Laissez les bons temps rouler.
Pourquoi pas?
Having showered before bed last night, I simply awoke, shaved, took prescriptions, brushed teeth, dressed, and went down to breakfast. Chris Pendley and I were the only ones there at first, so we served ourselves from the generous buffet and sat at the same table. We looked across at each other and said almost at the same time, "We're in the South of France!" We had both heard of it almost all our lives, and we were finally here for the very first time.
Soon, others joined us as we drank coffee, ate well, and discussed yesterday's rich variety of offerings. I had one main goal in mind for today, and that involved the famous Bridge of Avignon.
Our tour schedule listed Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the Palais des Papes in Avignon and merely said we "might" have time to go to the bridge after we had finished touring the Palace.
That wasn't good enough for me. I had sung the children's song "On the Bridge of Avignon" with my classes and had even shown a cartoon film about it. Two animated cats, Minou and Minouche, danced upon the bridge and sang the song till it rang in my ears--"Sur le Pont d'Avignon on y danse, on y danse/Sur le Pont d'Avignon on y danse tout en rond...." So I was determined not to get this close and miss that bridge! Louis offered no guarantees, but at least the Schullers and I set our caps for it, and mine was a béret!
Again, we finished breakfast, went up to our rooms briefly, and then met Louis and Isabella in the lobby. Next, we boarded the bus, and Nicolas drove us to Avignon. Instead of staying there, we proceeded though the town, crossed the Rhône, and headed north to the sparse, rocky, rural area of vineyards and the well-known village of Chateauneuf-du-Pape.
I am hardly a wine expert, but certainly I am more of one now than before the trip. Nevertheless, vineyards were a welcome part of Survey of France, and this would not be the last. I had heard of the red wine produced here and was well pleased to be at its point of origin.
The name of the town means New Castle of the Pope because of the residence built at the top of the hill by Pope John XXII of neighboring Avignon. More on the popes in Avignon later, but this area housed the papacy for most of the 14th century.
The Castle was abandoned hundreds of years ago and sat neglected until the Germans used the tower as an observation post during WW II. Their attempt to demonlish it when they withdrew succeeded partially but still left the southern half of the old tower intact.
The bus stopped by a stone building that marked the entrance to the Domaine Bosquet des Papes vineyard. Here we got out to look around and take pictures. The first thing that caught my eye was the countless smooth, round rocks that covered the whole hillside--right up to the very vines. Rocks surrounded each woody plant, all of which had been pruned almost to the ground. Louis said the stones helped because they absorbed heat from the sun during the day and transmitted it to the vines far into the night. This stimulated the growth of these grapes and prolonged the growing season.
What I cannot fathom is the difficulty of planting vines in such a place.
Grapevines among smooth, round stones at Chateauneuf-du-Pape
"Little David" would have been in his element here.
"Little David" would have been in his element here.
Nicolas then drove us to the old tower above the village where we exited and started walking down into the town. Most of us paused for pictures of the tower and of the distant view of the river. We had the place to ourselves, the view was a fine one, and we paused to savor it.
Views of the Rhône Valley from the ruins of the chateau tower
Louis, Micky, the Dillons, and Chris with camera
"Up against the wall redneck mother"
Now I walked down to the village.
Speaking of savoring, we were about to do that. We walked into town down simple, narrow streets, and past "wine cave after wine cave." We finally reached a sign to the left that read Les Caves St. Charles. Here Joe Kratovil really shined, since he was probably the most knowledgeable oenophile in the group. He talked wine with the young man who lectured and with his helpers who filled our glasses for our dégustation (tasting session). I would have taken more pictures, but the darkness inside the "cave" interfered.
Joe listens before the dégustation.
As we left the "cave"
On to lunch
After we finished the tasting of the superb red wine, some made purchases. Then we walked down a short way to our lunchtime destination--a wonderful outdoor seating arrangement in front of Restaurant La Nerthe. The weather was sunny and comfortable, and we enjoyed the wine, the food, and one another's company immensely. After several courses and before time to depart, Miriam Stauff and I traded picture-taking, and she shot the photo of me eating lunch that became one of my favorites of the tour. I took a pretty good pic of her at the fountain.
Near the main square in Chateauneuf-du-Pape
Pole flowers
Even French people can misspell words.
Good times in France!
My side: Geraldine, Chris, Jack, moi, and Sarah. Opposite: Roy and Louis across from moi
Miriam by the fountain
Et moi aussi
Adieu, Chateauneuf-du-Pape
With so much to see and do of monumental importance, I think something else just as important is enjoying good food and drink and the sheer fun of being there with people I enjoy in an ideal setting on an absolutely perfect afternoon in the South of France! That is the French way, and it's my way, too.
Then at the urging of Louis and Isabella, we assembled for our walk to the bus and trip back to Avignon. We wound our way there and parked between the river and the Palais des Papes with the Bridge of Avignon right in front of us!
If I didn't make it onto the bridge, I could at least show I was close.
That building is the Chapel of St. Nicolas.
I was both excited and frustrated because we would tour the Palace of the Popes first, and having time at the end to go out on the bridge was anything but certain, so I shot a few pics of it after we exited the bus and headed up to the palace.
The Pont d'Avignon or Pont Bénézet was there, or rather the four remaining arches. The original bridge had been destroyed during the Albigensian Crusade in 1207. Rebuilt later, the very long span of twenty-two arches had been damaged by repeated floods on the Rhône. Finally after repeated destruction, the middle of the bridge was abandoned, and all that remain are two short spans at either end. We were looking at the eastern end of only four arches, and it looked pretty narrow for people to dance on in the round.
The Palace of the Popes which loomed large on the hill is the largest medieval palace in all of Europe. It was built as the seat of the Catholic Church and housed seven successive popes in the 14th century. That period is often referred to as the papacy's own "Babylonian Captivity." The Holy See was not moved back to Rome until the late 1300's.
