Pont du Gard, Avignon,  Aix on Provence, Provence France

We still have three major sites to visit that are within an hour of the house.  There is so much to see in this part of Provence.   The Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge that crosses the Gardon River.  The bridge is part of the Nimes aqueduct, a 50 km long structure built to carry water from a spring at Uzès to the Roman colony which is now called Nimes. The terrain between the two points is hilly requiring the aqueduct to be built mostly underground,  At the point where it reached the gorge of the Gardon, the construction of an aqueduct bridge was required.  This amazing feat of engineering was built in the 1st century AD!  The Pont du Gard is the highest of all Roman Aqueduct bridges and is, one of the best preserved in the world.  It was added to UNESCO'S list of World Heritage Sites in 1985.  

 

The bridge has three tiers of arches, standing 160 ft high.  The whole aqueduct descends in height by only 56 ft over its length, while the bridge decends by a mere 0.98 inches- a gradient of only 1 in 3000!  The building prowess of the Romans was nothing short of incredible.  The aqueduct carried an estimated 44,000,000 imperial gallons of water a day to the fountains, baths and homes of the citizens of Nimes.  It is  estimated to have been used until the 6th century.  So what can be learned from this spectacular engineering?  Cleopatra really wanted a bath!  LOL.

  

We had a very nice picnic under the bridge.  During our lunch, we met a family from Holland.  The father had been here twenty years ago, and wanted to bring his children to experience the beauty of the surroundings.  He did mention it was quite different then, than now.  He was 20ish then, and drove his VW beetle across the bridge with an Eagles song blasting as loud as it would go.... he said it gave him an sense of freedom he has not experienced since.  Maybe it was the drugs....still it was a nice gesture on his part to bring his children to relive part of the experience.  I think jail time would occur if he tried the whole Bug driving thing now.  Sadly it wasn't all fun and games that day.  A bunch of thrill seeking 20 somethings jumped off the bridge's first level.  One of the jumpers got injured.....hitting the water from over 60 feet can be painful.  The local first aid team was on the scene, hopefully she was ok.  I am pretty sure she will never forget the bridge. Ouch!

We packed up and headed down the road to Avignon. But not before having trouble leaving the parking lot.  Just a note to those who will be visiting in the future.  The parking must be paid before you attempt to leave.....there are no signs that will tell you to pay before heading to your car.   So if you wish to avoid the honking of the cars in the line up behind you as you attempt to leave without paying, remember to find the pay station before you leave.  

On the road to Avignon.  Why go?  Well between 1309 and 1377 during the Avignon Papacy, seven successive popes asked the same question. Of course, they had to get out of Rome due to a little spat between the King of France and the Papacy.  After the conclave of 1305 finally elected Pope Clement V, he refused to move to Rome, moving the court to the papal enclave in Avignon. In 1348, Pope Clement VI bought the town from Joanna I of Naples, Papal control persisted until 1791 when, during the French Revolution, it became part of France.  The Pope and the court had moved back to Rome long before the Revolution maybe they knew something?   Perhaps Dan Brown will write his next novel focusing on the French control of the Papacy and the French Revolution.  Is there something more to the story.  Who knows?  

The town is one of the few French cities to have preserved its ramparts.  The historic centre includes the Palais de Papes, the cathedral and the Pont d'Avignon.  It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.  The dedieval monuments and the annual Festival d'Avignon have helped to make the town a major centre for tourism.  it is well worth the visit.
  

I just cant get the children's song about the bridge out of my head.  Does anybody know the words?  Angelique, our daughter used to sing it over and over again when she was about 6.  I can still hear and feel her happiness bouncing off the windows of the car as she recited the words...Sur le Pont,  d'Avignon, l'on y danse, l'on y danse

The power of the Papacy rings out throughout this city.   Our next visit took us through the final home of Nostradamus,  Salon de Provence.  Part of the salt route during Roman times, the real claim to fame is Nostradamus.  We entered through one of the two 17th century gates to see his home, which is now a museum.  Our timing was bad, the place was closed.   

