Pétanque & Pastis

The Saint-Véran Cemetery in Avignon

On our stroll under the shady trees of the Saint-Véran d'Avignon Cemetery, we came across "the grave of Marie-Maurille Virot de Sombreuil (1774-1823), known as Mademoiselle de Sombreuil, who saved her father from the guillotine in September 1792. As the death sentence was about to be carried out, she climbed on the scaffold, called the crowd to witness and begged the executioner to spare her father. He offered to pardon the condemned man if she agreed to drink a glass of blood from the previous beheading. Which is what she did. Her epitaph on the tomb: Victim of filial love she only lived to console and succour the unfortunate. Her wounded heart could only be healed by death. Her reward was in Heaven."¹ While Mademoiselle Sombreuil's body rests in peace in Avignon, her heart resides in an urn at Les Invalides in Paris, where her father had previously served as governor.

¹ Secret Provence, 2006, by Jean-Pierre Cassely.

The Grave of Mademoiselle de Sombreuil

The Avignon Bridge

A weekend jaunt to Avignon was quick and easy aboard the TGV from Antibes. The 3-hour train trip got us into town with plenty of time to take in all the aspects of the legendary Avignon Bridge before heading out to dinner.

Although, it’s known as the le Pont d’Avignon after the well-known children’s song, the real name of the famous Avignon Bridge is le Pont Saint-Bénézet after the legendary little shepherd boy who, as a result of his miraculous strength, was able to fulfill his architectural destiny in the form of this 12^th-century bridge across the Rhône River.  Unfortunately, Saint-Bénézet died in the year 1184, never getting to see the completion of his life’s work.  The chapel housing his tomb was built atop the bridge in its last phase of completion, where his remains were kept until they were moved to Avignon’s lavish Celestine monastery in 1674.  Through the course of time, weather, and the turbulent Rhône River, the bridge has been greatly damaged, and only the chapel and four out of the original 22 arches remain, jutting out only part way into the river, never reaching the other side.

Saint-Bénézet with his Eponymous Bridge

Pont Saint-Bénézet on Rue des Teintures

Pont Saint-Bénézet jutting into the Rhône River

 

Randonnée - Grotte de St-Marie Madeleine

Dénivelée:  335m                     Durée:  2h00

According to ancient legend, Mary Magdalene and her exiled companions fled Palestine soon after the death of Christ. They somehow landed on the shores of Provence, where she traveled around spreading the word of the gospel. She spent the last thirty years of her life in contemplation, living in a grotto in The Saint Baume Mountain. "Baume" is derived from a Provençal word meaning "grotto". Today we made the trek to see the famous cave where one of the witnesses of Christ's resurrection spent her retirement years.

La Grotte Sainte Marie Madeleine

The Altar inside the Cave of Mary Magdelene

View from 335 meters atop The Saint Pilon

We continued our hike upward to the Saint Pilon Chapel at the top of the Saint Baume Mountain, where we had a panoramic view of the region of the Var all around us.

The Relics of Sainte Marie Madeleine

The last stop on our Mary Magdelene tour today was the town where she died in the arms of her close friend, Saint Maximin, the bishop of Aix. Her relics had been buried in order to be protected from looters, and rediscovered in 1279. In 1295 construction began on a Basilica worthy to house her precious remains. The Basilique Sainte Marie Madeleine in the town of Saint Maximin, named after her friend and companion in exile, acts as a reliquary for what is believed to be her skull encased in gold, and a vial with a patch of skin from her forehead which had been touched by Christ after his resurrection.

Stopover in Arles

On our way to the Dordogne, we thought we'd get a head start by spending the night in Arles, which is only about 90 minutes by car from Antibes. We stayed at the Hôtel D'Arlatan near the Place Forum, which we quite liked, and we had a lovely dinner at Le Jardin de Manon (14, avenue des Alyscamps; tél: 04.90.93.38.68). The running possibilities were not too interesting in Arles, but we persevered anyway and followed along the Rhone River, which itself was quite picturesque in the morning sunlight.

