7October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
Left St Remy, the birthplace of Nostradamus, after a quick look at the area over the road from our hotel – the clinic where Van Gogh spent time after he mutilated his ear! It is now a tourist area (of course) with highlighted areas around the grounds that may have inspired his various paintings. Also nearby is the Triumphal Arch, built by Caesar to celebrate his defeat of the Greeks and Gauls in 10BC. Such history abounds!
We drove across the Var, mostly on the A8 (tolls again) and down to St Tropez – busyish even out of season so we didn’t stop but could admire the local artists displaying their work on the quai Jean-Jaures, the houses and cafes and more luxury yachts. There are many nice little beaches along this stretch of the Cote D’Azur some with beautiful sand and others pebbley.
We got to Nice in good time to return the Peugeot – not a scratch to be seen thanks to Mark’s good driving and parking and some care. The rental man was most impressed as it is usual to return the new car damaged and in fact the next client displayed just this with some significant dents!!
Arrived back in London at 8.30pm after delays leaving and then queueing to land at Heathrow. The hotel here is one week old so nice and new, clean and fresh and quite a contrast to the last few weeks. Leave for LA tomorrow early evenng.
6October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
We left Toulouse this am after a good time catching up with the Deverell Family and headed back towards Provence via Carcassonne, mostly on the motorway past Narbonne, Beziers and Montpellier. We were entertained for some time at the Canal near Villemoustaussou watching the canal boats navigate the locks. The actual cruising part along the peaceful tree-lined canals looked very inviting – the locks once mastered would be ok too. We watched a smooth operating crew and another who just managed largely by bumping into other vessels!!
We drove most of the way today on the toll roads – very quick but uses up the euros. Tonight we are in the small town of St Remy de Provence – had a nice wee shop, a look at the church with a notable organ (concerts each Saturday), and had dinner at a pub/bar where I enjoyed the local speciality – lamb and tripe.
4October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
We are currently enjoying time in Toulouse with Mark’s cousin Ian, his wife Christine and their sons Jeremie, Stephen, Samuel, Faitala, and Peter. We drove here yesterday stopping to pick up Samuel from Bedarieux where he works at a guitar factory (producing high quality and expensive instruments).
It is nice to be in the city again after all the medieval villages and we are enjoying the musical entertainment as the boys play their instruments together regularly. Jeremie and Stephan have a band called Lady Distortion see www.myspace.com/ladydistortion
The weather has been markedly cooler but apart from a skiffle or two of rain it is all fine.
2October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
Visit to the Pont du Gard today, located between Avignon and Nimes. This structure is the most outstanding part of the remains of an old roman aqueduct built about 19BC to take 20 million litres of spring water daily to the city of Nimes via ditches, tunnels, siphons and bridges. The aqueduct itself, spanning the Gardon River, is made of huge limestone rocks, 3 tiers and 48 metres in height. Water went along the top and the lower 2 levels were for people and traffic at various stages. It fell into disrepair during the middle ages and also some blocks were used for other structures. Again a very impressive structure and engineering feat way before modern times.
This afternoon we drove to Gordes – a very cute village tumbling in cascades down a rocky hillside. Also around the area we saw old bories – drystone structures like beehives built from around 3500 BC and used for shelter and storage. Last stop was Rousillon – another village on a crag! But interesting for the use of ochre colours all around – about 17 shades they reckon. The earth and rocks looked very richly coloured.
2October2008
Posted by admin under: Background.
Interesting day yesterday with 2 quite different stops. First, The Cathedrale D’ Images – a multi media slide show with classical music in a huge disused underground quarry, at les Baux en Provence, where bauxite was first discovered in 1822. A different theme is chosen each year and images are projected simultaneously onto various walls, floor and ceiling spaces giving an incredible 3D effect. This years’ theme is Van Gogh. Mark counted about 40 different projectors but quite hard to count in the dark! The space is cavernous and you wander at leisure not sure where to look to see it all at the same time. Show lasts 30 minutes and runs continuously.
Then, a visit at Nimes to the best preserved of all the remaining (200) Roman arena. One of the 20 largest – seating 24,000, the outer facade 21m high and inside 2 huge tiers with 60 arcades. I was much amused by the name of the many exits and passageway areas called vomitories – designed to keep the plebs from mixing with the patricians! I could imagine what else occurred there maybe. Listened to an audioguide on a self-paced tour of the arena – very impressive – could not listen to all the info unless you stayed ½ day at least! Also static displays of costume and equipment and videos of the action! The arena is still used for events, which is incredible – would be deemed a health and safety hazard in NZ I’m sure – no handrails on very high steep levels, very slippery uneven marble slabs, trip dangers etc – no doubt we would have to sign up prior to entry and to being responsible for undertaking a hazardous visit in NZ! However, great to see this and imagine the torrid spectacles of the past.
