Mouriès

Olive plantations -far and wide

[Click on the photos to enlarge]

Mouriès is a village south-east of Avignon, on the southern slope of the Alpilles, a mountain range even not all French are knowing. The maximal height of the most white looking limestone rocks is 400 meters. The mountain ridge is visible on the horizon in the north. 3500 residents live here and have to do -mainly- with oil. With olive oil of course. Around the village are large olive plantations. There is the main and biggest growing area of olives in France. There are some oil mills there - even with factory shops. But the oil prices are so high (15 - 20 euros per liter)that we prescinded from purchase.
But also almonds and grapes are grown there.

Two departement roads crosses in Mouriès : the D24 coming from Eygalières and leading to St-Martin-de-Crau and the D17, heading from Salon-de-Provence to Arles. This cross-way is the centre of the village. There we had bought our daily, crunchy baguette in the boulangerie of Lionel Combe or in the boucherie (butcher) of Arnaud Gabriel where we got beef for our boeuf bourgignon. The vegetables we bought by the "Pampelmousse". A big pharmacie is placed directly next the crossroad. There we could buy medicaments at amazing low prices!

The crossroad of D24 and D17

The "main street" is the Cours Paul Revoil - going from the cross in northly direction until the boule place. There the seniors of Mouriès play boule mostly in the evening hours. A small cafè, a "mom-and-pop-store and a restaurant are here in the center of the village. On Wednesdays is farmers market here and sometimes flea market.

Avenue Pasteur with church St.Jacques
[Source: Google Streetview]

The crossing street in East-West direction is the Avenue Pasteur. Baker's and butcher's shops, bank, post office and a small China-restaurant complete the infrasructure of the village. Highly visible is the church St-Jacques from the 18th century. It was destroyed in the French Revolution and rebuilt in the 19th century. Who is lucky (like we), can take part (as viewer)in a wedding in this church.

Opposite of the church door is the Centre Culturel. In our first weekend it served as a polling station for the European elections
Apropos European elections! In contrast to Germany you could not notice about the election campaign in France. Only in Mouriès a small poster of the extremely right-wing Front Nationale - the winner party of the elections - unfortunately

Behind the fountain is "our" bakery

Wedding provencale

At the flea market
you can make some bargains.

There is also an Office du Tourisme next the Centre culturel. In within spitting distance to our holiday domicile on the Place General de Gaulle is the primary school of Mouriès. And the (female) mayor has her desktop in a neat building in the Ave Pasteur. The Police Municipale is not far from her.

There are also some small hotels and two fine and expensive restaurants.

By the way: Big shopping can you do in the neighboured (10 km) St-Martin-de-Crau in the big Supermarchés Intermarché or Super U. Only a "minimarket" is in Mouriès of the Casino chain.

Especially amazing we found the bullfighting arena. Meantime we noticed that almost every village or small town has such an arena. [see my later post]

Alltogether: Mouriès is not absolutely a tourist center, but a nice, not boring, well working local community.

The "oil fields" of Mouriès

Also almonds are growing here.

In the distance, the Alpilles look like high mountains.