The front door of his house seen above.   Nostradamus is best known for his book "Les Propheties," the first published in 1555. Since the publication of this book, Nostradamus has attracted a following that, along with much of the popular press, credits him with predicting many major world events.   Most academic sources maintain a healthy scepticism regarding his forecasts.  Did he predict Napoleon's demise, the rise of Hitler?  Hard to say with conviction.  On has to be impressed with his creativity in seeing the future.  Each year, the town holds a festival in his honor.   Might be fun to attend.  I wonder if he predicted that?

We moved on to Aix on Provence.  It was here in 2000 that we got our car towed for parking a little to creatively.  We are not going to do it today.  After a short search we found a spot, checked three times to be sure it was legal and proceeded to walk the city.  The Cours Mirabeau, seen below, is an excellent example of the design strengths of this city.

We toured the narrow streets. enjoyed window shopping at an artisan market.  A stop for a cocktail in a street side cafe was a nice finish to a long day.  

The next few days we are going to visit small village markets, drink some wine and practise being a local.  What a great life.

Be Well

Sante

Maussane, Provence, France

The wine trail starts at Maussane, at least for us.  To work up a thirst, we are going to the market.  Maussane is about 2km from the house.  Again it takes longer to find a parking spot than to drive there.  Market day in this village is a big deal, everyone comes out, it is a place to be seen, squeeze some fruit, try the free samples and enjoy the noises.

The French are not loud, they speak in hushed tones.  One bit of advise, when you approach their stalls you must say Bonjour.  Nothing will happen, and I mean nothing until the greeting niceties have been concluded.  You could offer to buy the entire table of goods, they will not acknowledge your presence without the Bonjour!

This takes the whole buying process a little longer to transact.  The lines of stalls are full of buyers, each one in turn must go through the greeting ritual to the seller's satisfaction.  Sometimes, this involves a discussion regarding health issues or coffee, the neighbours etc....  It could take awhile and it does.  Such is market day.  The produces are quite simply out of this world.  My mouth is watering just thinking about the cheese, the bread, the charcuterie, even the veg looks perfect.  The butchers. there are three of them, each have their own 30 foot trailer.  One side completely opens to reveal a fully refrigerated environment for the meats.  Think of your gourmet butcher at home, but on wheels.  Impressive.  The market also has food stations to eat a  variety of local dishes.  Seafood Paella is a top seller.  We bought tonight's menu than headed for the wine country.

Provence has 7 appellations within its boarders.  There are 346 vineyards in the 7 appellations.  The Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence is the the area we are in.  There are only 48 vineyards in this appellation.  We are going to do them all today! Then explode.  Seriously, our goal is to stop at 4 this afternoon.  Our first is a small production family run organic vineyard and olive oil farm.  It is called Mas de Gourgonnier.  We sampled their Olive Oil followed by a Rose, a white and a red.  The Rose was a big hit, we bought it for tonight's dinner.

Mas de Gourgonnier above and below.

About 2 kms down the road, or more accurately, path was the Donaine d'Eole.  About 8 miles from Saint Remy de Provence, we stumbled on this vineyard by mistake.  I, once again was not listening to the GPS and turned before  I was meant too.  Good for us.  This vineyard had some interesting wines.  Is is rated among the top 20 vineyards in the region.  Impressive when you consider there are 300+ wineries.  We were also lucky enough to experience the tasting with the winemaker, Matthias Wimmer, as our guide. We had the Rose, excellent, a sparkling Rose, excellent again.  A white, very nice and two very impressive reds.  A purchase of the Cuvee Tradition Rouge was made.  Matthias spent a great deal of time with us explaining the process of making organic certified wines.  The benefits of the soil and the mistral winds in keeping the vines healthy.  Speaking of healthy, Matthias pours a very nice taster.  We thanked him for his time and made our way to Chateau Romanin.    

