Provence and Marseille

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Provence (Gordes) and Marseille
Today , we took the TGV (Train a grande vitesse) from Marseille to Paris.
The 800 km journey is done in 3hours and 17 mins ! TGV trainsets travel at up to 320 km/h (200 mph) in commercial use.
A specially modified trainset reached 574.8 km/h (357 mph) on test runs. We will fly back to Toronto in 2 days.

In Provence, we stayed 3 nights at ( www.mas-val-chenaie.com ). This is in the town of Les Sauvestres, about 8 km east of Gordes.
We will visit Nîmes: More than 400 years B.C., a nomadic tribe first explored the borders of a providential spring to quench their thirst in this arid region. Very quickly, the area around this sacred water source, according to legend, which never dries up, organized itself and a cult was born: the God Nemausus, son of Hercules and of the Celt Pyrène, for whom the Pyrénées Mountains are named. In the year 31B.C., Octavius defeats Cleopatra and the city undergoes a sudden expansion as it becomes a Roman colony. The Romans continue to honor the genius "Nemausus" and its sacred spring. The city endows itself with many sumptuous Roman arenas and develops an incredible urban network, where the water theme is always present. The local spring could not supply the needs of the grandiose projects of the Romans. It is quickly apparent that a new source is needed, located on the hillside of the city; and thus the idea of building an aqueduct is put forth. It will allow the dwellers to dispose of a true network of canalization, obtaining water with pressure, available in the homes of the wealthiest, as well as to workshops, thermal baths and fountains. The empire develops basins, sewerage, latrines and the magnificent water parks. The city becomes more prestigious, and improves esthetically as well as in sanitation. However, as water runs freely to the luxurious homes, it remains a discriminating factor socially, because the poor have to content themselves with the fountains, which quickly become a gathering place where village women and water carriers "aquarii" meet.
The work on the aqueduct to Nimes, started in the year 50 B.C. but obstacles arose which were difficult to surmount. First, the path of the aqueduct needed to follow the path of gravity. Therefore, if the spring of the Uzes River was quickly chosen, the slope between it and the castle was quite slight at only 0.025m/kilometer. To insure a proper flow of the water, the Roman architects had to calculate the difference in height and compensate somehow for the lack of slope while still obtaining an output of 35,000 cubic meters per day. As well, the distance, as the crow flies, was but 20 kilometers, and the path of the aqueduct was constrained by the physical limits and natural obstacles that the region presented. A compromise was reached that allowed in the end, the construction of the impressive Pont du Gard. The new bridge needed to be solidly anchored into the soil to resist any force of the current. The support piles were therefore dug and set into the stone of the Gardon riverbanks, and streamlined to break the strength of the current flow. Thousands of men, slaves and professionals, stone cutters, masons, ironworkers, and carpenters, were mobilized and worked without rest to complete this endeavor: a magnificent and gigantic bridge resting on three levels. The first two, respectively, had six and eleven arches superimposed on each other that measured between 15 to 24 meters, and were unique to the Roman architecture. On the third level, were 47 arches extending out 490 meters and on which the canal flowed. It took almost 5 years to complete this colossal project, which measured 275 meters in length at the bottom and 48 meters in height.

