France and a bit more: 2

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France - and a bit more: Week 2

This blog describes our 2023 journey to Europe; specifically France (with the possibility of a small foray elsewhere as both Italy and Spain are 'next door'!). As always, we segment the 'blog' into roughly weekly or fortnightly posts (this being the 2nd).



Our travel blog has been written for family and friends to 'travel with us'. We now recognise we write the blog for ourselves; it is how we revisit our past adventures and remind ourselves of the the enjoyment. Thus, there is more detail included than merely a brief discourse for family and friends.



BTW, if you want to see the picture in a larger size, just click on it.




Oh, and if you missed Episode #1, you can find it here.



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May 21 - 23: Day 8, 9 & 10 - Taking it easy.

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The day before we departed Lyon, Judy came down with an upper respiratory 'issue'. Yesterday (Saturday), the 'issue' developed into a nasty, hacking cough. This morning it was worse. We had some antibiotic (specifically for this condition) and decided today we'd stay at the lodgings and rest.



But, we were blessed with warm weather on our arrival.



We'd gotten enough food yesterday, so there was no urgency to go out; so we didn't. And, while the sky was somewhat brighter, it was still a cold breeze. Annoyingly, the cough developed into a real chesty mucussy cough.



Monday saw us visit the chemist to get a decongestant, and whatever else Judy needed to allay the tender throat. Fortunately, the young pharmacist spoke excellent English and so Judy was able to secure what she felt she needed. We also took the opportunity to get a few more provisions before heading back to the lodgings.



Tuesday was also a quiet day, just going out to search for some beer of the style we liked and some fresh food.



Since arriving in Monteux, we've not visited the same supermarket. Despite seeming like a largish peri-urban community around the tight village of Monteux (population about 10,000), there are 6 large sized supermarkets with a 5km radius. It seems the urban intrusion into the rural landscape is deftly hidden. The dwelling we are renting is on a small parcel of land and part of a community of 6 similar parcels, all accessed by one long driveway. The 3 bedroom 1960's style house we are renting appeared to be owned for many years by a car mechanic or panel beater (or both) and the then owner built extra buildings on the lot. Now, there are 3 residences; the house we rent (without the downstairs ) and the extra building that has a large garage under and a house above (lived in by the landlady). If this is a typical example of 'densification', no wonder there are so many supermarkets.



Avignon (and hence Monteaux) is on the East side of the Rhone. This area is generally referred to as Provence (from the Rhone to the border with Italy), while the Western side is known as Languedoc-Roussillon (apparently just referred to as Languedoc). But, the locals refer less to the region and more to the district (or department). Avignon and Eastwards to the hills is known as Vaucluse. This confused us as we were looking for signs highlighting or within Provence, but all we could find was Vaucluse.

May 24: Day 11 - Avignon and a gander.

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Monteux is some 20km north-east from the regional city of Avignon. The Avignon city centre is large (150 ha) and today still remains within the historic walls dating back to the 14th century. The warmth had arrived, so we ventured into the city for a 'gander'.



Avignon was for a few decades home to the Pope. There was a time when there were 3 Pope's; one in Rome, one in Avignon and another appointed by the German Emperor. In reality, the German Pope was an administrative anomaly; there were really only 2 Pope's - Rome and Avignon. The period when there were 2 Pope's began in the 14th century and is known as the Western Schism. Clearly, Avignon has held importance in France. Britannica (dot com) offers:



Avignon's historic importance dates primarily from the 14th century, when it lay not on French soil but belonged to the duke of Anjou, a vassal of the pope. In 1309 it was selected as the papal residence by Clement V. The city was chosen, in part, because it was more centrally located within Christendom than Rome.

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But, this hardly explains the longer history of Avignon;



The era of the Popes somewhat eclipses other events in what is a long and tumultuous history. At the crossroads of the big trade and migratory routes between northern and southern Europe and between Italy and Spain, the city played a major role in European history.

A Phoenician trading post during the High Antiquity, Avignon then became a flourishing Roman town.

