Sky views in Provence, plus châteaux dans le Berry

These are some views from the gîte in Cavaillon that I've been posting about for a couple of days. Since I had what was probably a bad cold and fever complicated by allergies caused by dust and pollen blowing in the high Mistral winds, I had some days where I just stayed at the gîte while Walt and Sue went touring around.

Tomorrow I'll finally see the dentist, unless he phones today or tomorrow to postpone the appointment again. I've been very lucky not to have much pain from the broken filling at all. When I talked to the dentist in Luçay-le-Mâle (pop. 1,375), he said the initial appointment would be to take some x-rays and put a temporary filling in the tooth. Then he'll formulate a plan for more treatments. My appointment is at 7:20 p.m. and Luçay is a 35-minute drive from here — each way.

By the way, before the French Revolution, the name of the village was Luçay-le-Mal ("the bad" or "the evil"). During the Revolution it was changed to Luçay-le-Mâle ("the male"), which was deemed less offensive. Luçay (Lucius in Latin) was a Roman who settled in the area 2,000 years ago. His meanness is one explanation for the name of the village. Also, the soil was so poor (mostly clay) le mal might have been a reference to that fact.

The church in Luçay dates back to the 12th century, was set afire during the Hundred Years' War, and was rebuilt in the 14th century. There's a 19th century château, called the château de l'Oublaise (photo, and web site in French) in the village. It was built on the foundations of a much older château, which was demolished so that a newer one could be built (it turns out to be a château that CHM and I happened upon and visited years ago). Until the 14th century, Luçay was a possession of Georges de Palluau, who was the "lord" of Montrésor. The better-known town of Valençay is just 10 kilometers (six miles) east of Luçay.