The Terrible and Refreshing Mistral

“The Mistral drives us crazy!” With this sense of proportion that characterises the people of Provence, they love to complain about the excesses of the terrible north wind. Of course cold winds rarely have a good reputation anywhere, but this wind that is so dreaded that the farms are built with their backs to it, brings nothing but good. First of all, it guarantees good weather because when it gets up, the clouds are swept from the sky so that at the end of a day of Mistral the olive trees in the countryside and the church facades in the towns are resplendent - bathed in the clear light so loved by Van Gogh. The wind also chases away pollution, fumes, and disease. When it blows, there are no insects left on the plants and no mosquitoes on the beaches! Lastly, the mistral constitutes a game. Will it blow for 3, 6 or 9 days? The mistral is the soul of this country, but it is true that it drives us crazy!