We finally left our house in Rasteau in Vaucluse, Provence to make the near three hour journey to our new home in the village of Spéracèdes in the Alpe-Maritime region in Provence. Spéracèdes is a small village of around 1200 inhabitants, which only became a municipality in 1911  with its own Marie (junior town hall). Before this, it was under the administrational jurisdiction of Cabris, itself a very pretty village perched futher up the hill with an incredible view. Spéracèdes is situated 5km from Grasse, supposedly the perfume capital of the world, and 34km from Nice.

The signs, as we enter Spéracèdes show that it is a 4 star village (!), which is 3 more than the number of shops. Walking around we found that both the butcher and bakery, somewhat unbelievably for a Fench village, had closed down. All that is left is a general store/tabac and a bar/restaurant, which serves very good food. Nevertheless, it is a lively village with its own busy school and people are friendly and greet you.

The topology of the area, where was are staying now is very different from where we were in Vaucluse. In Vaucluse, it is undulating and somewhat arid and dusty. Villages are often 5 - 7km apart from eachother connected by long straight roads. It seems that in every direction for mile upon mile, there are nothing but huge vineyards. Where we are now, it is very hilly and lush with vegetation. There are more houses doted around and it is sometimes unclear where one village finishes and another starts. Quite often a sign indicatng that you are leaving a village, the village name crossed out, sits below the sign for the next village. The roads are generally narrow and windy and traffic conditions are fairly congested.

All in all, we are looking forward to the change in location