Historical Avignon

The rain caught up with us today in Avignon, but our spirits were not dampened as we toured the medieval city with our umbrellas in tow.  The hard part was fighting the mobs of tourists as we competed for space in the Gothic Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), with its towers and turrets and 18-feet-thick walls, and all its fascinating history.  Avignon became home to the Papacy in 1309 when Pope Clement V decided to install himself here, instead of in Rome like all the popes before him. And here in Avignon is where it remained with the reign of seven popes, until the year 1377.  In 1378 Pope Gregory XI decided to move the Papacy back to the Eternal City of Rome.  Upon the death of Pope Gregory XI, the cardinals elected Pope Urban VI, an able administrator, but an unbearable pope, and they immediately regretted their decision.  The majority of these cardinals removed themselves from Rome, and elected another pope, Pope Clement VII, who returned the papal court to Avignon.  I guess there wasn’t room for both of them in Rome.  And this was the beginning of the period of turmoil within the Catholic Church known as the “Western Schism”, with two popes rightfully claiming legitimacy at the same time.

Le Pont Saint-Bénézet on the River Rhone

The Pont Saint-Bénézet was built in the 12^th century, with a span of 900 meters, connecting Avignon to Villeneuve-lès-Avignon over the river Rhône.  Major flooding had damaged the bridge over the years, but it was always repaired, however crudely, until a catastrophic flood in the 17^th century finally took it out of commission for good.  The bridge was named after a local shepherd boy who, according to legend, was inspired by angels to build a bridge over the river.  Saint-Bénézet gained backing for the project from wealthy sponsors when he miraculously lifted a colossal boulder and threw it into the river, proving his divine intervention.

Water Wheel on Rue des Teinturiers

The River Sorgue runs along the Rue des Teinturiers in the form of a small canal, in which there are several water wheels that were used by fabric print dyers in the early 19^th century, when this was the center of Avignon’s textile dyeing industry.  This may have been the birthplace of all those Provençal fabrics we see everywhere in the form of such things as tablecloths, napkins, etc.  It’s too bad we didn’t get a chance to try one of the cool little cafés or bars that line the street.

Rainy Street in Avignon

We continued strolling the rainy cobbled streets of Avignon, found a nice dry place to have a late lunch, and then got back into the car, with our bicycles in tow, and headed home to Antibes.

Pont du Gard

Although we thoroughly enjoyed spending our days cruising along the picturesque Canal du Midi, past the colorful countryside of the Languedoc, bicycling, sightseeing, shopping, cooking, and relaxing, the idea of heading to a hotel and taking a REAL shower also appealed to us, so we were not too disappointed to be disembarking today and moving on to our next destination.  After lunch in an unremarkable small town overlooking the Etang de Thau in the falling rain, we drove out of the rain and on to one of France’s top 5 tourist attractions, the Pont du Gard.  Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, this bridge was part of a 50-kilometer Roman aqueduct which may have been constructed in the 1^st century, A.D., in order to carry water from springs in the city of Uzès to the city of Nîmes.  Built without the use of mortar, the stones of the bridge are held together with iron clamps, which makes it quite a remarkable feat of engineering, and a site to be studied by future French journeymen masons.

Terrace Café in Avignon

We made it to our hotel in Avignon in the late afternoon.  Our first choice of hotels was Hôtel Cloître Saint Louis within the walls of the city, where we had stayed on our last visit to Avignon, but it had no available rooms for the night, and so, at their suggestion, we stayed at their sister hotel, the Avignon Grand Hôtel, which we were happy with, since it was basically just across the street from the walls of the city, and both rooms were almost as big as apartments, each with a large bedroom and a separate living room.  With hot showers and kilos of barge grime behind us, we all felt re-born and ready to hit the town, starting with a leisurely walk around town, followed by an apéritif at one of the sidewalk cafés in the lively town center, and finishing with dinner at a lovely Belle Époque restaurant called Hiély-Lucullus (5, rue de la République - tél: 04.90.86.17.07).

