In any list of the most important inventions ever, the printing press and our old buddy, Johannes Gutenberg, almost always get top billing. THE most important. . . but did you ever think what Johan would have done if no one had invented paper?? Up until that time, most books were hand-made using vellum or some form of flax or linen or whatever - certainly not practical if you're going to get into producing books on your spanking new press.
When Gutenberg invented the printing press in the mid-1500's (dates vary), there were approximately 20,000 books in the known world. Fifty years later, at the turn of the century, there were 10,000,000!! Somebody had to come up with paper - a whole lot of it - and here at Vaucluse we learned about the ancient art of paper making. They've been making paper here for centuries, and the process is absolutely fascinating.
And it's not all that different from paper-making today - but a whole lot less smelly (if you've ever lived or traveled in the rural American South, you know what I mean). You start with wood (usually a soft variety), which is pounded into pulp, dried, strained, and pulverized into a fine slurry mix that can be put onto a wire grid, dried, and peeled off! Simple enough, right? Sure beats skinning a cow, tanning the hide, then somehow peeling off a thin layer without tearing it, and cutting it to size.
But I get ahead of myself. Vaucluse is an ancient site (but still a thriving town) where paper has been made commercially since the late 15th century. Now, of course, it's ornamental/artisanel paper but the original mill still operates in the same old way, powered by water (which flows at an astonishing 35 cubic meters per second) . . .
. . . which is diverted over a wheel . . .
. . . which drives another set of wheels . . . .
. . . which power a series of wooden pistons which pound away at the paper pulp (think 'kapockata, kapockata, kapockata').
Photographs inside the paper museum were forbidden, but we did get to watch a craftsman dipping a screen form (about 12"square) into a barrel of slurry, gently moving the slurry over the screen, removing the excess water, setting the screen to dry for less than a minute, and then peeling off a gorgeous, hand-made piece of paper. 10,000,000 books? No problem!
This town goes back to the Romans, authenticated by the fact that Roman coins have been found in the tidal pools way up this mountain.
We hike up . . .
The pool with Roman coins is at the very bottom of this rock face, but I was not about to climb over the barrier to check it out!
Then this lovely surprise - the Church of St.Vernan. St. Who?? Turns out he was a local hermit and revered by the locals and canonized sometime around the 12th century. Based on the height of this doorframe, we figure he was also a very short guy (but I guess pretty much everyone in those days was short).
The sarcophagus with his remains . . .
A Roman column from the original structure . . .circa 3rd century AD.
And one of our favorite structures, a museum built into the rock.
And no day of French touring is complete without a photo of our lunch! Today's fare is a lovely omelet, with salad and French fries.
This is an absolutely delightful town, recommended to us by our host and hostess, Patrice and Laurence. Thank you - we've loved our visit here.
