I became enamored with Provence while studying Vincent Van Gogh in college. Van Gogh spent two years towards the end of his life there, and it was the inspiration behind his most well loved paintings, including The Starry Night, Sunflowers, and Night Cafe.
Last week we spent 5 days in Provence and with sunflowers fields around every bend and the sun shinning bright, I felt like I walked right into a Van Gogh painting. Provence is an extremely diverse area, and prior to our trip I had no idea that it had so much Roman History. Roman ruins (many over 2,000 years old) can be found everywhere, and are some of the best preserved in the world. There was so much too see, and while we didn't see it all, we made a valiant effort to see as much as we could. We loved it, the kids loved it... it was a definite highlight of our European experience.
*Disclaimer: this is a LONG one.
Pont Du Gard
The first stop on our trip was to a Roman aqueduct built in 19 B.C. If you can't tell from the pictures below, this thing was massive, perfectly preserved, and absolutely jaw dropping. We loved hiking above it, swimming in the river below, and the boys loved sporting their new "European" swim shorts. We also thought the terrain was pretty cool.
Arles, France
We loved Arles with it's Roman ruins (including a massive arena- once home to gladiator fights), laid back atmosphere, and Van Gogh history. This city was heavily destroyed during WWII, but you would never know it today (don't judge that statement by the ruin pictures below- the rest of the city was intact).
Arles's Roman arena still hosts bull flights and I was really excited to go to one- until I discovered that they actually kill the bull. I think that may have been traumatic for the kids...and me.
The actual "Cafe La Nuit" alongside Van Gogh's version
The Camargue
40 minutes south of Arles, along the Mediterranean Sea, is The Camargue. This is a preserve where wild horses, bulls, boars and flamingos roam freely. It was a bit windy, but lovely.
Avignon, France
Avignon felt a little like Paris to me, only much more intimate. Surrounded by a massive wall, it is also larger and slightly busier than Arles. At first we thought we preferred Arles, but by the end of the day Avignon may have won us over.
The Palace of the Popes
Did you know that from 1309-1403 the Pope lived in Avignon? And that in 1378 the Italians demanded that the Pope live in Rome, so for about 40 years there were two popes? Me neither.
Well, the Pope did live in Avignon for a period and during that time he lived in the Palace of the Popes. He also had that massive wall I mentioned built around the entire city.
The view of Avignon from a bridge on the Rhone.
Provence is famous for it's cuisine, which largely consists of garlic, olives, herbs and tomatoes. With the kids we weren't able to experience any really nice restaurants, but Sam kept commenting on how much he loved the "fancy" outdoor cafes where we ate. Yes, it was an upgrade to the brot and schnitzel stands we frequent in Germany. Andrew also did try the local bull- hopefully the meat source was not the loser of a bullfight.
Les Baux- "The Dead City"
Les Baux is an abandoned Medieval village and castle set atop of the Alpilles Mountains. The location was used by the Celts in the 2nd century B.C., but beginning in the Middle Ages it was built up and ruled by the Lords of Baux- notorious warriors who controlled much of the surrounding region. The Lords were eventually taken out of power in the 12th century, and in the 17th century Les Baux unsuccessfully revolted against the French Crown, which led to it's demolition in 1632. Still, with what is left of the castle and village you can easily imagine what a force this place was while it was up and thriving.
Bet you didn't know you would be getting a history lesson. You. Are. Welcome.
Annecy, France
We ended our trip by driving halfway home and stopping in Annecy to spend the night camping. This location allowed us to go to an English speaking church in Geneva the next day- which was lovely. I'll have to do another post on European camping- Andrew is convinced this is what caused the Europeans to become "soft". We loved Annecy and since it is only 3 hours away, we will be heading back there in the future.
Lake Annecy
The first stop on our trip was to a Roman aqueduct built in 19 B.C. If you can't tell from the pictures below, this thing was massive, perfectly preserved, and absolutely jaw dropping. We loved hiking above it, swimming in the river below, and the boys loved sporting their new "European" swim shorts. We also thought the terrain was pretty cool.
Arles, France
We loved Arles with it's Roman ruins (including a massive arena- once home to gladiator fights), laid back atmosphere, and Van Gogh history. This city was heavily destroyed during WWII, but you would never know it today (don't judge that statement by the ruin pictures below- the rest of the city was intact).
Arles's Roman arena still hosts bull flights and I was really excited to go to one- until I discovered that they actually kill the bull. I think that may have been traumatic for the kids...and me.
The actual "Cafe La Nuit" alongside Van Gogh's version
The Camargue
40 minutes south of Arles, along the Mediterranean Sea, is The Camargue. This is a preserve where wild horses, bulls, boars and flamingos roam freely. It was a bit windy, but lovely.
Avignon, France
Avignon felt a little like Paris to me, only much more intimate. Surrounded by a massive wall, it is also larger and slightly busier than Arles. At first we thought we preferred Arles, but by the end of the day Avignon may have won us over.
The Palace of the Popes
Did you know that from 1309-1403 the Pope lived in Avignon? And that in 1378 the Italians demanded that the Pope live in Rome, so for about 40 years there were two popes? Me neither.
Well, the Pope did live in Avignon for a period and during that time he lived in the Palace of the Popes. He also had that massive wall I mentioned built around the entire city.
The view of Avignon from a bridge on the Rhone.
Provence is famous for it's cuisine, which largely consists of garlic, olives, herbs and tomatoes. With the kids we weren't able to experience any really nice restaurants, but Sam kept commenting on how much he loved the "fancy" outdoor cafes where we ate. Yes, it was an upgrade to the brot and schnitzel stands we frequent in Germany. Andrew also did try the local bull- hopefully the meat source was not the loser of a bullfight.
Les Baux- "The Dead City"
Les Baux is an abandoned Medieval village and castle set atop of the Alpilles Mountains. The location was used by the Celts in the 2nd century B.C., but beginning in the Middle Ages it was built up and ruled by the Lords of Baux- notorious warriors who controlled much of the surrounding region. The Lords were eventually taken out of power in the 12th century, and in the 17th century Les Baux unsuccessfully revolted against the French Crown, which led to it's demolition in 1632. Still, with what is left of the castle and village you can easily imagine what a force this place was while it was up and thriving.
Bet you didn't know you would be getting a history lesson. You. Are. Welcome.
Annecy, France
We ended our trip by driving halfway home and stopping in Annecy to spend the night camping. This location allowed us to go to an English speaking church in Geneva the next day- which was lovely. I'll have to do another post on European camping- Andrew is convinced this is what caused the Europeans to become "soft". We loved Annecy and since it is only 3 hours away, we will be heading back there in the future.
Lake Annecy
6 comments:
I don't know how I feel about those swim shorts. But everything else was so beautiful. And you are getting to be so wise. You and Jack can collaborate when he starts writing his travel books.
AMAZING!!!!!
I miss Europe!!!!! That picture of the sunflower fields is so beautiful, I want to go there! Like right now. And thats really cool that you found that cafe from the painting!
I read the History lesson to the family. Very cool!
I loved this post - all the history and pictures. I especially loved the Cafe La Nuit pictures.
Teach me all the history you want, my friend. I loved reading every word! So I hope we see you in NJ--the girls and I will be there for a week (Aug 6-13). I think I remember Ashley and Becca saying that you would be in NJ until the 10th...
I need to be you!!!
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