Fortnight in France:
Our sun-soaked sojourn in the
Dordogne, Languedoc and Provence
Our sun-soaked sojourn in the
Dordogne, Languedoc and Provence
Off to Provence
June 16
It was time to leave Daglan. We opted out of the cleaning service (60E), so
that meant we had to leave the house clean for the next residents. So out
came the vacuum, cleaning supplies, brooms, paper towels, etc. - all of
which were supplied in the house, thankfully.
We continued to clean out our supply of food, fixing an ‘omelet’ with the
remaining two eggs, partial onion, cherry tomatoes and several sausage
links.
We finished cleaning with 30 minutes to spare, enough time for a final
game of Uno at the kitchen table. By now, we also had figured out (finally)
how to use the satellite TV.
The proprietor arrived right at 10am, and we were off. We loaded the car –
but not without causing a bit of a traffic jam in central Daglan.
The first raindrops of the trip fell in the morning, although not enough,
probably, to satisfy the residents, who were looking for some relief from the
hot, dry weather.
This would be one long day of driving, probably five hours or so by
autoroute. The drive was fairly uneventful, save for the wind. Marisa had to
hang on to the wheel for dear life at times. We stopped at an Autogrille
near Carcassone for lunch of sandwiches and candy bars (and of course,
the bathroom).
We exited the autoroute near Arles and got our first taste of Provence on
the drive to St. Remy via Les Baux. It is more arid than we had imagined,
with large groves of olive trees and the interesting rock formations of les
Alpilles.
Le Mas des Carassins, our hotel, seemed very laid back. It is about a 10-
minute walk from the heart of old St. Remy, and we found it with little
difficulty. The welcome at the front desk was quick and informal – here’s
your key, I’ll show you your room, breakfast is at 8 am, etc. We unloaded
our luggage, and decided to check out the pool. Allie was keen for a swim,
until we saw the woman sunbathing topless on the pool deck. Suddenly,
she favored a walk into town.
Old St. Remy is an interesting collection of narrow streets and architectural
details that are hundreds of years old, some dating as far back as Gallo-
Roman times. We settled in for a few drinks to rehydrate, then used a map
from the tourist office to make a circuit of the old town. Highlights included
the birthplace of Nostradamus and, of course, the ceramic store (you just
can’t keep Marisa away).
With new ceramics in tow, we headed back for a rest and Internet check
(number of emails now up to 343), and then back into town around 8 pm
for dinner. We’d staked out an informal pizza restaurant earlier. It wasn’t
too crowded, but seemed to be drawing a primarily local clientele.
Interesting attire on the waitress – tight pink slip dress and tall black boots.
The food was okay and reasonably priced. We walked around a bit,
scoping out potential dining spots for the next evening, and found plenty.
The sky over the nearby Alpilles began to look a bit ominous as we
prepared to head out for dinner, so we grabbed the umbrellas. Good idea.
We had a bit of rain during dinner and more on our walk back afterwards.
Hopefully, this would break the hot spell…?
June 17
We enjoyed buffet breakfast in the garden – one of the very nice things
about this hotel. Cereal, breads and pastries, meat and cheese, fruit and
coffee were all good. And we met Zazou, the resident bulldog.
We got on the road and headed straight to the Pont du Gard, a 2000-year-
old Roman aqueduct bridge crossing the Gardon river near Nimes. This is
one of the best preserved monuments of Roman engineering in the area,
or anywhere. It is set in a large nature park with lots of trails for getting lost
(or away from the tour bus crowds as the case may be). What’s
remarkable about the structure is, despite its age, you can walk right up to
it and put your hands on it. There is currently some restoration work going
on, but it is remarkably well preserved despite centuries of wear and tear.
There is an immediately adjacent bridge that you can walk across to get
the feeling of being on the lower level of the aqueduct.
Our next stop was Arles. We had read mixed reviews about this city, but
were interested in seeing the arena (also Roman), especially after having
just seen it a few weeks before in the movie, Ronin. We found it remarkably
easy to drive into the center of Arles and find a free parking spot just
outside the old city wall/gate.
Arles itself is a fascinating old town with a bounty of history. Streets taking
off in every direction. Narrow alleyways. Vibrant feel. More locals than
tourists – a welcome change after having visited some of the tourist hot
spots. It reminded us of being in an Italian city, like Verona. It was a
Saturday, and there were multiple wedding parties arriving at city hall. Lots
of little shops – some touristy, but many not.
