I just got back from my spring break trip to Provence. I spent two days in Avignon, which was the seat of the Catholic church in the 1300s. Apparently the Pope at the time felt unsafe in Italy and so he went to the south of France, bought himself the city of Avignon, and had this palace made up for himself.
The city is also known for its bridge, Pont St. Benezet, which is the subject of a French nursery rhyme in which the medieval citizens of the town dance in a circle on the bridge. This never actually occurred, though, because the bridge is fairly narrow and did not have railings for many centuries. People were in the habit of falling off when they were just walking across it...dancing was definitely out of the question!
From Avignon I took a day long side trip to the Pont du Gard and Nimes. The Pont du Gard is the largest bridge in the 30 mile Roman aqueduct that supplied water to the city of Nimes. There are no people in this picture to give you any perspective, but the Pont du Gard is the second largest Roman relic in the world. Rome's Colosseum is only six feet taller.
Nimes is the Roman city fed by the aqueduct of which the Pont du Gard is a piece. It has the best preserved Roman amphitheater...period. In fact, it's still used as an entertainment venue today!
My second home base was Arles, stomping ground of Van Gogh. I didn't spend much time exploring this city, as it had a great deal in common with Nimes, as far as it being heavy on the Roman artifacts. Instead, I used it as a jumping off place to explore Les Baux. Les Baux is actually two attractions: the "Dead City" (a medieval castle on a mountain) and the old town beneath it. Even though it was windy and raining the day I toured the ruins, I loved it. It was really the highlight of my trip. Here is a picture of the castle keep from the outlying battlements. As you can see, the castle was built into the natural rock of the mountain. It has left some very eerie remains.
The valley of Les Baux, as seen from the citadel. The area produces olives that create a particular blend of olive oil that is specific to Provence.
I ended my trip with a day in Paris and an obligatory visit to the cathedral of Notre Dame.
Less well known is the Sainte Chapelle, which is a stunning example of Gothic architecture at its best. Its walls are made up almost entirely of stained glass.
I used Rick Steves' travel guides and absolutely loved them, especially the walking tours. Highly recommended for your next trip to Europe.
Thanks for taking the time to look at all this. There's more, actually, not to mention some video, but only the truly lucky get to see it all
