Le Pont du Gard

29 May 2012 Continued

After a short drive from Avignon we arrived at Le Pont du Gard and were given a couple of hours to explore.  I followed the path down the aqueduct and was immediately impressed by its size and its completeness.

As with the sites at Orange, I am astounded by Roman architectural technology.  That fact that it is still standing - solid, without the use of any mortar in construction - wow!

  In my quest to see the aqueduct from all angles, David and I hunted a geocache located on the far side.  We were able to stand in the actual channel of the aqueduct.  The channel continued to run straight into the hillside. 

David actually made the find - a nice ammo can under a pile of rocks.  I dropped off my MN Breakfast Buddies geocoin - hopefully it will move around and not get stolen (it made it Germany but disappeared in December after traveling 1080 miles from where I dropped it!).  I also picked up a travel bug to bring home with me.

After coming back down, we met up with some of the others, but ended up geocaching some more instead of playing in the water.  Found one more and attempted two others without any luck.  Still not bad!  By this time I had forgotten about the museum and ran out of time to visit, but I heard it was amazing.  I'll have to come back at some point and check it out.

For more photographs at Pont du Gard click here.

Avignon

Tuesday 29 May 2012

Today we were able to have a bit of a lazy morning before boarding the bus at 9:30 and driving to Avignon.  When we arrived, we toured Palais des Papes.  

Palais des Papes

The tour was self guided, but we did have an audio guide which was nice.  But I have a love/hate relationship with this type of tour.  It is better than no guide at all - especially since all the interpretive signs were in French, but this type of tour is so isolating.  Even though others were near me, I didn't feel like I could talk to anyone else for fear of disrupting their experience, creating the alone in a crowded room feeling with my classmates as well as fellow tourists.  My favorite part of the tour was le chambre du Pape because of the patterns on the walls and tiles.  They were so unique and fairly complete.  When you look at Le Palais des Papes, it looks more like a military fortress than a lavish estate - both inside and out.  Dr. Wingerd indicated that they did this to protect themselves from the King of France, who had a castle across the river.  Although I do wonder how much of the fortifications was also to protect themselves from the "true" Pope in Rome (remember, this was during the Great Western Schism in the Catholic Church).

Interior Sanctuary

Following the tour, Dr. Wingerd and I got lunch and waited for the 1:15 pm trolley tour of the city.  It was late getting started and was mostly a disappointment as it was hard to see at times because I where I sat and the narrowness of the streets.  

But I did get to see a lot more of the city in the forty minute tour than I would have gotten in the same time frame wondering on my own.  We got nice and close to the exterior fortified wall, into the heart of they city, and back again.  

Because the trolley was late to start, it was late to end, making us late to our rendevous with the rest of the group to tour the Pont Saint-Bénezet (aka Pont d'Avignon).  So Dr. Wingerd sent me on ahead so I wouldn't miss out.  I caught up in time, got another audio guide and headed out onto the bridge.  This audio guide was similar in information levels as at le Palas des Papes, but it also had a spot to show photographs and sketches of various aspects discussed in the audio.  This was way cool, but challenging to see in the sun.  We had to cut the tour a little short as we needed to get moving to our next destination.

Left the bridge with this song stuck in my head: Sur Le Pont d'Avignon - classic children's song that Dr. Wingerd started signing. 

For more photographs from our time in Avignon, click here.

Arc de Triomphe d'Orange

Monday 28 May 2012 Continued

Today, L'Arc de Triomphe d'Orange is in the center of a very large roundabout.  It still is an impressive site that you notice as you walk down the street.  Unlike when Ina Caro first saw it (author of Road from the Past: Traveling Through History in France) the street was fairly quiet - it looks like they have done a lot of work in the area since she wrote about her visit.

It was nice to have her descriptions in my head while visiting Orange - I spent time trying to find the tings she highlighted and seeing if I agreed with her interpretation of the monument.  I was the most impressed with how much detail in the sculptures still survives today.

I could clearly see scenes showing the battles - men fighting, falling, dead, horses, and weapons are all shown at the top of the South side.

After the Arc, David and I went to explore the park at the top of the hill behind the Theatre - as there was a geocache up there.  It took us a while to figure out how to get up there and we purchased some postcards along the way.  By the time we got up to the top we only had about ten minutes to look around - so needless to say we didn't find it.  :(  Lots and lots of ivy, which I've heard is the bane of European geocachers.

 We headed back to the bus and headed to Gigondas- our next home.  We had a little trouble finding the Gite, but when we did we quickly unpacked and settled in.  Cindy, Marissa, and I shared a room.  The lot of us put together a shopping list and I joined Muaamar and Cullen for a trip to the nearest grocery store with Michel.  It took a little while to find one and Michel was worried about it being closed since it was a holiday (apparently it was Whit Monday, but I didn't know that at the time!).  I picked up stuff for grilled chicken, salad, and pasta for dinner as we were on our own for dinners during our time in Gigondas.  David served as our grill master and all turned out wonderful!