We visited the ancient Roman Arena, noting the darkening sky and the
sound of approaching thunder. This is a fine specimen of a 2000 year old
amphitheater, as well preserved as any we’ve seen. Some restoration
work has been done here…there were parts that were very white and
others caked in soot and city grime. It is interesting to note that during the
middle ages, the arena was turned into a fortress, and there were 212
houses and 2 churches contained within its walls. Those were cleared out
when restoration got underway in the 1800s. We got in our sightseeing,
picture taking and appreciation of the arena just before the sky opened.
The raindrops started to fall just as we were leaving.
We bolted out of the arena and found a prime, well-covered table in a café
just across the street, where we could eat lunch and continue to admire
the structure. The rain started falling much harder, and it was fortunate that
we sought cover when we did. The food wasn’t bad, either. We had salads
and pasta and refreshing beverages.
Just as we were finishing lunch, the rain stopped and we made our way to
the remains of the Roman theater nearby. We couldn’t go on the grounds,
but we could look through the fence. Then we continued to the Place
Republic to see the Eglise San Trophime, which has 12th century portal of
the last judgment and fine stained glass windows and odd templar
crosses with roses. Chris was captivated by one of the chapels; Allie was
delighted to find Dan Brownesque details such as a Masonic eye and
rosey crosses. We also visited the very quiet cloister with finely sculpted
capitals on the columns throughout. Parts of the cloister were from the
12th century and other parts from the 14th century.
We liked Arles far more than we thought we would. It has the lively vibe of a
city on the move, despite its many years. It has a relaxed, attractive old city
center that is far more than just another tourist attraction. We would like to
spend more time there someday, getting to know her charms more
intimately.
After a bit more wandering, we headed back to our car and onwards to Lex
Baux de Provence.
Our stop there was a fairly quick one. Refreshing beverages and a
bathroom. A little shopping. It was very hot, as the clouds had now passed
and it was completely sunny. We decided not to climb up to the
tower/castle at the top of the town. Les Baux is charming but virtually
everyone there is a tourist.
So it was back to the hotel and a dip in the pool, despite the presence of
several topless women.
We enjoyed dinner that night at Brasserie des Varieties near the old city
center. Nice, relaxed, with decent food including a hearty daube de taureau,
and tuna salad and entrecote steak. Our waiter kept us up to date on the
score of the world cup match between USA and Italy (which ended in a 1-1
tie).
Next > Provence to Nice
See all of our photos on Webshots
our travels
home
contact us
June 16
It was time to leave Daglan. We opted out of the cleaning service (60E), so
that meant we had to leave the house clean for the next residents. So out
came the vacuum, cleaning supplies, brooms, paper towels, etc. - all of
which were supplied in the house, thankfully.
We continued to clean out our supply of food, fixing an ‘omelet’ with the
remaining two eggs, partial onion, cherry tomatoes and several sausage
links.
We finished cleaning with 30 minutes to spare, enough time for a final
game of Uno at the kitchen table. By now, we also had figured out (finally)
how to use the satellite TV.
The proprietor arrived right at 10am, and we were off. We loaded the car –
but not without causing a bit of a traffic jam in central Daglan.
The first raindrops of the trip fell in the morning, although not enough,
probably, to satisfy the residents, who were looking for some relief from the
hot, dry weather.
This would be one long day of driving, probably five hours or so by
autoroute. The drive was fairly uneventful, save for the wind. Marisa had to
hang on to the wheel for dear life at times. We stopped at an Autogrille
near Carcassone for lunch of sandwiches and candy bars (and of course,
the bathroom).
We exited the autoroute near Arles and got our first taste of Provence on
the drive to St. Remy via Les Baux. It is more arid than we had imagined,
with large groves of olive trees and the interesting rock formations of les
Alpilles.
Le Mas des Carassins, our hotel, seemed very laid back. It is about a 10-
minute walk from the heart of old St. Remy, and we found it with little
difficulty. The welcome at the front desk was quick and informal – here’s
your key, I’ll show you your room, breakfast is at 8 am, etc. We unloaded
our luggage, and decided to check out the pool. Allie was keen for a swim,
until we saw the woman sunbathing topless on the pool deck. Suddenly,
she favored a walk into town.
Old St. Remy is an interesting collection of narrow streets and architectural
details that are hundreds of years old, some dating as far back as Gallo-
Roman times. We settled in for a few drinks to rehydrate, then used a map
from the tourist office to make a circuit of the old town. Highlights included
the birthplace of Nostradamus and, of course, the ceramic store (you just
can’t keep Marisa away).
With new ceramics in tow, we headed back for a rest and Internet check
(number of emails now up to 343), and then back into town around 8 pm
for dinner. We’d staked out an informal pizza restaurant earlier. It wasn’t
too crowded, but seemed to be drawing a primarily local clientele.