One reason for the move to France was the recurrence of malaria in swampy Rome. Avignon had good drainage and was relatively free of the mosquitoes which carried the disease, but at the time, I suppose people simply realized that no one caught malaria here.
We wound our way up the narrow streets past shops and to the very foundations of the fortress, which I found amazing. The high walls rose right from rock formations which came jutting up from the ground. This rock base is called "le Dom," and it clearly has served well as the foundation of a huge stone complex whose uncracked, incredibly thick, high walls are testimony to the skill and determination of 14th-century architects and craftsmen--and to the power and wealth of both king and church.
Le Palais des Papes was built on a solid foundation!
The accordeon player could barely find a curb to stand on.
Finally, at the top of the hill, we stood in front of the entrance. We walked in and afterwards, I photographed the big, old wooden gate that now was almost in pieces. We were in a large, high-walled courtyard where a prominent, contemporary, metal sculpture stood on the lawn. This placement of modern art in historical settings recurred throughout the tour. It's a gesture to the "younger generation" to broaden the appeal of architecture and history.
Le Palais des Papes--up close, one cannot take it all in.
Awesome statue of St. Mary
Cathédrale Notre-Dame des Doms
Inside the courtyard
I think this gate is an antique.
(Notice the wall thickness.)
Juxtaposition of contemporary and le contraire
We entered the enclosed part of the Palace and climbed stairs until we reached the main galleries. The courtyard was visible out the windows far below. What follows is a series of photos I took in the Palace of objects of art in the libraries and meeting halls. Some ornamental statuary from the original exterior were on display. The building is so big, we merely scratched the surface. One thing is certain--this edifice is very impressive and does live up to advanced billing!
Miriam and I shot pictures of a model of the original building.
Exterior sculpture now protected indoors
Isabella gives us another fine orientation.
Chris and our gang at the Palais des Papes
Art show in Avignon at the Palace of the Popes
The Grand Chapel
We returned to ground level down the stairs we had entered by. Again, we looked onto the large courtyard below. As we left the building and headed down the street, we stopped briefly at a shop to buy a few things.
The same statue of Mary from inside the Palais
Exodus
Finally, we reached the open area near the river with bus to the left and bridge to the right. Johanna, Paul, Florence, and I went immediately to the gift shop and ticket office for the bridge and bought admission to it! The timing of this was going to work out, and if I have any regrets looking back, it's that I was almost too tired by now to smile for pictures. Johanna and I traded photo duty. One thing I noticed immediately was that the floor of the bridge was made of the same round stones we had seen that morning and that surrounded the parking lot here in Avignon. I found one later on the ground by the bus and took it with me; it's now a paperweight on my back-porch table.
Sur le Pont d'Avignon!
He's gone about as "fer" as he can go.
Paul and Johanna Schuller
Brave Johanna at the end of the bridge
(She could sing every verse of "Sur le Pont d'Avignon.")
View up the Rhône
Looking back at the Palais
Did I make it to this darned bridge or what!?
As darkness grew, Nicholas drove us safely back to Arles. Before leaving the bus, we wished Isabella well and thanked her for her hard work. Louis announced the time we needed be ready to leave for Lyon tomorrow, and then we exited and scattered.
After a light supper, I bagged my laundry and headed north to the laundromat on the Boulevard des Lices. It was in a tiny, square, steel-and-glass building next to a small bistro. A young Frenchman was the only one there when I went in.
In French, I asked this teenage Arlésien how to faire le lessive in the lave-linge and the sèche-linge--where to put my pièces de monnaie and le poudre, etc. So he was very helpful, and I started up the machines he was not using. As we waited for our laundry, I told him I was from les Etats-Unis et de Texas, and immediately he wanted to practice his English un peu.
I said I was from a small town near Dallas and that I was in Arles on a tour. He seemed surprised and said he wondered why we would even bother to come here because this was just a little place. I told him I liked Arles very much and there were a great many interesting things here.
The laudromat was only one block farther down.
Soon, the dryer stopped, so he took his clothes and left with a pleasant "au revoir." I was stunned that he seemed not to appreciate his own town and its enormous cultural and historic importance. I think many teenagers the world over suffer from a kind of blindness about the things they're used to.
Now I was alone in the Laundromat, and as the washing ended, I managed to load the dryers and start them running with my Euro coins. I had brought some reading with me and did that for a while and watched passers-by. The clock on the wall and my watch showed it was almost eight o'clock. Then as huit heures actually did arrive, the outside door slammed shut and the lights went out! I was startled, but the dryer kept running, and when I checked the door, it was locked only from the outside. Everything must have been controlled by electronic timers to close at eight. The bistro next door gave off enough light for me to move around, so I just waited for the drying to end. Then I bagged my "whites" and walked out as the door locked behind me
Across the Y-intersection to Rue Emile Fassin I went. There on the corner by the bank stood the Kratovils and Andrews on a leisurely stroll back to the hotel. This was my chance to use the corner ATM! It made me feel more secure to do this in the company of people I knew. As they watched, Joe again showed me what to do, and this time all went well. I had never used a debit card in this way before, and I drew out enough Euros to last awhile. The cash would come out of my checking account back home.
Something I should reiterate at this point is how inclusive this particular Roadscholar tour was as far as spending went. There was very little pressure on my cash supply, and tipping was prohibited. Breakfast and lunch were nearly always included, and often dinner, too.
We all walked back to the Atrium, went up on the elevator, and exited at different floors. We would be leaving for Lyon in the morning, so we all needed to pack. It was great to have clean underwear and socks to put in my suitcase. Now if only the clothes I left in Chinon were in Lyon when we got there!
Fin
