From the depths of the earth

Clear water is as much the magic of Provence as sunlight.

Paper making, weaving, fishing, wine-making, life -- none would happen without water.

Today we visited a remarkable source, Fontaine de Vaucluse, roughly translated "Fountain of the closed valley."

There is a deep, deep hole, 300 or more meters, in Fontaine de Vaucluse, that gushes forth in spring and fall with rain and snowmelt from the Vaucluse Mountains. The hole, or well, or spring or whatever you call it, is quiet the rest of the year and the mystery is why the Sorgue flows so steadily 365 days out of 365. The hole has been explored by divers since the 19th century, and 20th century intrepids included Jacques Cousteau.

Like L'Isle sur la Sorgue, Fontaine de Vaucluse is a bit of a tourist trap, but because it is so lovely, with small flat plains along the green water side leading up to the mountain and the mouth of the Sorgue, it is also popular with campers. We parked in a lot full of RVs; the French appear to enjoy "le camping" as much as Americans do. Men with guts in open camp shirts and women in capris all sitting under the awnings of their campers, or in beach chairs by the water, smoking, chatting or playing cards.

It's a 30-minute walk up a mountainside path to the river source. Of course, at the top, there are signs warning visitors not to go past the fence because of slippery and/or falling rocks. And of course, the signs are ignored.

Stopped for a cheese plate and something to drink "a bord de l'eau" at a small cafe on the way back down, then visited a museum built around an old paper mill, powered by a water wheel. It's not functional, but amazing to see how people harnessed water to do their work. Like making banks of mallets pound rags into paper.

Then, on the way home, a passing car in our lane almost knocked us off the road. But we're still here!

Les photos:

 1) See, these guys are not supposed to be down there. You fall in and you may end up drowned in China. But hey, thanks for giving me some scale, dudes. This is the source of the Sorgue river.

 2) A nice French man took our photo. Merci monsieur!

 3) At the the Moulin Vallis Clausa, these giant wood mallets, powered by a water wheel, once hammered rags into a paper-precursor substance. Today these work for display only.

 4) Just an interesting structure along the Sorgue.

 5) Could not pass this up. We bought some water here, but, seriously WTF?

6) On the way from L'Isle sur la Sorge to Fontaine de Vaucluse. This is the "Conduit Caprentras." I'm guessing it's a water delivery system, either functioning or not, but the only information on it was the name. Carpentras is a nearby town.