Aups: La Bande des Quatre (The Gang of Four)
These four gentlemen joked about my French avec l'accent américain. I threatened to retaliate and take their photo. They said they did not mind. O.K. guys, here it is! The French don't like Americans? A myth! Its a thing of the politicians, of George and Jacques, not of us common folks here in the Provence.
Aups is a very friendly and relaxed place between St.Maximin la Ste.Baume and the Gorges du Verdon, France's Grand Canyon. There is a lot of smiling and banter in Aups. Lots of young families and of course the Gang of Four sitting on their bench right on the wall of the church, the Collégiale St.Pancrace. The old Provence is still alive in the Haut Var. A passerby commented: "Send the photo to the police, they are looking for these guys, especially for the second one from the right."
Here is a photo of the church entrance. When the law of the separation of church and state was established in 1905, the Aupsois voted like other communities in the Haut Var to post the sign République Française - Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité over the church entrance.
