According to legend

A Journey Through Belle France

Day 8 - Les Baux, Pont du Gard,

& Avignon

Avignon

Les Baux

According to legend, it was a divinely inspired young shepherd called Bénézet who caused the bridge at Avignon to be built. To validate his mission he lifted up an enormous stone block and cast it down at the designated site.

This morning we had breakfast in the wonderful little courtyard at the hotel before piling on the bus to go to Les Baux. Les Baux is an deserted castle town on top of a very rocky mountain 650 feet above the valley floor. Les Baux saw its heyday in the 12th century, but I cannot imagine the living conditions at this site. The hills surrounding the town are full of vegetation, and the medieval town directly below the castle town also has some trees and other vegetation. The top of the mountain, however, is barren and windswept. It seems a little desolate, though the view is quite pretty. Evidently, the castle town was destroyed by Louis XIII in 1632 because he was afraid of the people who lived there. The ruins of the castle and the fairly ingenious water retention system are a lot of fun to explore, and the medieval weaponry on-site (particularly the catapult) is quite amazing.

While we were up there it was incredibly windy. I asked Sabine why France did not utilize wind power in this area of the country since they seem to have an overabundance of it of a good part of the year. She said that wind powered generators are not popular with the wineries because they are not aesthetically pleasing, though the country is slowly moving in that direction. It will be interesting to see how this issue turns out.

Clockwise from top left: (1) Sabine gives us an overview of the castle town, (2) Deb is punished, (3) Susan & Elizabeth enjoy the view, and (4) the medieval town below the castle town,

Pont du Gard

From Les Baux, we headed to Pont du Gard, the famous roman aqueduct, and the main site that I wanted to see on this tour. On

the way, however, we saw the strangest thing just a little ways off the road. There was actually two camels (real camels) under a tree. Why? I have no idea. I can honestly say that I never expected to see a camel in France.

The aqueduct is a phenomenal man-made wonder for so many reasons that it is just awe-inspiring to actually see it is person. I was so excited when we got close that I was literally jumping up and down in my seat on the bus trying to catch a glimpse. Once you park, you walk by a museum and a cafe before heading down the path to the aqueduct. A few of us had decided to go in the water and changed into our bathing suits before the

group headed down. The first thing that really catches your eye on the path is this massive tree (see left). Now I know big trees, we have them all over northern California. But this particular tree is so impressive because it is a 1,000 year old olive tree. Can you imagine? Linda looks like a child standing under it. Once you pass the tree, the path curves and all of the sudden BOOM, you are looking at the aqueduct. It is indescribable. The lower arches are actually a bridge that you can walk on and so we were able to walk across and enjoy the view of the river from a prime

Donna, Michaelanne, Rich, & Dwight take in the view from the aqueduct.

The view from below.

The top of the aqueduct where the water flowed.

location. As we walked, Sabine gave us all sorts of information on the history of the site. The other visitors must have been really impressed too, because we picked up a few new tour members. Now, I think I remember reading in a Rick Steves' book years ago that a good way to save some money is to latch on (though I don't think those were his exact words) to a group with a guide. However, he also said to stay in the back because it is not your tour. Well, evidently the people we picked up didn't know that rule, because they tried to stay in the very front of the group. I was amazed at the audacity of these people. Sabine handled the situation wonderfully though and kindly asked them to hang back.

Once Sabine finished her talk, most of the group went up to the museum and the rest of us headed down to the water. A lot

of locals were there sunbathing and playing in the water. A saw kids everywhere, like our little friend with the umbrella. How fun would it be to have an ancient Roman aqueduct at your local swim hole? I think actually being in the river is the best view you can get of the aqueduct.

