Lost-in-France.com

Category: Barging Through France

Tags: barging, canals, travel, france, tourism, french, La, Drome, Rhone, river, vineyards, St, Joseph, wine, Vercours, Buckfast, Abbey, Devon, bees, beekeeping

THE LIME FLOWER FAIR
In this episode of the video series about barging through France, host Richard Goodwin takes a trip down the Rhone tied to the barge of my friend whose barge is called L'Humanite. The Rhone is still a river for working boats and men. Before the river was canalised, men used to drag the barges up the river.

Richard reports:
My first stop was at the vineyard that produced St. Joseph wine. The proprietor graphically demonstrated his method for tasting wine.

In the Vercours, Mr Achard demonstrates his bee keeping technique. He convinces me that the bees he cultivates from Buckfast Abbey, in Devon never sting and produce a large amount of honey. When he presses a frame of the hive against my cheek fully populated with bees, I confess my heart was in my mouth. He tells of the many grafts that Father Adam had made to produce these amazing bees. Mr. Achard, a professor of Indian history, also told me many things about the history of bees which I found immensely interesting. The bee is 150 million years old. He says that his friend Father Adam was the best beekeeper since Aristotle 2400 years ago.

The Drome is a great place for growing lavender. Every year in a corner of the Drome in Baronies there is lime flower fair where dried lime flowers are sold by members of the public which is a joy to watch. I meet some amusing people on the way to the fair. Lime flower tea is a neuro sedative and not as my talkative friend claims an aphrodisiac. This is what is called La France profonde or truly in the stix.

 Send to a friend