Cézanne en Provence

Dominique, Véronique, Christiane, and I drove 1½ hours to Aix-en-Provence to see the Cézanne en Provence Exposition at Musée Granet.  Dominique had bought the tickets about four weeks ago, so we didn’t have to wait in line to get in.  The Musée Granet has been closed to the public for over four years for renovation work.  The purpose of this introductory exhibition of Cézanne is just to give us a taste of what to expect at the museum before its permanent re-opening in 2007.  In this centenary year of Cézanne’s death, this particular exhibit is especially relevant, since it is in Aix-en-Provence that Cézanne was born and was deeply inspired.  A walking tour of his associations in Aix is marked on the sidewalks with brass plaques, to allow those interested to follow in his footsteps around the city.  It is enlightening to come face-to-face with many of the real-life Provençal subjects of the works displayed in Cézanne’s works, such as Jas de Bouffan, which was his family home, and, of course, the imposing Montagne Sainte-Victoire, which he painted prolifically.

Following the Gorge du Verdon

Our first order of business today was to drive over to the nearby Lac de Ste-Croix, a portion of the river Verdon which was dammed up to create the reservoir which generates the power supply for much of Provence.  The high fluorine content gives the lake its inviting greenish color.  We rented paddleboats at the lake, and paddled our way from the lake, under the bridge that separates the lake from the river, and then into the river Verdon, guided by the rocky cliffs of the Gorge du Verdon at our sides.  We never saw any power boats on the lake or the river, only canoes, kayaks, and manually-powered paddleboats like ours.  We didn’t see any good spots to get off the boat and pique-nique on land, but people were swimming nearby and pique-niquing on their boats. 

Jumpers at  Lac de Ste-Croix

It was also fun watching people jump into the water from the bridge when we were returning to the lake.  You have to look closely to see the two bodies in mid-air on the right-hand side of the bridge.

Chateau d’Aiguines

On our way back home, we took the southern route (D71) along the Gorge du Verdon, which was more scenic than the northern route we took on our way to Moustiers.  We stopped at Aiguines for an alfresco lunch in the main square.  Aiguines is a picturesque village overlooked by a 17^th-century chateau with a colorful tiled roof, and a nice area from which you can get great views of Lac de Ste-Croix.

Gorge du Verdon from Balcons de Mescla

There were lots of places to stop for taking in the scenery along our route on La Corniche Sublime (D71).  The Balcons de la Mescla was one such place, with stunning views of the Gorge.

Pont de l’Artuby

It was also from the Balcons de la Mescla where we got a great view of le Pont de l’Artuby.  As we walked across the 182-meter-high bridge, we noticed some enterprising sales people offering << saut à l’élastique >> (bungee jumping).  Strangely enough, we didn’t see any takers.

The Village of Trigance

Another stop, this time at the small fortified village of Trigance with its stone houses and its 11^th-century fortress perched on a rock overhead.

Sunday Market at St-Vallier-de-Thiey

The last stop of the day before getting back to Antibes was much closer to home at St-Vallier-de-Thiey, where we happened across a colorful Sunday Market, just in time to pick up some essential items for tonight’s aperitif.  Olives are always the perfect accompaniment to Pastis.

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

A village of about 600 inhabitants, Moustiers is nestled up against the steep mountainside and terraced over two rivers, la Maïre and le Riou, which provide the scenic cascades, and which require the picturesque stone bridges to navigate over them.  Suspended over the village, between the cliffs where the water tumbles down from the Notre-Dame Waterfall, is a 230-meter-long chain with a gold star in the middle.  According to legend, this << Chaîne de l’Étoile >> was hung there in fulfillment of a vow by a brave knight, possibly the Chevalier de Blacas, when he was freed from imprisonment during the 7^th Crusade.  You have to look hard to see the star (yellow speck) at the top of the photo above, but it’s there.

La Chapelle de Notre-Dame de Beauvoir

We hiked up to the 12^th-century Chapelle de Notre-Dame de Beauvoir, on the wide, stone stairs where pilgrims make the steep climb past the stations of the cross.

Stone Bridge in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

From above the church we had a great view of the village below and some of the stone bridges that spanned the rivers.  Because of the lack of rainfall this winter, there didn’t seem to be a lot of gushing water under the bridges, but rather more like trickling water, and some areas were completely dry.

