Hello, my name is Aubin, the driver of the Taulignan-Grignan-Chamaret tramway… It’s a pleasure to welcome you here at Rochecourbière. Ah, the landscapes of Grignan, they already sing of Provence! By following the old tramway line, you will discover and understand how they have constantly evolved over time.

And what stories and anecdotes there are to tell, in these fields and woods where the locals used to meet and work. Let me tell you one… On a beautiful August day, a young woman is waiting for the tramway among the passengers. She must be barely 20, with laughing eyes and a beautiful smile. For three weeks, she has been cutting lavender with a sickle or tying the bundles before they are collected and distilled. Staying with her aunt in Grignan, she has also lent a hand in the fields.

Now, she is about to join her family in Nyons, carrying a little nest egg and a beautiful basket filled with the flavors of the Drôme Provençale: herbal tea leaves, onions, two dozen fresh eggs, aged picodon cheese, and even some summer truffles that her uncle is very proud of! With the basket in one hand and a small milk can in the other, she boards the tram. The driver at the time, my predecessor, hastens to help her and delays the departure. She has caught his eye, this young woman! The passengers grow impatient; the tram finally starts, with a distracted driver at the controls. After barely a kilometer, unable to resist, he turns around to catch a glimpse of her through the window of the passenger car… The tram then cuts a corner and noses into a vineyard where it comes to a sudden stop.

We can say the machine has derailed again… The operations manager is going to be red with anger! Shaken and stunned, the passengers find themselves on their backsides in the middle of the car, or on their neighbor’s lap. As for the young girl, she has tumbled into the scenery with onions, eggs, picodons, and fresh milk… A real omelet, I tell you! The driver finds her in the middle of the aisle, her apron stained, her bun undone, her shoes soaking in the broken eggs and spilled milk. Shaken with irresistible laughter, she gets the other passengers laughing too… Initially relieved, Félix, the driver, then thinks of the scolding he will receive at the Chamaret station… The next day, he tries to make himself scarce by finding work in a village tannery. Some time later, Angèle, the young passenger, puts down roots in Grignan. When work gives her a break, she loves to admire the landscapes from the castle courtyard, or stroll here, at Rochecourbière.

And now, enjoy your lovely walk!

A story by Jeanne Aimé-Sintès