It suffered greatly from the barbarian invasions, followed by those of the Moors and the Francs in the High Middle Ages. With the expansion of trade, and benefiting from its strategic position and its bridge over the Rhône, it had the status of a free town, strong and arrogant enough to defy the King of France.

The presence of the Popes made Avignon the capital of the Medieval western world in the 15th century. A papal territory up until the French Revolution, the city actually benefited little from the first Industrial Revolution.

It entered into relative anonymity in the 19th century only to come back as a cultural capital in the 20th century.

From history of Avignon.



Except for a couple of central spine streets, all the streets within the walled Avignon are higgeldy-piggeldy and typically merely a car width, some even narrower. Parking a car is just not on the cards for we tourists. Fortunately, the Avignon city fathers have dedicated 2 large areas for free parking with a free electric shuttle bus into the city centre.



Alighting the bus at Les Halles (food market), which has an amazing green wall on one side, we walked to the Tourist Office to explore our options. Again, we came away impressed. We were provided an English language walking guide showing 3 routes within the walls and 2 outside. We chose one of the internal routes, and went traipsing through the narrow streets looking at the historical edifices numbered on the guide. Most were public buildings or churches (the latter often ruined during the revolution).



With such a lovely warm day, it was perhaps more about getting around in a summer climate after the cold we experienced in Lyon. The sights of young and old going about their day was also interesting. The young French have a panache that is decidedly absent in the Australian/American exemplar.



It's an interesting conundrum being in a city/place as a tourist. On the one hand, as a tourist we look for the 'attraction', while at the same time those that live in the place go about their business as they would anywhere. For us, there were some streets / open places that are specifically oriented to the tourist; restaurants and shops catering for tourist wants. There are other streets where tourists appear disinterested in wandering. We found, and enjoyed, the latter. There are very few modern buildings within the city walls, hence the tourist focus. But, we could generally only see the exterior of the buildings. On occasions, we could see past the high walls, or inside a building. As so many Mediterranean folk have done, the facade facing the street is also the division between public and private. Many buildings have large doors leading to a courtyard, sometimes even a garden. And, while the buildings are generally 18th century and older, and thus with weird internal designs (small rooms / corridors / odd windows / etc.), the little we saw of the insides showed us the locals have refurbished the interiors to cater for modern life.



The days' touring over, we returned to our dwelling to relax and listen to the birds chirping in the surrounding trees.

May 25: Day 12 - Rain.

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After a wonderfully warm day yesterday, we were reminded of the vagaries of a Temperate climate; rain!



The morning became one to execute domestic chores. Accompanied by the most beautiful bird song from the Blackbird!



The sky brightened in the afternoon, allowing us to wander along the footpath on the main road (towards Monteux). It's obvious that lawnmowers aren't priority number one here. Like Lyon, the grass is left to grow and maybe cut when 'needed' leaving about 100mm. And, there tends to be an extensive use of pavers. Being an agricultural area, and while decorative plants are used, there are many households that focus on fruit trees.

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May 26: Day 13 - Mount Ventoux and the hills.

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The day opened to a clear blue sky. And, the forecast was clear all day. So, after brekky we headed out to Mount Ventoux. As the link describes, the mountain (1900m) juts up and dominates the Vaucluse landscape. The bare limestone peak makes it quite visible from a great distance.



Mount Ventoux has been a 'leg' of the Tour de France for many years. Perhaps because of this, the road up to the top was being actively tackled by many, many cyclists. While the lightweight road bike dominated, we were surprised that some were riding mountain bikes, ordinary bikes, recumbent bikes, trikes and even electrically assisted bikes. There were literally hundreds of cyclists; and it wasn't a holiday (though it was a great sunny day).



We travelled through a variety of different vegetation types before we reached the (windy) summit. We parked and wandered around some form of tower building (so big it could easily be seen in Avignon). We don't know why, but the building had an exhaust pipe discharging Natural Gas; and the odour was obvious all around.