We also visited Avignon: Capital of the Christian World
At this time in Rome, as rival factions are tearing each other apart, popes do not have any governing control, and in Italy, cities and small feudal states are in constant conflicts. Avignon appears to be the ideal city to welcome the future popes. 7 popes in all will eventually succeed one another in Avignon, making it the capital of the Christian world.
Clement the Fifth is the first pope to reign from Avignon: he is chosen for his diplomatic qualities. It was thought that his mediation talents would help improve the relationships between the King of France, Philippe the Good and the King of England, in hope of uniting them for a new crusade to the Orient. After two years of negotiations due to numerous disagreements among cardinals, the next pope is chosen, John the Twenty-Second. Due to his advanced age it is thought that his reign will be short lived. In fact, against all likelihood, he remains pope for 18 years. He accumulates quite an amount in the coffers, which will permit his successor to build the first part of the Pontifical Palace, what is now known as the "Old Palace". As soon as Benoit the Twelfth is crowned pope, and always in hope of returning to Rome, but aware of the many difficulties, he vows to make his stay in Avignon a productful one. He wants to fight against the excesses of the church and bring the religious orders to their original objectives of poverty and sobriety. In light of this, he has an immense structure built, more like a fortified convent than a palace. Because of the abundant treasures accumulated by the church and the fact that Avignon is geographically located to facilitate pillage and regular robbery, he builds the structure to protect itself. If the first three popes come form humble beginnings, the same cannot be said for the next one. Clement the Sixth is from noble heritage and wishes to be acknowledged as such. He has the second part of the palace built, in a gothic style, much more refined, called the "New Palace", where many grand receptions take place, where artists, writers and savants enjoy each others company. Unfortunately his pontificate is plunged into mourning because of the Black Death that will kill 2/3 of the population of Avignon and its surroundings in 1348. Despite surrounding misery, frequent epidemics and the terrible tragedy of the Black Plague, thought to have come from China, but undoubtedly spread due to lack of proper hygiene, unpaved roads and dirty waters, the pope and his court live in luxury. Sumptuous receptions take place, succeeded by elaborate banquets interspersed with shows, tournaments and dances. For the crowning of Clement the Sixth, it is known that these quantities were purchased: 118 cattle, 1023 sheep, 101 calves, 914 kids, 60 pigs, 6,900kg of lard, 1500 capons, 3043 hens, 7428 chickens, 1195 geese, 50,000 pies, 600kg of almonds, 200kg of sugar, 39,980 eggs, 95,000 9 ounce breads, etc. One must remember that in this era only popes had the luxury of their own personal dishes and silverware made of gold and ivory; the guest, all men, were however quite happy to share their plates and goblets and to use their fingers while enjoying the fine food. Innocent the Sixth has the pontifical palace finished and builds a new wall surrounding the city to protect it. Following him, Urban the Fifth attempts to return the pontificate to Rome, but in vain. Finally Gregory the Eleventh succeeds and returns to Rome in 1367 but the end of his reign is marked by many troubles and important tensions amidst the Catholic Church. Two clans will arise each supporting either Rome or Avignon. At Gregory’s death, the conclave of 1378 elects an Italian archbishop, Urban the Sixth. The French cardinals are very unhappy with this selection and declare the election null naming a new pontiff, Clement the Seventh, who chooses to reside in Avignon. He is deemed to be the anti-pope and the Christian world is divided. The pope and the anti-pope vow to destruct each other. It is only in 1414 that the problem is solved by the Council of Constance and the election of Martin the Fifth, but Avignon has lost its title of capital of Christianity. However, until the French Revolution, Avignon remains a property of Rome, which is governed by legates named by the pope.

The Lavender Roads
Almost as soon as you enter Provence, you come across these marvelous fields of lavender. Just breathe and follow your sense of smell! The perfume from these fields stretching before your enchanted eyes very quickly becomes heady.
These roads will take you straight to the discovery of wonderful sites where you’ll enjoy driving with all your windows rolled down during the month of July, right before the cutting of flowers. Every area has its own characteristics, its traditions and its lavender festivals all summer long. During the terrible plague of 1720 that ravaged Provence for almost two years, it wasn’t unusual to come across travelers clutching bunches of lavender to protect themselves from the horrible effects of the disease. Botanists and pharmacists were quick to research its medicinal properties. In 1770, the Parliament of Provence, aware they had in their possession a plant with a wealth of beneficial attributes, regulated the cutting of lavender and its extraction into an essential oil.
These lavender fields are the result of meticulous work carried out all year long by families who have been very attached to their land and their traditions for generations.
On certain farms where they pick this very high-quality delicate lavender, the harvest is still done by hand, under a blazing sun, at the risk of being stung by wasps or maybe even bitten by a snake. Then, the lavender is dried for two days, very often right where it was picked, so that all of the water held in the flower can evaporate before distillation.
The distillation process consists of passing steam through the dried flowers, gathered up in bunches in a still to extract their essential oil. Different distillation techniques are used depending on the desired result, whether for use in cosmetic preparations, or as a
gastronomic, medicinal, or housekeeping product. It takes 287 lbs of real lavender (but only 88 lbs of "lavandin") to produce 1 liter of essential oil. For the high-end perfume industry, the method is very sophisticated. The flowers are washed, and then dissolved in a solvent. Several rounds of filtering are necessary to rid the alcohol of its impurities, after which the alcohol itself is eliminated by use of an evaporator. This leaves behind a very aromatic liquid called "the absolute”. This "absolute" is then sent to the little laboratory of the perfume magician, the "nose", where it will be incorporated into the composition of one of his wonderful creations, a most extraordinary achievement.

In Marseille we stayed 1 night at ( www.new-hotel.com/vieuxport ) which in the Vieux Port area of Marseilles. A Revolutionary Chant : The Marseillaise. Following the declaration of war with Austria, the mayor of Strasbourg asked Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, captain of engineering and amateur musician, to compose a war song. During the night of April 24th to 25th, 1792 he wrote the "the War Chant for the Rhine Army". The melody became quite popular in the entire country and was played during a patriotic banquet held in Marseilles. The Revolutionary forces from Marseilles sang it proudly upon their arrival in Paris and during their invasion of the Tuileries Gardens on July 30th, 1792. The Parisians spontaneously baptized it "The Marseillaise". However, in sign of recognition to the Republicans, it was forbidden during the reign of Napoleon, Louis Eighteenth and Napoleon the Third. Returned to its honorary state after the revolution of 1830, it became the national anthem under the Third Republic.

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Photos

Harvesting lavender
In Provence

Popes Palace
Avignon

Roman aqueduct
Pont du Gard - near Nimes