Camera: Canon EOS 1Ds MKIII
Lens: Canon EF 16-35 mm. f/4.0L IS
Remote: POCKETWIZARD Plus X Radio Transmitter

Working my way down through Europe to Southern Spain to catch the fast-ferry to Morocco via Ceuta, Spain in North Africa; I took a stopover at Grignan, France.

My first visit to the lovely city and the magnificent castle was together with the love of my life at that time, now my ex-wife, back in the eighties. We have a long history of traveling to the South of France together, as lovers, as parents and as a married couple. The first visit to Grignan holds a very special place in my heart, and I must admit that I enjoyed my re-visit enormously.

I arrived late afternoon and the sun was about to set, but I had some time to take a few photographs as the castle was still open to the public, although this is now the winter season. Access to the surroundings of the castle was free and with a little under an hour to closing time I set off. The sun set shortly after; but the soft light from the somewhat still fairly bright sky contributes to the special felling I had, standing once again in this special place in France.

Several archeological excavations have shown that the rocky promontory of Grignan has been occupied since the Iron Age. There is evidence of a former Bronze Age society here, as well as Roman occupation in the 5th and 6th centuries AD.

We know very little about the birth of the castle or those who built it. The existence of a certain Christophe de Grignan has been established some time around the year 1030, and in 1035, the cartulaire of Saint-Chaffre, speaks of a 'Rostaing du château de Grignan.

François, the last Count of Grignan, was two-times a widower (his wives Angélique-Clarisse d'Angiennes, daughter of the Marquis de Rambouillet, and Marie-Angélique du Puy-du-Fou having died in quick succession). For his third marriage, he chose a certain Françoise-Marguerite de Sévigné, daughter of the marquise of the same name whose illustrious letters have perpetuated the memory of her son-in-law—and his castle to this very day.

Madame de Sévigné travelled three times to Aix and Grignan in order to spend time with her daughter and son-in-law: a 14-month stay beginning in 1672; another 14-month stay beginning in 1690 taken before a quick trip to Brittany; and a third stay of 22 months leading right up to her death in 1696. In other words, Madame de Sévigné spent only a little less than four years total in the part of France which occupied so much space in her heart and letters.

When closing time of the castle arrived it was nearly dark, but still, I took good time to wander a little around in between the old buildings while I was here. I then decided to stay at Grignan for the night, and after driving around in the dark for a while I located a nice spot under a line of old oak-trees, just outside the village. This gave me a chance to make a few long exposed night-photos under the could-less sky of the village; with the famous castle and my precious Geländewagen which would be my home for the next five weeks.

As the night was cold I had to put several layers of cloth on to keep warm while taking photographs; but I enjoyed being by myself and do what I take pleasure in, - the outdoors and photography. It was also a pretty cold during the night and temperatures plumbed towards freezing, again I appreciated my thick and warm Haglöfs sleeping-bag; I did have to zip it up a bit further than I usually do though.