Taking our leave, we continued down the other side towards the village of Malaucène (the first reached). Along the way, we'd hoped to find walking trails, but none seemed to exist (on Maps.Me) and there didn't appear any signposting for same. There were as many bikes going uphill on this side as the other. But, there were also a few going downhill, and didn't they push the speed. We stopped at a roadside cafe for morning tea and to decide what we should do next. As we were enjoying the (very) rural landscape, we decided to visit the 'other' nearby hills; that the French call The Alps. Given we thought of the alps as the high mountains bordering Switzerland, here we learnt the term included the mountainous lands leading up to the 'high country', and served to delineate the region from Provence.



We headed north towards Nyon via rolling hills of vineyards, lavender farms, orchards and the like. Very pretty driving. From Nyon, we ventured east towards Serres. The road soon left rolling hills and headed uphill into a river valley overshadowed by rugged limestone cliffs (and wondrous precipices). We stopped a few times to gawk at the scenery, and noticed the river water was smokey grey-white; it was full of powdered limestone. Whether there were any fish we couldn't tell, it was so opaque.



We'd hoped to pick up a baguette sandwich when we arrived at Serres, but as it was after 1pm and before 3pm, the both boulangerie's were closed for lunch. We headed down the other side of the valley to Laragne-Monteglin and arriving just after 3pm were rewarded with a wonderful baguette sandwich and the most sublime chocolate éclair.



Given the time, we chose to use the motorway to return to Monteux. An expensive proposition, but the alternative would have seen us return after dark. The motorway skirted the hilly terrain by heading south towards Marseille. At Aix-En-Provence, we came across a motorway crossroad. The traffic on the motorway from Avignon was stationary. So many cars and not enough roads to cater for them. Much the same as urban Australia!



Unlike Australia, where toll use requires a dongle or pay via phone, here the toll booths have a dongle option and a pay at the gate option. Most seem to use the latter and so the traffic comes to a standstill at the toll booths; the distance of the standstill dependent on the amount of traffic. The tollboth heading north from Aix-En-Provence was a long wait for us.



A most enjoyable visual has been the wildflowers; especially the (Flanders) Poppy. The Poppy grows everywhere, even in cracks in the pavement.

May 27: Day 14 - Villeneuve-lès-Avignon.

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Today, the Rhône River at Avignon is divided with a largish island; île de la Barthelasse. So we were told, before the bridge was constructed, there was only a single stream with marshes lying on the western side of the river (upstream from Avignon). History shows a wooden bridge was first constructed across the Rhône, but it was destroyed by the French seeking to lay siege to Avignon. In the 14th century a stone bridge; the Pont Saint-Bénézet or pont d'avignon was erected; it periodically was partly washed away in a flood. These bridges 'stepped' across smallish islands in the stream. And, we were told the bridge served as a barrier that effectively further enlarged the island (southwards). The point of this story is to help understand the politics of Avignon and Villeneuve-lès-Avignon (over time).



The location of the bridge was the only crossing of the Rhone south of Lyon, so was used by travellers with loads unable to be carried onto a boat.



When the wooden bridge/s were built (circa 12th century), Avignon was a different country to France. And, as Avignon was aligned to Britain, there was not much love extended between either side! Being antagonistic, both sides taxed travellers using the bridge (at either end). Over time, as the silt developed around the bridge, travellers would descend off the bridge on the western (France) side to avoid paying tax. Or, they would use the boatmen, who being displaced by the bridge, operated a little further north. The eastern (Avignon side was not silted and quite deep).



The stone bridge was built during the papal 'reign' in Avignon and funded by the Church; the symbolic power exerted over France was (apparently) immense. On the western side, the French King Phillippe the Fair constructed a tax point and tower Philippe-le-Bel, with curtain walls to ensure traveller compliance. He also had a large fortress castle constructed on a nearby hill Fort Saint-Andre that presented an equally commanding presence to those looking west from Avignon. Tit for Tat, me too!



The outer walls of Fort Saint-Andre remain, but the inside has been refashioned for different purposes several times over. When built, the outer walls went around an existing Abbeye



The stone bridge was built during the papal 'reign' in Avignon and funded by the Church; the symbolic power exerted over France was (apparently) immense. On the western side, the French King Phillippe the Fair constructed a tax point and tower Philippe-le-Bel, with curtain walls to ensure traveller compliance. He also had a large fortress castle constructed on a nearby hill Fort Saint-Andre that presented an equally commanding presence to those looking west from Avignon. Tit for Tat, me too!



