Provence Trip Diary, Part 2

Added 4 April 2009. Pictures and stories from our trip to Provence, France, from February 21 to March 2, 2009.

Wednesday, February 25 — Nimes

Today, the wind finally let up! Yet the sun remained. So that was nice.

Our destination was Nimes. On the way, as usual, we heard plenty about France (and retained a bit). Our first stop was the very impressive aqueduct. It was huge, and gorgeous, and ancient. It was also in a beautiful natural setting. There were little hiking trails on the side, so we started with those, before looking at the structure more closely.

Then we went down and in front to get the best photos. We had about an hour, but we could have spent more.

We got the scenic route into the city, and on the way, somehow got to talking about the Furies and the origins of the names for the days of the week (Monday = lundi = moon, Tuesday = mardi = Mars, Wednesday = mercredi = mercury, and so on). Also, apparently there is some connection between denim and Nimes ("de Nimes").

Our first stop in town was a park with sculptures and the remnants of a temple to Diana. The gates were also very ornate, and a in typical Roman style, depicted conquered people in submission.

Our tour guide, Jacques Pauwel, at Nimes park

Then we went into town, and had to work out the logistics of visiting the main sites. It turned out that we all had to go into the Coliseum together, then meet by the temple at 2:30. In between there, we arranged lunch on our own.

As we were hungry, we ended up somewhat hurrying through this Coliseum, even though it was probably better preserved than the one in Rome. We listened to only parts of the audioguide, and moved along fairly quickly. At one point, we somehow managed to get ourselves into a part of Coliseum that was really hard to get out of. We kept getting to blocked exits and so on. Obviously, we eventually managed to escape!

The Coliseums here, by the way, are currently used for Spanish-style bullfights. Posters assured us that the bulls are not killed at the end of these exhibitions.

For lunch, we just went for moules et frites at a brasserie across the street. They weren't the best ever, but they weren't bad.

Then we all gathered at the temple for our 2:30 appointment. We were all ushered in to see a 3D film depicting key events in the history of the city (“all very sanitized,” Jacques said afterward). I thought I wouldn't be able to see the 3D at all (I have this eye condition such that I use only one eye at a time and therefore have limited depth perception), but I guess techniques have improved, so some things did appear to be “sticking out” of the frame to me as well.

We had a little time left for Nimes, but we just stopped at a cafe with Larry, Laurie, Umesh, and Venna. We were amused that our glass of wine was the same price as a glass of diet coke. It was nice to be able to sit in a patio in the sun in February.

Then, a bus ride back to Avignon.

After a pause, we took a big walk around town. I bought a bunch of chocolates at one of the shops. We did get to visit some art galleries, now open. Jean wouldn't let me shop for clothes. We also located some museums for future consideration.

Eventually, we got hungry enough for dinner, and stopped at a nice-looking place called Le Petit Pichet. It was very quiet, though I'm not sure why, as the food and service were very appealing. As appetizers, Jean had cold foie gras, as good as any we'd had in Canada (I'm sure it would appall the French for that to be our standard!), and I had this goat cheese thing with sesame seeds on tomato that was also very nice.

As a main course, I had duck confit, while Jean went for lamb in Parmesan croute. Both very well-prepared. We had potato machette, I think it was, on the side—we actually had to ask what was in it. It involved cream, and was very provencal, we were told. As the wine, we went with a 1/2 bottle of Vacqueras (spelling?), a relative of Chateauneuf-du-pape, and a similar style wine. Just a bit cheaper. For dessert was cheese, which Jean ate most of.

We slept pretty well; perhaps the jet lag was over.

Thursday, February 26—Arles and Camargue

Another day, another bus trip! Our first destination was Arles, a city the Romans occupied for about 700 years. To the French, they brought the French language (they spoke more of a Gaelic before), Christianity, and the all-important art of winemaking (they used to drink beer). We also learned all about the history of Beaujolais, which used to be the main type of wine in France simply because it was easier to make lots of and transport, and why Beaujolais Nouveau day was so important: It was the day all the vintners agreed to sell their first wines. Back then, young wines were the best, you see; they became more unappealing with age.

In Arles, we did a group walking tour first. And what did we see? Roman ruins! Another theatre, another coliseum.

Ho hum. Another fabulous Roman ruin.

But the big attraction in this area was actually art-related. We went to the very coffee shop that Van Gogh made famous in one of his paintings. The coffee shop has, probably wisely, redecorated itself to match the colour scheme of the painting. Unfortunately, it was closed, so we were unable to actually have coffee here.

But later on, we saw where Van Gogh spent some time trying to heal his wounded psyche. We also had some free time to do a little shopping. It remained low wind and sunny, so it was pleasant to amble about. We interpreted a French sign for a couple from Texas we happened to run into.

Van Gogh recuperated here

Our next stop, by bus, was by a bridge that Van Gogh had made famous in another painting. Jacques told us afterward that although this was the original bridge, it was not in its original location anymore. That location had to be repurposed, but recognizing the bridge's significance, they moved it to where it was easier to take photos of.