Matthias defines the terroir to Johanne

 Can I have more Please?

 Chateau Romanin

A very high tech wine tasting experience.  All the bottles are in a vacuum pouring system. The tasting room is built directly above the cellar.  This 250 acre vineyard is built within the ruins of a 13th century Templar Knight's castle.   We didn't see the ruins, we did, however taste some great wines.  The reds would rival much of the Cote Du Rhone wines.  A very good stop.

Next was intended to be Chateau d'Estoublon but we spent too much time at the last two vineyards so we ran out of time.  We decided to go there for lunch as they have an excellent restaurant as well.  More to come on that in the days to follow.  In the meantime we arrived in Saint Remy de Provence and just had to stop and look around.  An enchanting village.  This is where Van Gogh finished his life, completly broke (both mentally and financially). I will let the pictures tell the story.

There was free entertainment and tasting of pates and dessert that day....

I know we will be back here again, so I will talk more about this perfect little village then.   In the meantime, we have wine to drink.

Avignon and Le Pont du Gard are next up.

Be Well

A votre sante!

Arles, Provence, France

The city of Arles is 12 kms away from our home.  Unlike Les Baux it is not up a mountain.  In fact, it is very flat , almost prairie like surroundings, except in the fields there are vines not wheat and Olive trees.  Lots of them.  Arles is a Roman city, surrounded by walls, and the Rhone River.   Today is market day, the main gate is wall to wall with vendors.  Fruits, Veg, Seafood, Beef, Chicken, all the food groups are supported.  Yes, Cheese and Baked Goods too.  No proper French market would be acceptable without those two items.

 On market day,  only residents and workers are given car access inside the walls.  This means I should have parked in Le Paradou,.  It would have taken me less time to walk the 12km then it did to find a spot. I dropped the gang next to the market and began the search.  If you have been to Europe, you know that people park anywhere they can squeeze their car in.  The tricky part is not finding a spot so much as making sure there are no obscure signs or rules that would prohibit the parking.  You see, the locals will park up the side of a tree and will never incur any problems.  I, on the other hand in the past have been towed, threatened with jail time, fined, asked to leave the country etc., on more than one occasion, for simply parking without knowing the unwritten rules.  Anyway that's another story, we are not going there!  Today it only took me 20 minutes to find a prime spot and about 10 minutes to squeeze the car in.  I figured it was about a 10 banger parking job.  That is, I hit the car in front of me 5 times and the car behind me 5 times, moving them slightly each time to make room for me.  I have no clue how I am going to get out...who cares! I'm in!

Our shopping curiosity satisfied, as well as our pantry, we entered the main gate. Narrow streets are busy with shoppers, the patios are slowly filling up as the market slows down.  The centrepiece of the city is standing proudly at the end of the main street.  The coliseum.  The Roman presence started in Arles in 123BC.  It grew in importance after a canal was constructed connecting the city through the river to the Mediterranean Sea.  After Cesar defeated Pompei, Arles became the colony for the Roman Legion.  The city prospered significantly, the arena, an amphitheatre, baths, as well as the city walls were built.  It became a political centre for the Roman empire for most of the 4th and 5th centuries.  As usual all good things come to an end, we know what happened to the Romans.  However they did leave some nice things for us to visit.  The arena is in very good condition for it's age, the amphitheatre is still used for concerts today.

Arles continued to be an important port city until the railroad took over the transportation of goods.  The town suffered economically in the 19th century.  This is about the time that Vincent Van Gogh arrived.  He was very taken with the colours and the landscape of Provence.  Van Gogh painted over 300 works while in Arles.  Famous paintings such as The Night Cafe, Starry Night over the Rhone and the Yellow room. Paul Gauguin visited Van Gogh here as well.  Shortly after Gauguin left. Van Gogh had some mental health issues, cutting his ear off in the process.  That little incident got him chased out of town.