The outer walls of Fort Saint-Andre remain, but the inside has been refashioned for different purposes several times over. When built, the outer walls went around an existing Abbaye (church). We were told at around 1000 AD, the Benedictine monks built the St André Abbey on Mount Andaon. The story we were told is that the wife of the local Bishop decided to leave him leaving heartbroken. She pursued a life of contemplation, living in a cave on the Mount. On her death, the Bishop had the Abbaye built. Later, under King Philippe, the little market town of Saint André then became a fortress and a military outpost. Nevertheless, the importance of the Abbeye was such that the fort was built around it.



We're a little unsure how the events occurred, but the Abbaye was occupied over time by various groups, and largely demolished during the Revolution. In the 19th century, the land was occupied by a couple of ladies (muses to a wealthy artist?) who encouraged the artist to buy the site. So, they went about landscaping the grounds into a garden, and they, along with successors, rebuilt part of the site into a magnificent mansion. It remains privately held, and the restoration and maintenance is a credit to the family.



Following the walking tour provided by the Tourist office, we encountered many cute and interesting sites within Villeneuve-lès-Avignon. But, given it was a warm sunny day, we really enjoyed the coolth of the mansion, and the gardens of the Abbaye. Looking out over Avignon, we could see why King Philippe built as he did.



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May 28: Day 15 - Apt and the

ceder forest.


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We'd read in Lonely Planet that the town of Apt was the urban centre of Parc Naturel Region de Luberon. So, guess where we headed? .



The drive to Apt was interesting in that there is no direct road from where we are staying. So, the satnav had us travelling past vineyards, wheat fields, plenty of orchards, and heaps of Lavender farms (none yet in flower, but some quite close). We don't know why the excitement about Apt, we found it quite run down with little offering other than as a local centre for those living in surrounding villages.



We headed from Apt to a Ceder forest high-ish up the mountain of Luberon. As the link shows, the forest walking trails are well organised. We figured it was a forestry initiative (some time ago) and mature ceder trees are still being felled (and used elsewhere). For us, it was really nice to be able to wander around without reminders of urban. And, the park was of sufficient size that the many visitors didn't 'intrude' in our relaxation. It seemed as if some visitors were there to 'do' lunch and were spread around the flat (sort of) grassed entrance area, and others had headed off like we did.



From near the forest entry, we could look down to the valley below. On one hilly spur lay the most enticing perched village Bonnieux. Picture postcard, we felt we had to go there, so we did. We followed a tortuously narrow winding road to get there, and were amazed at how stonemasons had built the dwellings; they must have had a leg extension as the hillside is so steep. On the way, we came across several seemingly really old bories, igloo shaped dry stone huts made of local stone. A bit like the Truli, in Italy, these were used as shelter. They are scattered all over the Provencal countryside. Most come in two sizes: small; to shelter a shepherd, or medium-sized, to shelter a family. We learnt that 'back then', they were prime Neolithic real estate.



Reaching Bonnieux, we decided to stop for afternoon tea at a cafe hanging over the cliffside - amazing views (picture in the link).



On our way back to our accommodation, we passed a town that appeared very interesting, but hadn't come up in any of the literature we'd perused.

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May 29: Day 16 - L'Isle sur la Sorgue.

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As noted above, this town (village) had slipped under our radar. L'Isle sur la Sorgue or island within the many passages of the Sorgue River, is definitely a tourist town (at least for the better informed). We parked and headed to the Tourist office, passing a plethora of shops catering to tourists. Perhaps because of the prettiness of the town, and the frequent passages of small waterways or canals, it didn't evoke the 'Mmmmm!' that we typically experience in full on tourist towns. Perhaps it was the tourists were independent; that is, not bussed in tour groups. Who knows, we enjoyed our time there.



The waterways of the Sorgue River here are maybe 5 metres across. So, it seemed odd to be called an 'island'. Originally, like most, the town had a high brick wall and the location of the wall was on the edge of the Sorgue River, and so the town 'represented' an island. Today, the wall is gone, but many of the original waterwheels still exist (but not to drive gears for grinding or the like.

