Water, water

While we were in France, I was reading Pagnol’s “Jean de Florette” & “Manon des Sources”. We’ve had these books since the well known films came out. I have resisted reading them as the films were so vivid, but I decided the time had come to do so. It seemed appropriate as Pagnol came from Aubagne, not far from where we were staying. The landscape described in these two books, as with so many of his books, was the sort of terrain in which we were staying. I confess I also resisted reading the books as Pagnol’s “La Gloire de mon Père” was one of my ‘A’ level set books & I hated it.

For those who haven’t seen the films or read the book, water is almost a character in itself. The disaster that befell Jean was largely the result of lack of water, a lack that resulted from a greed for more water. In the second book Manon uses water to try to get some sort of justice for her, by then, dead father Jean.

Reading these two books made me very aware of just how important water must have been for the area in the days before regular piped water. This was emphasised by seeing the huge walls of the reservoir of La Cadière d’Azur, as strong & imposing as any medieval castle wall.

 

Reservoir walls La Cadiere d'Azur

Visiting the village of Le Val, near Brignoles, we did the short walking tour, recommended by the Office de Tourisme. One of the things that became apparent was that the village attributed much of its wealth & growth to the fact that there are more than a dozen springs in the village.

Water is such a central part of life, essential for life itself in man, animal & crop alike. So many industries also require a certain amount of water. Water was also the source of power in so many places with watermills, though clearly most of the olive mills around this part of Provence were wind-powered. It is also essential for washing. This ancient wash-house remains standing, though recently renovated by the looks of it.

 

Wash-house at Le Val

 couldn’t help thinking how many places in France, especially in Provence, we have seen great fountains from long ago. In England you tend only to see fountains that have been installed as decorative features. Their useful ancestors got cleared away with the advent of piped water. Not so in France. Here the importance/significance of water is still celebrated. Every town, every village, still seems to have its ancient fountain, where people for hundreds of years have been to collect there daily water.

I suppose, too, I have to admit the sun shone throughout our holiday. We had a couple of nights of rain, but that was it. It’s not like the north of England, where it’s a relief to have a few days without rain. We tend to take water for granted as a result. And not only, did the sun shine warmly, the mistral wind blew which must have an even more dehydrating effect on the land.

All in all, these observations made the plight of poor Jean de Florette all the more poignant.