This restaurant above is believed to be Van Gogh's subject for the Night Cafe.  This is just a great place to waste away a few hours.  Interesting architecture, many artists, and well.... I think you get the picture.

I got the car out without any difficulty and we headed back to the house for a nice Rose to finish up the late afternoon sun.  Tomorrow another market and a day in the vineyards.

Be Well

Sante.

Saint Martin du Crau, Les Baux, Arles, Maussane,  Wine Tasting and Saint Remy de Provence, Pont du Gard, Avignon, Salon de Provence, Aix en Provence,  France

Lots of places, anyone interested in what they are like or what we did in them?  For the record, Johanne doesn't think listing these places will have any meaning to you readers.  I want to use the words as a frame work to tell our story.  We are both right, it is all in the structure of delivery.  So, since I have the pen, currently, I win. Hahahaha.

You never really understand how much you miss a home cooked meal until you have eaten in restaurants for the better part of 3 months.  Saint Martin du Crau is our target for food shopping.  We have already agreed to splitting the cooking duties every other day.  Armed with a plan we dive into the isles to hunt for stuff.  The good news, French grocery stores have stuff, interesting stuff,  cheeses that don't exist anywhere else, only local and in season veg, free range, organic, chicken, beef, fish from the Met 100 km away.  Sure there are some canned foods and prepared meals, but most of the items are true to Provence.  The wine too is local.  Rose is the specialty of the area, they do have a nice selection of Cote du Rhone and Bordeaux to round out the selection.  Of course there are many more but we are only here for a few weeks and we do have other things to do besides tasting wine!  I know it's hard to believe but someone has to show some restraint. Thanks Johanne.

The village is closed.  Sunday's and Mondays are not really business days in the south of France.  Restaurants are open, but not much else.  Still, it gives us a chance to look around.  5 minutes later, we are done.  There is nothing here.  It's claim to fame is having the lowest population density in all of France and it shows.  We can't even see a bird.  They have a big supermarket and that is it.  So we leave.  Dinner plans in the wait.  To tell you the true, I can't remember what we ate but I can assure you, it was good.  Johanne does remember....Mom and Dad made delicios chicken scheitzel with gratin of potatoes...mmmmmmm

The rest of the week will be filled to the max with short trips to visit the best of the area.  Les Baux is first on the list and for good reasons. Considered one of the most spectacular villages in all of France, it is high, meaning there are a lot of steps to climb to get to the village gates. Here are Mom and Dad attempting the climb.

The height affords tremendous views of Provence, it is also why it was built to begin with.  This perch high in the Alpilles mountain range has signs of habitation from 6000 BC.  Ideally suited for defence it became the centre for power in the middle ages for a feudal lordship that controlled 79 towns and villages in the area.  The Lords of Baux were removed in the 12th century, however the great castle remained. Renowned for its court, famed for a height level of ornateness, culture and chivalry. The court often called the "court of love" attracted Troubadours from all over Europe who could often be found reciting poetry to.....  The dark times for the village occurred during the rein of Alix of Baux, who's men were dispatched throughout Provence to kidnap people for ransom.

In the event that the ransom was refused, the victim was forced to walk a gangplank over the cliff edge.

The castle was destroyed in the 17th century, by Cardinal Richelieu as a message to those that had been rebelling against Louis 13.

Today it is strictly for tourists.  In fact, only 22 people call the old village, home, a far cry from it's population hay day of 4000.  Filled with interesting shops, restaurants and hotels.  It is a beautiful place to wander and enjoy the historic architecture.  The shops have many unique Provencal items.  One in particular has a collection of "santons".  Small figurines.  Over 1,900 different characters, painted by hand from 18th century models.  Shoemakers, ironmakers, copper smiths, tailors, bakers, joined with the Saints to provide an artful view of life at that time.

A memorable place to celebrate a birthday.  Are these two going to give Dad the paddy whacks or walk the plank?