Outdoor Patio in Gigondas

For more photos of our time in Orange click here.

Theatre Antique d'Orange

Monday 28 May 2012

I woke up bright and early to finish packing before we needed to clean the Gite and leave Vergons.  Cleaning was a chaotic affair of too many cooks in the kitchen and not sticking to the plan.  It resulted in sweeping twice and some not quite getting their breakfast when they wanted.  In the end, all was accomplished and we were ready to go on time.  A few more group photos and Erica taking her last chance to ice her knew in the fountain, then on the bus and away we went.

Erica "icing" her knee

How quickly the landscape changed once we were no longer in the mountains.  Hot and flat, different vegetation - I missed the mountains almost immediately, well except for the curvy, crazy roads.  Those I can do without.  We arrived at Orange (stop saying it like the color we all know and love - more like Oar - rawnge).  Right of the bat - a war memorial in the parking lot, only this time it was for "l'arrondissement d'Orange a ses Enfants Morts Pour la Patrie - 1870-1871" commemorating the children from Orange who died for the Fatherland in the Franco-Prussian War.  

The really neat part of this monument was the extra plaque attached near the bottom (the bit of blue in the photo).  It marked that the city was "liberated by the soldiers of the 3D infantry division during World War II."  Ahhh the layers of history you find in France!

Exterior Wall - The Most Impressive in France

When we walked the block and first spied the Théâtre antique d'Orange I completely understood why Kind Louis XIV called it's exterior wall the most impressive in his kingdom.  While I have not seen all of France, from what I have seen I'd have to agree.  The whole Théâtre is so grand in size, it just boggles the mind.  I did my best to try and capture it with my camera, but I'm sure I failed miserably.  No matter what I tried, I could not get all of it to fit in a single photograph!

View of the stage from as high up as I could get

Oh how I'd love to see a play or an opera performed on that stage!  They do that from time to time.  The acoustics are still amazing.  Marissa and I were down by the stage and Cindy was up in the seats taking our picture and she could hear us without us really shouting at her.

View of the seats - my back is against the stage wall

They had a nice film about the history of the Théâtre and the city of Orange.  Very strange to think that people once built their homes within the walls of the Théâtre and even more amazing to think that someone had the foresight to preserve the structure before it was too badly destroyed.  From the Théâtre antique d'Orange we walked across town to L'Arch Commemoratif - but that is another story for my next post!

For more photographs from Théâtre antique d'Orange click here.

Festival in Annot

Sunday 27 May 2012

We headed to the neighboring village of Annot.  They were celebrating their patron saint's feast day - St. Fortunat.  I'm not sure why he is their patron, but it was interesting to see how they celebrated his feast day.

Poster for the week's festivities

  A parade was scheduled to start at 9:30, but as we gathered along the parade route, we noticed that we were the only ones.  Very unlike the typical parade in America where people line up for hours before to ensure they get a good spot.  It seemed as if no one was particularly worried about this.  The parade consisted of a fabulous marching band followed by some men in traditional military uniforms of the Napoleonic era and women, also in traditional dress bringing up the rear.

Me and some soldiers :)

The parade continued into the old part of the village and into the church for mass.  I also attended, arriving after all the parade members were settled but before the band finished and the service started.  For the most part of I was able to follow along - combination of poor French language skills and being a life long Catholic.    It is really hard to think/respond in English while everyone else is speaking French.  I missed that the prayer books were at the back of the church and not in the pews.  Communion was the most haphazard I have ever experienced in a Catholic Church - instead of nice orderly lines, everyone went up when they were ready.  Not sure if this was normal or due to the fact the church was added onto at one point that there was no center isle anymore.  The band ended the service with the most moving rendition of "You Are My Sunshine" that I have ever heard.  I'm not even sure how to describe what made it so good- perhaps the amazing talent of the band itself combined with the fact that I recognized the song and could join in with a group of people I had been struggling to understand for the last hour.  Not that anyone was actually singing . . .

Check out this video of the parade - the band was amazing!

Following mass the parade reformed and processed back to the main square where the statue commemorating the war dead was located.  All the speeches were in French without any translations - this was to be expected since it was a celebration for the people of Annot by the people of Annot.  During the ceremony, some of the women in costume placed a bouquet of flowers on the monument and the soldiers were subjected to an inspection by the mayor and the leader of their unit and ended with a salut of arms, firing rounds in unison with their guns and cannon.

Note: Memorial to the right, Mayor wearing the banner just to its left.

The band and reenactors paraded out and it was time for the apéritif- apparently free drinks draws a crowd, including us.  We enjoyed whiskey and Pastis before catching the bus back to Vergons.

Lines for the apertif

Back in Vergons we headed to Gilbert's (pronounced Gee-bear) house for lunch.  We made sandwiches out of tuna, eggs, olives, etc.  Very different, but very good.  Laughter and drinks made for a good start to the afternoon.  After lunch, I headed back to the Gite to read and take a nap only to wake up to a huge crack of thunder.  A few more games of Carassonne before dinner, our last in Vergons.  The restaurant owners out did themselves with a wonderful roasted pig.  It tasted amazing, as always.  They even put a candle in Tim's dessert since it was his birthday and as a result of all of this we were the built in entertainment for all the other patrons of the restaurant that evening.  Very much a bettersweet feeling packing and preparing to leave Vergons for the next leg of our journey.