Reluctantly, we finally got out of

Donna, Elena, Pam, Steve, Susan, Linda, and Sy enjoying the water.

the water we headed up to the cafe for some lunch and then Linda and I went into the museum. The museum is relatively new and state of the art. It is quite a contrast from that old, stone aqueduct just down the path. The museum has numerous multimedia displays that show how important water was in everyday Roman life. There are also examples of lead water pipes, faucets, and other operational features of their water system. The museum also has an exhibit that takes you through a rock quarry and shows you how they moved those massive stones. The exhibit goes into how the arches are made, without the use of mortar. The fact that the arches work by the stones shear force against each other is mind boggling. I bet those old Romans never guessed that one of their civic improvement project would end up being world famous 2,000 years after it was built.

Avignon

Once we arrived back in Avignon, Linda and I went to go visit Pont Sainte-Bénézet before we had to meet our tour buddies for a group dinner later in the evening. Elena had told us that the previous day she, Charlie, and Lois actually did dance on the bridge while they sang the song. I have to give them props for being adventurous. If I had sung on the bridge everyone else would have jumped off to protect themselves. Since I had no desire to harm any of the nice people on the bridge, I opted to keep quiet.

Bridge Ticket

First made out of wood, the bridge was built in the 12th century and was the only bridge in the middle ages that crossed the Rhone (the dividing line between France and the Holy Roman Empire), until it was knocked down by flood waters. Its reconstruction in stone dates from the end of the thirteenth century. Several times mistreated by wars and the flooding Rhone, it was continuously under repair until the seventeenth

century when it ceased to be restored. Now only four arches survive of the original twenty-two.

On the bridge is the Saint Nicolas Chapel, which was dedicated to the patron saint of mariners. It has two

View of the Pope's Palace from the bridge.

St. Nicolas Chapel.

View of the bridge from the first floor of the chapel.

stories, one on the main bridge, and the other down by the water line. From this position Louis XIV looked out on Avignon and exclaimed, "it is the most beautiful place in my kingdom".

Upon leaving the bridge, Linda and I took one last look around the Place du Palais and the Place de

l'Horloge before going back to the

hotel for dinner.

Local musicians at Place du Palais

Linda contemplates life at the Opera House, Place de l"Horloge.

For this evenings group dinner, Sabine took us to little Moroccan restaurant with miniature tables and chairs and lot of ambiance. Also, this evening we had the added bonus of celebrating Emily's birthday. We had the whole restaurant to ourselves, and its a good thing too, because we got a little rowdy. Its not our fault though, the restaurant has a very festive atmosphere. We were well into dinner and a few glasses of kier and wine when the owner of the restaurant turned on some music for us. Sabine instigated the whole thing by asking if anyone knew how to belly dance. Well, Linda had actually been taking lessons for a short time, so of course I volunteered her. What are friends for? I am happy to say that instead of smacking me, she got up and showed us all

a couple of her moves. Then it was Charlie's turn. First he danced with Elena, and then he showed Sabine a few moves. Not to be outdone, Judy grabbed a table cloth and took a twirl on the floor. Jack was so impressed that he put a dollar bill down the front of her dress. Good thing he's married to her, this is a family tour after all. Lastly we had our showman Sy entertain us with his version of the seven veils dance. I think he was a harem girl in a former life. Sy also took the opportunity to dance with his wife Harriet and his soul mate Jack.

Judy "Dancing Queen " Miller

Deb, Francois, and Janet enjoy the show.

Sy, the bell of the ball.

Charlie and Sabine cut a rug...um, tile.

Once things settled down a little bit, the owner of the restaurant brought out a plate of desserts with a candle in the middle for Emily's birthday. We all sang to her and then she opened her presents. Her parents, Dwight and Nancy, really surprised

her by having a stack of cards and goodies from her friends

back home that they had collected in secret before they left

on the tour. I think

that is so fantastic!

What a wonderful

way to celebrate your

birthday.

After dessert, the only

thing left was to say

Santé and pack it

in for the evening. It was a long walk back to the hotel and it takes a lot longer when you are giggling the whole way. Definitely our most fun filled group evening so far and a great way to say au revoir to Avignon.