We did some olive oil tasting, Provence has some unique oil made from black olives, very different taste.  A full day complete we are going back to the house to prepare the birthday dinner for Dad's day.  Fresh Oysters, a Pork roast, wine, cheese and fruit. The perfect end to a perfect day.

More to come.

Be well

Sante

Le Paradou, Provence, France.

The drive was long.  10 minutes out of Paris and we hit the traffic.  Not good planning I guess, leaving town with the rest of Paris as they migrate south for their annual August holiday.  It wasn't too long before we were back up to speed though.  130kms is the speed limit on this toll highway.  Nobody goes the speed limit!  You need to go 150kms and stay in the slow lane or you are just plain in the way.   I can't help being reminded by Johanne's comments yesterday regarding the quality of Paris drivers.  I better pay complete attention as virtually every car on the road is coming from Paris.
When you someone passes you here, they like to let you know that you have been passed by seeing how close to my front bumper they can get as they aggressively move back into  my lane.  Once it was so close I am convinced, we touched!  You should have heard the backseat driver's when that happened.  Rightly so!  I curbed my instant desire to pass him back and cut him off, shoot him the universal peace sign and generally give him the non-verbal head shaking disgusted look. I really, really really wanted to do it.  But I have precious cargo and well that is how the 50-50 accidents happen.  So I am left with imagining what I am doing to him.  Smiling away contently as the kms pass. Other then feeding the toll troll every 20 kms or so, the rest of the trip is uneventful.

The GPS gets us to the street we are looking for in Le Paradou.  From there, it is guess work.  No one has addresses.  Our directions are to turn right at the Post Office... Check.... Drive about 50 metres up the road and look for the sand coloured house with the Blue shutters.  OK, easy right?  Have you been to Provence?  All the houses are sand colour and 80% have Blue shutters, in fact on this street, they all have Blue shutters.  We get out and start pressing door bells.  No luck. Johanne is now walking the street, a little further up the road,when we spot a woman looking out between the gaps in her rod iron gate.  Could this be it......Victory.  We have arrived.

After the usual 3 kisses per person... times 4 people... times 2 we have been properly introduced.  This is exciting, we are doing our first house exchange.  The Galy family is leaving later today for Palm Springs to enjoy our home in Southern California, while we do the same here.

I have one last task, to drive them to the airport in Marseilles in their car with a french GPS! No room for Johanne in the car....I have to manage!  Meanwhile, Frederic and Florence, friends of the Galy family from the neighbourhood, have offered to bring Johanne, Mom and Dad to a nearby village to eat.   I will meet them there upon my return.  Again, traffic was heavy and I made it back much later then expected.  Considering I had no idea where I was going, it is somewhat of a miracle it all worked out.  Johanne was certain I would never be seen again.  So, as I drove down the main street of Maussane looking for them, she practically stopped traffic as she ran out to flag me down.
Day one complete. Tomorrow we shop for essentials and relax for the day before adventuring out to Les Baux, a mere 2 kms away.

First impressions of Provence after the drive through and the first couple of days: The region is to die for! Endless fields of lavender and sunflowers and colourful window shutters everywhere...yellow and blue being the preferred colors for fabrics as well, here. Everyone is very friendly and the warm nights and sunny days are most inviting. The village streets have canopies of trees.....it's like going to a wedding. The shopping for food in the stores and markets is a unique experience ....fresh everything, succulent tomatoes, zucchini, figs, melons, peaches and olive oil from hundreds of producers in the region. The charcuterie is an endless choice of pate, hams. Even the "prepared food to go" like roasted chickens, tapenades (green or black olive paste), ratatouille, bouillabaisse (fish soup) and the wine...OMG! it's cheap to be a wino in France!  The whole thing is just like a dream!
For our 3 weeks in Provence, we will change the format a bit and not give an account day by day of our excursions. We will list all the interesting places we visited (with a few anecdotes of course). Life here, is a lot slower, even for us.

Be Well

Sante