May 30: Day 17 - Orange.

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Lonely Planet notes, if you only see one Roman Theatre, it has to be Orange! The (largish) town is about 20km (north-west) away from our accommodation, but the satnav directed us via the motorway (and south-west to Avignon before north to Orange) a distance closer to 40km. After much fiddling, we eventually found how to 'untick' Tolls.



As we've learnt to do, we visit the Tourist office for the free parking locations and pick up a local map with attractions listed. Orange (or as it was initially called Arausio) has much history and while that is important, we were there more for the attractions.



We made our way to the Roman Theatre or Theatre Antique, fortunately not far from where we parked. There is no doubt the theatre is impressive in scale. However, we felt our visit to the theatre wasn't 'eye opening'. Frankly, the theatre at Jerash (Jordan) is far better as it retains the stone seating, the stage is original and the acoustics magnificent. If we compare the Orange theatre to other large theatre's, then both the Acropolis (Greece) and Amman (Jordan) versions are far better (but don't tell the French tourist merchandisers).



Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the tour through the theatre was the content of the audio guide. The guide informed us that (modern day) Marseille was 'occupied' by Greek forces who were having a few problems with the local Celts (who wanted their port back). Unable to gain control, the Greeks sought assistance from the Roman army; who duly did the dirty work and also decided Marseille was too good a place for the Greeks. As the Greeks had staked a foothold in the Provence & Languedoc regions, so too did the Romans. As the history (above) details, the Romans decided the location of (nowadays) Orange, then an important Celtic town, would also be their centre for the region. The Roman generals also decided to rebuild the city as a miniature version of Rome! So, it was from Orange that the Romans later ventured further north. All the prosperous endeavours came to an end in 412AD when the Visigoths saw a weakened Roman Empire and ransacked the place. In the melee, the timber sections of the Roman Theatre (roof, stage, etc.) were burnt down. The Visigoths must have done a good job as aside from the theatre and a (rebuilt) Triumph Arch, little from the Roman period now exists.



The other bit of history that took our attention is that while the Romans used the name Arausio for the town, at some time after the Visigoths sacked the landscape the Italian based Ostrogoths moved in and renamed the place Orange as that was the name then given the Diocese by Rome. At the time, the Diocese was managed as a fiefdom. Over time, the titular head of the fiefdom carried the title of Prince of Orange. In the 16th Century the Dutch Count of Nassau inherited the lands (and title) of the Prince of Orange. The resultant entity The House of Orange-Nassau is apparently the current reigning monarchy of Holland. And, it is because of the inherited Prince of Orange, that Dutch sports players wear orange! Never knew that!

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May 31: Day 18 - Pope's Palace.

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To most tourists who visit Avignon, the centrepiece is the Popes Palace - Palais des Papes. And, today, we were part of the brigade. As noted above, the Dukeship 'state' of Anjou was a papal 'vassal', and when in 1309 Pope Clement V wanted to escape the turmoil of his election in Rome he signalled 'up yours' and set up residence in Avignon. Therein began a massive construction project, carried through the 'reign' of 6 Popes; from 1309 to 1377. Two more Popes resided thereafter; known as anti-Pope's as they rebelled against the authority of Rome (eventually being kicked out by an invading army in 1403).



Like all religious buildings, the Pope's knew how to spend parishioner's hard earned. The sheer scale of the building makes it hard to reconcile that the building was designed for the administration of devotion. Perhaps 'devotion' was administered differently back then. As the history in the above link shows, following the demise of the papacy, while the church continued to occupy until the revolution, the building fell into disrepair. Following the revolution, the French government used the building as a jail, a hospital for war veterans, and similar. They painted over the ornate fresco's with limewash and filled the massive halls with multiple floors.



The restoration process over the past century has attempted to bring the building back to the original state, but except for 2 rooms there are no longer decorations. For unknown reasons, the room occupied by the Pope and his personal antechamber still have the walls painted as they were some 900 years ago. Given the 2 rooms are lit with electric light, the dark fresco's with minimal window light would have made the room extremely gloomy.