See the resemblance?

Then we were off to the fields of Camargue. This was quite different from all those little villages, as it really focused on nature. The area is particularly known for its white horses, although none of these are wild any longer.

A change of scenery—horses and bulls in the fields of Camargue

There were also lots of birds, like pelicans and pink flamingoes.

We had a group lunch here. Everyone agreed to the menu, although it was heavy on red meats. It began with a nice pork paté, and then we had bull stew in a rich wine sauce. Quite tender, though some complained about the fattyness of the meat (but those things go together!). It included red wine of the region, which isn't considered as "fine" as in some provence areas, but was quite good. We then had a small cheese course—a brie, a blue, another soft cheese, none too strong—and dessert was tarte tatin.

We sat with Vi and Liz for this meal, and it was good to get to know them a little better.

Then back on the bus, and off to Stes. Maries-de-la-Mer, our only peak at the Mediterranean. This was a beachy kind of town, with the typical tacky shops and gypsies running around (OK, maybe that part isn't that typical). Although we weren't here that long, we probably could have skipped this one entirely!

Then we stopped at a little culinary shop where we were encourage to purchase fleur de sel and other regional specialties. I did get that salt, even though we actually have some at home already. Not like it goes bad, though.

We took a fairly scenic route back, stopping for more flamingo shots, and crossing the Rhone a couple times.

It had been a big lunch, so after a pause and some reading, we opted for a light dinner. We met Vi on the way out and she recommended a creperie; that's where we ended up. It was nice and bright. I had the smoked salmon crepe while Jean went for a ham and egg type. And we had some cidre with it, harkening back to a honeymoon meal in France. The dessert crepes sound great, but we were really too full.

Friday, February 27 — Optional country tour

Today is a day of options, all of which we signed up for.

The first was to visit some more "country" areas of Provence. For this part, we started a little earlier, and Jacques didn't come along—just his assistant Joanne.

Our first stop was Ile-sur-Sorgue, a small town all surround by water. It was quite charming, and had this big water wheel thing that Jean took a lot of pictures of. And we had time for a bit of shopping, though many stores were still closed (it was early). I did get some jewelry at one shop, which was having a pre-vacation sale.

Pretty town of Ile-sur-Sorgue

Next, we went off to Fontaine-Vaucluse. This was a really cool little village with a mountain overlooking it. We walked the trail to that first—it had a stream all along it, so it was really nice.

The gorgeous Fontaine Vaucluse mountain and stream

And we visited some of the shops, including a great art store (but really not enough time for such a big purchase) and a little candy shop. They also had paper mill where they still pounded out the paper as in the olden days. There were beautiful paper products for sale here.

A paper mill as in the days of yore

Oh, and by the way, it was still sunny and mostly wind-less. It started out quite cool, but rose to about 18C.

Then we were off to the Musée de la lavande, where we learned the difference between lavande and fine lavender—which grows only in certain areas and has medicinal properties. And, of course, costs a lot more. After that small presentation, we saw a little film on its cultivation, and had time in the lavender shop. Jean couldn't handle the perfumy smell and soon waited outdoors. I didn't end up buying anything.

Finally, we were off to Gordes. The tour had a firm ending because the bus driver had another engagement, so we were only able to gawk at Gordes from a distance, not go into it. It's quite an impressive view.

View of the village of Gordes

So we were back at Avignon at 1:00. That night was our gourmet dinner, so we didn't want a big lunch, but we needed something. I started thinking that maybe something Oriental would be suitable. Of course, that somehow made it impossible to find anything Oriental, despite lots of walking around. Or so it seemed. We eventually did come upon a Thai place, where we had good shrimp rice rolls and some nice soup, although the mains were just so-so.

But there was still time, so we decided to visit some museums. We started with the Musée Aglandon, which boasted works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Matisse, and so on. This is true, only it was a small museum with a small collection. So there weren't many works by these artists, and they weren't necessarily their best or best-known.

Not far was the Musée Lapidaire, which has all these stone remnants from Roman and Egyptian sources. It was kind of interesting. The building itself is very impressive, all high ornate walls and ceilings. We ran into Larry and Laurie there.

Then we were off to the Musée Calvet. This turned out to be our favourite of the Avignon museums. The collection was neither too big nor too small, and had nice variety. Many of the artists weren't known to us, but still produced some interesting works. Some of the sculptures were also impressive (even though nothing like in Rome).

Next we headed to our wine store, unsure if we'd have another chance to make this purchase. We got a bottle of white chateauneuf, a red that we had liked the last time in, and their very last 2005 red chateauneuf réserve. Jean also wanted to try a Bandole, so we got one of those, even though we couldn't taste that one ahead.

