On the Ochre Trail

On the Ochre Trail, originally uploaded by dabi.

Image made on the Ochre Trail in Roussillon in the Luberon - Provence, France.

A legend from the Middle Ages recounts how this area came to have the distinctive red ochre soil: The young Lady Sermonde, wife of Raymond d'Avignon, the local seigneur, was neglected by her husband who was too preoccupied by hunting. She fell in love with a young troubadour, Guillaume de Cabestan. Raymond d'Avignon got wind of their affair, and mad with rage, he plotted a cruel revenge. He killed the troubadour and had his heart served to his wife during a meal. Lady Sermonde, having learned what had happened, threw herself off the cliff, her spilled blood colouring the hillside forever.