For more photographs click here.

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

Saturday 26 May 2012 Continued

When we entered the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie (pronouced Moos-Tee-Ay Sant Marie) we immediately began looking for bathrooms and a place for lunch.  We found a nice looking pizza place.  Before arriving in the South of France, I never would have guessed that there would be so much good pizza available - it's not what I think of when I think of French food.  The waitress go a little snippy at us - Marissa and David just ordered drinks and she reminded us that it was a restaurant and not a cafe.  The rest of us were planning on eating, so it all turned out okay, but it did sour the experience.  Cindy and I split a wonderful Hawaiian pizza - it was just the right amount for lunch.  

View of the Village

Following lunch we headed our separate ways to do some shopping and poking about.  It wasn't until David and I were looking at postcards (I swear I had about $30 in postcards by the end of the trip) that I realized this was the city with the star suspended above.  It took us a little longer to realize that we were standing right underneath it.

The Star Hanging Above the City

Legend has it that the star was placed there by the Duke of Blacas, a warrior taken prisoner by the Saracens during the Crusades, after his release.  Of course the star has been replaced since it was first hung, but it is still pretty neat.  The chain the star hangs upon is 227 meters and weighs 400 kg, the star itself is 80 cm in diameter and has ten points/rays.

David and I did try to find a couple of geocaches, but no luck.  One was way up on the cliff and the other very tiny in a very public area.  I didn't really feel like trying to explain the game with my limited French, and I had forgotten to pack a brochure about in French to show people if they did ask me what I was doing.

Bryce walking through my photo opp of the WWI Memorial

Near where we met the bus was the village's WWI memorial.  This was was unique and featured a woman next to the tablet type stone listing all the names of the dead (18 in all) with "1914-1918" on the bottowm.  There was also a small plaque for a man killed in Indo-Chine in 1947, but no memorial for WWII.  I wonder if I just missed it or if no one from Moustiers was killed during that war.

L-R: Bryce, Minda, Tim, David, Cindy, and Erica

Back home to Vergons for more games of Carassonne.  Bryce and David each won a game.  I'm glad I brought it along - who knows what we would have done without it!

For more photographs from our time in Moustiers click here.

Les Gorges du Verdon

Saturday 26 May 2012

This was our day to tour the Gorges du Verdon - the Grand Canyon of western Europe   Starting near Castellane, the gorge was formed by the Verdon River and ends with the Lac Sainte Croix.  The first thing that struck me about the gorge was its colors - blue, green, and grey.  So many have compared it to the the United States' Grand Canyon I had subconsciously expected the desert color pallet to go with it.  Frankly I like the Verdon's colors better. :)

We saw tourists everywhere - hiking, participating in water sports, driving fancy cars, and taking scenic photographs.  Amazing to think that this place was only "discovered" 106 years ago.  I guess that really didn't surprise me when you factor in the roads.  They make a challenging drive - narrow and right next to the edge at many locations.  They must have taken years to care out, and at great expense!

Cindy and Me

We stopped at a scenic location by the Tunnel de Gloige (at least that is where I think we were).  Dr. O'Brien let us borrow her flashlight so we could explore the tunnel.  Several of us went in together as a group.  We had to be careful as part of the tunnel floor were covered with about two inches of water in some spots due to the recent rain.  We made it to the first couple of windows without needing a flashlight too much, as those openings provided fairly good light.  

L-R: Muaamar, Cindy, Tim, Erica, Minda, Michel

Some of the group wished to go beyond the second window with the flashlights, so I joined them.  I'm not a huge fan of the dark and underground, but with a group it was fun.  My feet got a little wet, but not too bad.  When we got to another window, I stopped to enjoy the view.  Alas, I was promptly left behind without a flashlight.  Thanks guys.  Bryce, Minda, and Erica caught up to me, as they too were left behind in the dark when David went on a head without them.  Decision time - stay and wait for them to come back or start wandering along in the dark.  There was no way to get lost - the tunnel was straight, but plenty of little holes to trip on.  After a brief discussion, the four of us decided to head back in the dark.  Amazingly we did make it - some nice French hikers helped us get through on large puddle (and probably thought we were crazy without a light).  

Point Sublime

As we continued to drive, it was one amazing view after another.  We even saw some people rock climbing - something I'm sure my brother, sister, and brother-in-law would love to have a chance at.

Climber in Red on the Right

The road back down the other side of the mountain ridge made me thankful for good breaks and Stephinie's good driving skills - again narrow roads, few guard rails, and several steep drops.  We saw le Lac Sainte Croix du Verdon as we decended the mountains and entered the village of Moustiers Sainte-Marie in the early afternoon.  More on that village in my next post!

For more photographs of Les Gorges du Verdon click here.