Our gourmet dinner was carefully selected by Jacques (tough job, but someone has to do it), and was at a place called Aix Cinq Sens. Maybe half the group participated? We started with this rich white Rhone wine, and enjoyed an amuse-bouche (not amuse-gueule, Jacques emphasizes) of zucchini with olive oil (done fancier than it sounds there). It was delicious. I had roast quail as my entree, and Jean went for foie gras—again! (And again, it's very good but milder than the Canadian. They must feed their ducks differently, or something.) I had duck magret as my main course, with an orange flavoring. Jean had fish, also nicely flavored. We switched to a red Rhone at this point. A small cheese platter followed. And finally, conjugaison de pomme—apples prepared several different ways. It was a very nice evening.

Saturday, February 28 —Aix-en-Provence

Leaving Saturday morning, the Avignon streets were much quieter. The weather remained sunny.

Today was Aix-en-Provence, mostly known for its affiliation with the painter Paul Cézanne. But our first stop was in the heart of the city, called one of France's most beautiful. Certainly the main street had impressive buildings. We were told the market was open, and after consulting some locals, we were able to find. Jean and I lost each other there at one point, as I became distracted by a vendor of bootleg CDs—including several by The Who. Ultimately, I was saved by my lack of Euros, as I figured he wasn't running a credit card business.

We then gathered for a ride to Cézanne's studio, as you have to make an appointment to visit that. We got a great tour there. It was quiet, so the hostess was able (and interested in) telling us a lot about the place and Cézanne's work. Cézanne was quite the eccentric. Many of his still-life models remain in the house. His real-life models required the patience of Job, as he was a very slow painter, taking months on a work. The wall colours were specifically chosen to take best advantage of daylight, given the tree height at the time (now they're much taller). We also had some time to walk the grounds here.

Paul Cézanne lived and worked here

Then we were brought back to town for lunch on our own. Jacques had mentioned a restaurant Cézanne had frequented that had been restored to that time. Several of us went there together, then got rather shocked by the prices! The waiter appeased most by allowing us to order from the outdoor menu, which featured somewhat cheaper sandwiches and salads. But Jean and I just went ahead and shared six oysters to start, then had the daily special, which was osso bucco. Will say it was quite a bit of food, and very well prepared. Several of us also tried a glass of the local rosé.

We had a bit of time to stop in some galleries, but I couldn't see the Hair du temps exhibit, as it was closed for lunch. (Ah, the French.)

Back on the bus and we drove to Les Baux, a really cool medieval village that had been a ghost town for hundreds of years, before it was rediscovered and turned into a tourist destination. We could have spent more time here, visiting the little shops and getting a sense of the place and its ruined castles.

Very interesting former ghost town of les Baux

And then we saw a couple more Roman artifacts—some large cenotaphs that had managed to stay standing.

Roman cenotaph

And a kind of meandering drive back. In Avignon, some kind of street event had blocked off some roads, so we had to walk a little farther to our hotel.

For dinner, we decided to try to find an Italian place we'd heard about from Larry. We did find one, but later discovered it's not the one he went to. No matter, as it was quite good. I had the risotto with mushrooms, while Jean had risotto with cream and Parmesan. And the house red. The risotto was amazing; the red was OK.

Having skipped the appetizers, we have room for dessert: a chocolate caramel mousse for me, a crepe cake with mascarpone for Jean.

Sunday, March 1 — Avignon encore

It was a little later start today, with the group gathering at the Petit Palais, the one big site we hadn't been to yet. It turned out to be all religious art, although we now understand this type of art better, and there are some nice examples here.

Le Petit Palais, now home to an art gallery

After that, we to the Marché des Halles. It's a market, with this greenery growing on the front, which was cool. We walked around the whole thing, but had noticed an oyster place at the start, and ended up back there. We thought that would be a reasonable lunch, and had about 12 of those between us. And a little glass of white wine.

The afternoon, we just relaxed and packed up.

We had a final group dinner at a restaurant that turned out to be fancier than I had expected, though I didn't look like a total schlub. We sat with Larry and Laurie, Vi and Diane. Larry wasn't feeling that great, though, and ended up leaving early. But the rest of us thoroughly enjoyed our three-course meal, with things like paté, foie gras (again!), salmon, chocolate-caramel mousse, and chocolate fondant cake. And all included wine, starting with a kir.

Monday, March 2 — The return

The food poisoning started overnight, with cramps, then nausea, then yuck. Looking back, the market oysters seem the most likely culprit (it wasn't the final dinner, as no one else got sick), but who knows.

At any rate... Our departure was at 3:00 AM! We hadn't slept at all, so at least it wasn't hard getting up. Though we had to pack barf bags. Yay.

Jean spent the whole first flight -- the little Marseille to Paris deal -- in the washroom. But the pause between flights, though much shorter than on our way there, was enough to settle things. We turned down nearly all food on the way home, but accepted water and, by the end, attempted crackers and apples. We were able to sleep, and saw a couple decent movies.

It took a little longer to recuperate from this one than the Spanish food poisoning, but remains that we have a knack for getting sick only at the end, when it doesn't really prevent us from doing anything. Still, I'd rather just skip it all together...

Also see: 18 random things about our trip to Provence