Cascade in the Village Center

Down in the middle of the village, there was a lot more water.  From the high terrace of Le Bellevue, where we had lunch, we sat directly above the small river of L’Adou, where we could take in the tumbling cascades while listening to the water flowing beneath us.  The food was nothing to write home about, and it was a bit buggy with all the water around, but the setting was lovely.

Cité de la Faïence

After an afternoon of hiking in the hills above Moustiers, and doing the short << Tour du Village >> balade, we checked out the faïence for which Moustiers is well-known.  The glazed earthenware pottery of Moustiers gained its celebrity in the 17^th & 18^th centuries with its artistic Provençal decorations.  The village proclaims itself the << Cité de la Faïence >>, with Le Musée de la Faïence, La Fête de la Faïence in June, 19 operating studios of Faïence, and numerous shops selling the bounteous supply of mostly touristy gift items.

Road Trip to the Grand Canyon of France

Our first stop in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence today, was the village of Castellane, which sits on the Route Napoléon at the entrance to France’s largest canyon, the Gorge du Verdon.  Napoléon actually had lunch in Castellane on March 3, 1815, with the Chapelle Notre Dame du Roc standing watch over him from its commanding position 180 meters above the village.

The Gorge du Verdon from Point Sublime

Our first glimpse into the spectacular scenery of France’s Grand Canyon was from Point Sublime, where we could see how the Verdon River has cut profoundly into the rock to create the rugged landscape.

The Village of Moustiers-Ste-Marie

We arrived into the charming village of Moustiers-Ste-Marie about three hours and several stops after we left Antibes, heading northwest through Grasse following N85 to Castellane where we cut over to D952 into Moustiers.  It was a lot hotter than we expected – much hotter here at 631 meters than it was in Antibes at sea-level.  We were happy that we chose Moustiers-Ste-Marie as our base in the area, rather than Castellane, which we had also considered.  Moustiers was so picturesque, nestled into the surrounding cliffs with small bridges and small waterfalls, and it was much closer to the inviting Lac Ste-Croix, with its kayaks, canoes, and paddleboats.

La Bastide de Moustiers

La Bastide de Moustiers was a perfect way to wind down at the end of the day.  Their rooms were already booked up when we were doing our hotel search, but, fortunately, they had a lovely table for us on the terrace for dinner.  Although, it is a very nice hotel and a Michelin-starred restaurant, it is far enough away from the village to require driving back and forth.  However, it might be worth the drive, considering that there didn’t seem to be any hotels as nice within the village itself.

La Fête de la Saint-Sylvestre 2006

We spent New Years weekend in the picturesque village of Beuil with our friends, Christiane & Michel, in their chalet on the right-hand side of the photo.  If you look closely, you can see the small yellow trianglular roof of their chalet sticking up on the left-hand side of the dark gray church steeple.  Along with Christiane, Michel, Nathalie, Phillipe, Elsa, & Guillaume, we spent the weekend skiing, hiking, eating, drinking, and playing Whist (a card game which is ancestral to Bridge).

After le réveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre (New Year’s Eve Dinner) in Valberg, we went back to Beuil for a glass of génépi at the small pub in the village.  At the stroke of midnight, everyone was kissing everyone on each cheek – including strangers.  Dave was a bit taken aback when strange men were kissing him on both sides of his face, but he handled it quite graciously.

Bormes-les-Mimosas

After wine tasting in Bandol, we headed over to Bormes-les-Mimosas, where we spent the night in a lovely small hotel called Hostellerie du Cigalou right in the middle of the medieval village.  Bormes-les-Mimosas was named the most flowered village of Europe one year, and the whole village is classified as a protected site by the French government.  It is also known by many in France because President Chirac has his summer home nearby in Bregançon.

We got up early and hiked on one of several randonnées that lead directly out from the village.  We headed up one of the rocky sentiers toward the Chapelle Notre Dame de Constance after stopping by to check out the Château des Seigneurs de Fos.

On the way back home, we stopped into Le Lavandou where we checked out the old town, took a stroll along the boardwalk, and had lunch at a small restaurant on the beach.