In all, we spent about 3 hours moving through the Palace; indicating the scale of the building. The restoration of the Palace has included the garden, being done according to documents found. Today, rows of various herbs and fruit trees are on display. Many of the French names for the herbs we knew, but not all. But, we enjoyed 'sniffing' the crushed leaves of those we didn't.



One aspect we were fascinated with was the 'treasury'. The palace designer built the Treasury at ground floor level, with entry via a long and winding corridor, passage of which at times was behind a 'hidden' door. There was only a couple of very small narrow windows for light. When archeologists began investigating the room in the 1980's, they found all the flooring slabs could be removed to expose a hidden area underneath. They even found several chests of goodies left behind when the Papacy returned to Rome!



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Reflections...

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The past 10 days has seen us delve into urban history and venture into the rural parts of Provence.



There probably wasn't a stand out, although both the trip to Ventoux (and the cyclists) and the ceder forest took our attention. But, even at home we prefer the greener aspects of life. In hindsight it's not so much the places we visited, but the Provence culture that stood out.



On the local roads, motorists drive slowly and generally less than the maximum speed (urban - 30kph & 50kph, rural 80kph) and give way to pedestrians - without fail! With so many roundabouts and speed humps it's pointless to 'zoom' as there are no passing lanes. So, for us, just sit back and enjoy the ride; a bit of a novelty for Bruce! After a few days we recognised that with such a slow speed, we were able to see more of the landscape. Even on the 130kph motorway, drivers stay on the right until they need to pass (we'd love to see the habit replicated in Australia ).



Being away from the main cities and towns, few locals speak English. The shop staff have enough such that we can buy things. But, to ask questions, etc., is hard; or it used to be. With AI (eg. chatbot) the translation apps are now really good. We just speak into them on our phone and out pops the French translation in printed and spoken form. Sometimes, when we've needed to exchange conversation, we just flick between English > French to French > English. It has often helped us when otherwise we'd be 'up the creek without a paddle'.



We've also been enjoying the food of Provence; the cheeses, the fruit, the meats, the cakes. We're sure we'll go home considerably heavier. Unless an Australian has been to France, they are unlikely to have tasted (especially the chevre) flavour in the cheeses; especially those that use unpastuerised milk. The comparison of a Normandy made Camembert to an Australian version is impossible to describe (but we haven't bought a Camembert in Australia for years as it's flavourless). Similarly, the Strawberries are a lot smaller in size than in Oz, and the flavour just bursts out. We were at the butcher and talking to each other about what meats to buy and a French lady in a heavy accent asked Judy "Do you like dick". Taken aback, Judy suggested "do you mean duck" - "Oui!" We bought some and it was something else in flavour and so wonderfully moist.



We learnt early that supermarket bread is old before it's sold so we go to the boulangerie. But, we have yet to see a boulangerie that is not also a patisserie. We indulge and have been trying a different cake style each evening. Oh, so nice. Similarly, the tubs of ice cream in the supermarkets are identical to the variety offered in specialty ice cream shops back home; Coffee, Rum & Raisin, Raspberry, Creme Caramel, Pistachio to name but a few. The flavours are so good. And, as with the cakes, the flavour dominates as very little sugar is used.



We tried some steak - a Porterhouse cut - and while tender, we felt cardboard had more flavour! And, both sweet and dry biscuits leave us cold. And, Judy laments the lack of Vegemite. So, all in all, we're really enjoying ourselves both at places and with food.



After the cold of Lyon, we've not needed a jumper here on Monteux. Most days begin with sun, and warm up till after lunch. We note that clouds build up in the East, and by late afternoon or evening there is frequently a thundery rainstorm.



We are loving our time here.



Cheers

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Photos

Southern France
From the net, but it helps identify the regions.

Vaucluse
Again, another from the net. If interested, click on it to see some of the places named below in the 'blog'.

Aerial of Avignon
This is from the net. We selected it as our ground level pics don't help explain the size of walled Avignon

St André Abbey
The formal garden is a delight.