FORCALQUIER PLAZA
Channel: slobomotion
Date: 2013-10-09

I don't think I posted this clip on YouTube or Dailymotion yet.  Forcalquier is in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence département in France, in the Southeast kind of.  It is known as the "city of four queens" and has a rich history.  I was living in a rented house in Dauphin and the nearest village with any semblance of a basic shop was in Manes, so came to Forcalquier a lot to get things.  I tired to get up to the citadelle but they are just wild paths up there and it seemed to be closed.

This town has an excellent market every Monday morning, and most days of the week there are other markets.  One day focused only on organic things grown locally.  There is a free range pig grower near here, for example.  This is a popular choice for a vacation rental, but prices are generally higher here, since pretty much all the services you might need are right in place.  You could stay here and just walk out daily and get what you needed.  That is a consideration.

This plaza was inaugurated in '10 and seems to incorporate the old lavoir.  Places had lavoirs for doing the laundry annually, with ashes.

The city redid this part of town to be functional but to keep its old character, too.  Public housing, subsidized housing, and artist's studios were included.  As you can see, this is a peaceful place, and by keeping people here, this town is very vibrant.  Right nearby, you can get used vinyl records, used books, cinemabilia, fancy pastry and chocolate, original art, food and excellent pottery.  I wished I needed more pottery -- the stuff looked really good.  Very functional and beautiful.  Fabrics, French-milled soap, herbs and spices, and bakery were also excellent here in Forcalquier.  You have a good selection of restaurants, from the elegant and pricey to the relaxed and quirky.  I kept noticing things such as an English language school, a library, a good tourism center, and a lot of buildings which were a thousand years old.  

I really like how this housing project turned out.  It seems to have been a success and is yet another good aspect of Forcalquier.  Bear in mind, this was not set up to be pricey market rate lodgings and spaces, this was meant to find a solution for "regular people." 

copyright 2013 Lisa B. Falour, B.S., M.B.A.
cutecatfaith.com
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