Yes, we are trying to squeeze in as much travel as possible between now and our imminent "repatriation" date, so we ventured to Provence for a romantic weekend in southeast France. We flew EasyJet into Montpellier and rented a car to get out into the countryside. We were too early for lavender (that comes around June, I guess) but enjoyed the plane tree-lined roads, idyllic towns, regional food, culture, shopping, fresh air and wonderful spring weather. Matt found a grand Chateau outside of Saint Rémy where we were spoiled with delicious food and attentive service, amazing 19th century decor and lush surroundings. We felt like royalty, I could get used to this!
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| homemade pistachio nut muffins at brekkie |
Friday evening we drove the short distance to nearby Saint Rémy, where Van Gogh painted "Starry Night" and Nostradamus was born. After strolling through the little village, we stopped for a pre-dinner drink and snack while it was still warm enough to sit outside. Fancy some jambon??
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| Plate o'ham! So good. |
On Saturday we started the day in the elegant town of Avignon, which is encircled by splendidly preserved 800-year old stone ramparts (which we failed to document!).
We visited the huge papal palace, one of the city's main sights. The immense building dates back to 1309, when Pope Clement V abandoned Rome and settled here. The subsequent Avignon Popes (9 in total) ruled from here and during their 70-year reign.
Next up was the Pont St-Bénezet, a bridge across the Rhône completed in 1185. It was rebuilt several times but washed away in the 1600's. Only 4 of the original 22 arches remain today, so the bridge stops mid-river!
There are tons of great stores here and we found a super sale at Solaris so we both purchased new sunglasses!
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| Old sunnies (at Palais des Papes) |
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| And sporting our new sunnies (in Nimes) |
The second town we visited on Saturday was bustling and bohemian Aix-en-Provence. The outside cafes were full of people enjoying the warm weather and the cobbled shopping streets were equally packed. We enjoyed meandering the narrow streets and stumbling across gorgeous churches, leafy public squares and mossy fountains. We also traced the footsteps of Cézanne and followed the path of bronze plaques on the streets to see where the famous artist ate, drank studied and painted.
We had quite a full day and ended with a wonderful 3-course dinner back at the Chateau (it was part of our package when we booked). Salade des gambas, fresh ravioli, homemade bread with local olive oil, salmon, Mediterranean white fish and amazing dessert accompanied with Provencal wine. It was all top-notch!
On Sunday we went to the hilltop town of Les Baux and visited the extraordinary Carrières de Lumières, an audiovisual exhibition in an old rock quarry. Images are projected onto the rock surfaces (floor and walls) and you can walk around while music plays in the background. It was massive, totally unique and really engaging.
We also walked through the tiny town up to the castle and boy was it windy! The fortification was built in the 10th century on a craggy cliff ("bau" means "cliff" in Provencal French) and has lots of steps up to lookout points providing panoramic views of the valley and Alpilles mountains. It's a pretty extensive complex and on display were several medieval war machines as well as a stock that provided a classic photo opportunity for Matt.
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| Windy !! |
On our way out of town we admired one of the many roads in this area lined with plane trees, which makes for a very scenic drive!
Ok, now it was time for quaint Arles, where Van Gogh lived, painted and spent time in the mental hospital. It has a much older history though, dating back to the 7th century BC where it was known as the Phoenician town of Theline and later as the "little Rome of Gaul". There are several Roman monuments, including a large amphitheater.
Arles had so many great shutters to capture!
Our final stop in Nimes took us away from Provence to the Languedoc region. The city has wonderfully preserved classical buildings, a huge garden, Roman temple and Roman amphitheater (Gladiator was filmed here). Ooh la la, we had a fabulous weekend exploring this picturesque region!
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| Matt, the bull ! |
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