will you continue to commute?

Marianne: I think we will always be commuting between California and France – we love both places and our kids are in California, even though they enjoy coming to Sablet (and believe it or not they’re not bored there), our home is in California.

Me: What is the best time of year to visit Sablet? And what is the one thing you tell friends and visitors they must do on their visit?

Marianne: I love going at anytime and we usually go right after Christmas and during the summer.  Spring is lovely – not too hot and not so busy, Summer is hot, but we have A/C in the bedrooms – that is also when a lot of the village festivities take place.  The Autumn is great – wine harvest, cooler weather, getting ready for Christmas. Christmas in Provence is great – take a look at my website page on Christmas in Provence – it is so much fun.

Most of our visitors have a specific reason for going to Provence. Many are interested in the food and want to experience the markets and cooking with the wonderful fresh ingredients. Many want to take cooking classes.  Some are interested in the Roman aspect, and there are those who plan their Tour de Provence around the biking trails.  We have had honeymoon couples, and families who are meeting their kids for the Thanksgiving or Christmas holidays (in all cases, the kids were serving in Afghanistan or Iraq) and they were meeting halfway for a vacation. 

When I think of must-dos, my favorites would be more the seasonal activities.  One of my all-time favorites is the Fireworks Display in Monteux every August (latest blog).  This is an extraordinary display of choreographed

Avignon Christmas street theatre

fireworks.

Me: Considering that the deadly Plague of 1721 entirely missed the village of Sablet, do the people feel especially safe and blessed there?

Marianne: I have never thought about it in those terms. The people are very thankful for the life they have in Sablet – they are very down-to-earth, good people.  They are kind and thankful that the new lease of life that tourism has brought to Provence means there is employment in the towns and villages so their kids don’t have to head to the big cities to find work. 

One very important distinction in the village of Sablet is that its citizens have always been free – that is, it was never a feudal village with a lord. The citizens of Sablet were always free to work their land and earn their own living.

Marianne, Sablet sounds like your own little piece of heaven here on Earth. Maybe someday I will visit les Pelerins for a heavenly experience of my own! In the meantime I will continue to visit your blog, and I would encourage everyone else to visit, too, at:

http://sablethome.blogspot.com/