Gregorian Chants in the Monestary

7/20

Today began with a communal painting!

A giant triangle canvas was set up, and we painted the landscape.

Using brushes ranging from regular paint brushes to sticks to leaves to lavender!

Inside, it was Day Two of jam-making!

Then I headed up the mountain to the castle, to leave some of Mary-Kate's hair.

On the way up I noticed the church was open, but no one was inside. I felt drawn in, so I just quietly entered and sat there for about 20 minutes. It seemed appropriate... and really soothing.

A perfect spot. :)

The view she has! :)

Back home, the finished plaster hands and feet were placed in the lavender, giving the yard a bit of a zombie-eminent-attack feel.

RRRAAAAAHHHHHHGGGGGHHHHHHH

All right, maybe it's just because we've been watching Lord of the Rings for like the past five days... but does Gordes not look like Gondor?? They even have similar names!

Yes? Yes??

I was fascinated by the reflection of the stone building in the glass.

I've changed my mind. Again. But this time for real. THIS is where I'm going to live when I grow up.

Grape vines over an ancient home.

I nicked some, but shh. ;)

Emma scales a wall to enjoy the view.

Gordes is known for its "caves" (wine cellars) and I found this one off the beaten path. Most of them are sealed shut, but this one had an opening just big enough for me to fit through.

So, naturally, in I went!

The entrance.

And Emma, being the adventurous sport she is, followed. :)

Nayirrah, of course, found the most delicious looking (and tasting) pastry ever.

Our final destination of the day was this ancient, Roman-architecture monastery. The monks tend fields of lavender, as they have done for centuries, which they make into oils, soaps, and other products and sell them to support the monastery.

Inside.

We were just in time to hear the monks doing their Gregorian chants.

The masons who built the monastery were paid by how many bricks they laid, so to keep track of who laid which brick, they carved their initials into them. From a distance it looks like any other stone wall, but then you move close up and you can see each brick is individually marked.

Back home... DANCE PARTY!

Hours and hours of dancing.

And then... finally... moment we've all been waiting for... WE FINISHED WATCHING LORD OF THE RINGS!! Guess what time we finished at. Go on, guess.

2:00 in the morning. BEST USE OF A NIGHT EVER.