Cliousclat

Nancy felt like staying in camp today and reading, taking it easy. So Jim and I made the 90 minute drive up into the Drôme region to the small pottery hill town of Cliousclat. There are only a few potters in this town but one of them – fittingly called Poterie de Cloiusclat -- is very well known and respected. I’ve seen pictures and read about them so it was very exciting to finally get there. As it turned out the town was very sweet, super quiet with lots of lovely old houses and nooks and crannies – a nice surprise!

We arrived at 12:30 when the shops close for lunch until 2:00, so we headed straight for the only restaurant recommendation we had been able to find – a restaurant in a small hotel right in the heart of the village. We were very pleasantly surprised with how charming it was, beautifully decorated with antiques and pottery, and a lovely outdoor terrace with a cool breeze! Le menu: Lentil & cumin spread with bread crisps, aperitif of champagne and melon liquier (so good, must get some!), Jim got scallop ceviche and I got squash blossom and eggplant fried with tomato sauce; we both got the lamb which was outstanding; melon soup with mint (yummy, must make this at home).

The pottery shop was amazing. It’s a large complex of low buildings. You enter through an archway into an interior garden and seating area. They have a small restaurant on one side, the kiln and assembly building on another side, a garden on another side, and the shop on the other side. Like I said I had seen pictures of this place but they did not do it justice. Gorgeous pieces, mostly traditional designs and shapes, many that I’ve not seen anywhere else. Took lots of pictures so Nancy my fellow pottery lover could see and decide if she wants to go herself. The man who helped us was very nice and had travelled to the US several times, so we had a fun chat with him and he spoke decent English so he was able to answer our questions about some of the more exotic pieces (ie what were they traditionally used for, etc.) I ended up buying three pieces in Provencal yellow: a large round/plate platter with a stamped design of a bird and flowers; a small covered bowl; and a large traditional Provencal vase with a spout.

We drove back south via the road the hugs the Rhone river, had a light dinner and turned in. Market day is tomorrow! :-)

Photos here.