Interesting attire on the waitress – tight pink slip dress and tall black boots.
The food was okay and reasonably priced. We walked around a bit,
scoping out potential dining spots for the next evening, and found plenty.
The sky over the nearby Alpilles began to look a bit ominous as we
prepared to head out for dinner, so we grabbed the umbrellas. Good idea.
We had a bit of rain during dinner and more on our walk back afterwards.
Hopefully, this would break the hot spell…?
June 17
We enjoyed buffet breakfast in the garden – one of the very nice things
about this hotel. Cereal, breads and pastries, meat and cheese, fruit and
coffee were all good. And we met Zazou, the resident bulldog.
We got on the road and headed straight to the Pont du Gard, a 2000-year-
old Roman aqueduct bridge crossing the Gardon river near Nimes. This is
one of the best preserved monuments of Roman engineering in the area,
or anywhere. It is set in a large nature park with lots of trails for getting lost
(or away from the tour bus crowds as the case may be). What’s
remarkable about the structure is, despite its age, you can walk right up to
it and put your hands on it. There is currently some restoration work going
on, but it is remarkably well preserved despite centuries of wear and tear.
There is an immediately adjacent bridge that you can walk across to get
the feeling of being on the lower level of the aqueduct.
Our next stop was Arles. We had read mixed reviews about this city, but
were interested in seeing the arena (also Roman), especially after having
just seen it a few weeks before in the movie, Ronin. We found it remarkably
easy to drive into the center of Arles and find a free parking spot just
outside the old city wall/gate.
Arles itself is a fascinating old town with a bounty of history. Streets taking
off in every direction. Narrow alleyways. Vibrant feel. More locals than
tourists – a welcome change after having visited some of the tourist hot
spots. It reminded us of being in an Italian city, like Verona. It was a
Saturday, and there were multiple wedding parties arriving at city hall. Lots
of little shops – some touristy, but many not.
We visited the ancient Roman Arena, noting the darkening sky and the
sound of approaching thunder. This is a fine specimen of a 2000 year old
amphitheater, as well preserved as any we’ve seen. Some restoration
work has been done here…there were parts that were very white and
others caked in soot and city grime. It is interesting to note that during the
middle ages, the arena was turned into a fortress, and there were 212
houses and 2 churches contained within its walls. Those were cleared out
when restoration got underway in the 1800s. We got in our sightseeing,
picture taking and appreciation of the arena just before the sky opened.
The raindrops started to fall just as we were leaving.
We bolted out of the arena and found a prime, well-covered table in a café
just across the street, where we could eat lunch and continue to admire
the structure. The rain started falling much harder, and it was fortunate that
we sought cover when we did. The food wasn’t bad, either. We had salads
and pasta and refreshing beverages.
Just as we were finishing lunch, the rain stopped and we made our way to
the remains of the Roman theater nearby. We couldn’t go on the grounds,
but we could look through the fence. Then we continued to the Place
Republic to see the Eglise San Trophime, which has 12th century portal of
the last judgment and fine stained glass windows and odd templar
crosses with roses. Chris was captivated by one of the chapels; Allie was
delighted to find Dan Brownesque details such as a Masonic eye and
rosey crosses. We also visited the very quiet cloister with finely sculpted
capitals on the columns throughout. Parts of the cloister were from the
12th century and other parts from the 14th century.
We liked Arles far more than we thought we would. It has the lively vibe of a
city on the move, despite its many years. It has a relaxed, attractive old city
center that is far more than just another tourist attraction. We would like to
spend more time there someday, getting to know her charms more
intimately.
After a bit more wandering, we headed back to our car and onwards to Lex
Baux de Provence.
Our stop there was a fairly quick one. Refreshing beverages and a
bathroom. A little shopping. It was very hot, as the clouds had now passed
and it was completely sunny. We decided not to climb up to the
tower/castle at the top of the town. Les Baux is charming but virtually
everyone there is a tourist.
So it was back to the hotel and a dip in the pool, despite the presence of
several topless women.
We enjoyed dinner that night at Brasserie des Varieties near the old city
center. Nice, relaxed, with decent food including a hearty daube de taureau,
and tuna salad and entrecote steak. Our waiter kept us up to date on the
score of the world cup match between USA and Italy (which ended in a 1-1
tie).
Next > Provence to Nice
See all of our photos on Webshots
our travels
home
contact us
Ahh, Provence - grapes, olives, cypress
and Alpilles
and Alpilles
Visit my shop? St. Remy
St. Remy
St. Remy at night
Pont du Gard
Roman arena at Arles
Arles
Arles - cloister of St. Trophime
Les Baux