Staying for the next 2 nights near Avingnon.
1October2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
A highlight at the end of our day yesterday exploring the Camargue area of Provence yesterday, was a visit to the Parc Ornithologique where we saw up close 100’s of flamingos – graceful and beautiful. They made a lot of noise “chattering” and gurgling as they pushed their bills through the water when feeding. Easy to sit and admire. Gorgeous colours as they open their wings and about 5 different breeds and colour variations. We saw a few flying – very streamlined and often in formation. Other birds in the Parc included ducks, egrets, herons, falcon and owl. Of interest too were a kind of beaver (my French was challenged here reading the explanation boards to discover exactly what it was!).
Earlier in the day we drove around the Camargue area – formed by the delta of the Great Rhone and the Little Rhone – wetlands of salt marshes, pastures and sand dunes and also took a boat ride up the Little Rhone. The highlights were the white Camargue horses which roam wild in the marshes and are also used as workhorses and the black Camargue bulls – used by professional bullfighters for different types of games in the arenas (not the gory Spanish bullfighting!!) The owners are known as Manadiers and the keepers as the guardians. The horses are black/auburn at birth and become totally white by about 7-8 years, they live 20-30 years so are the guardians friends for life when broken in.
The landscape looks very bleak but supports not only these animals (hardwork!) but also is irrigated to grow rice which grows between May and September – 1 ha produces 5-7 tonnes of rice. The filling and emptying of the marshes also allows salt to be harvested. Grapes and apples also grow in the area.
29September2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
Today, (29th) we have driven through the chasms of the Gorges du Verdon, France’s /Europe’s answer to the U.S. Grand Canyon depending on which guide you read. The Verdon river cuts into striated rock up to 700m deep in places – great views of stark limestone faces, slabs of rock angled in all directions and of course way down… the river – a bit of a trickle at present. Highest road point was 1200m. Photos just don’t do the views justice. There are a few little towns along the way, the best being Castellane at one end with a church perched airily on top of rock and Aiguines (lunch stop) nearer the other end with a beautiful 17th century chateau overlooking Lac de Ste-Croix. Each of the 4 turrets are tiled differently. A bit further on is Moustiers-Ste-Marie (at the end of the lake) – on the edge of a ravine – I climbed a steep path up to a 12th century chapel with stunning views out to the Gorges. Slung between the 2 sides of the ravine is a golden star, renewed the year I was born but said to date back to 13th century. You will need to look hard to see the star in the photo! (Mark had a siesta through all this! to recover from negotiating about 100 hair pin bends in the last two days!)
We then passed through lavender country (again not the right flowering time) and onto the A8 and A54 where we picked up speed (110-130km/hr) and paid E$8 in tolls to our stay in the countryside near Arles.
Yesterday – 28th – started with a cultural interlude in Sospel – viewed the magnificent cathedral and then the local festival – marching bands and folk dancing followed by a parade of animals – horses, donkeys, cows with bells and sheep – the street sweeper truck followed along behind!
Off then through the Foret de Turini – beech, maple, sweet chestnut, pines and cliffs! Magnificent scenery and colours – red/orange bushes, all shades of green and tinges of yellow as autumn approaches. Highest road point was 1607m. Followed on though the Valle and Gorges de la Vesubie – more stunning rock formations, colour and shapes. Very dramatic Citadel at Entrevaux – perched on a rocky outcrop with an impressive zig-zag path to the top. Detoured via Castellane with it’s large aquamarine coloured man-made hydro lake before spending the night at St. Andre-les-Alpes.
27September2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
Set off today along the Italian Riveria en route to France- through the old port city of Genoa where Christopher Columbus was born. A big port city, lots of old apartment blocks and washing hanging out to dry – how they keep their whites clean is beyond me!
Quite a pretty drive- nice expansive coastal views, yachts out along coast and plenty of marina and impressive homes of course. Not as glitzy as the French Riviera though. Got stuck in a big traffic jam in San Remo – a major motorshow or rally stopover or the like.
We crossed into France up in the foothills of The Alpes Provence (535m) – no borders these days! Impressive mountains, hairpin bends and scenery. Now in the little medieval village of Sospel (in the Alpes) founded in 500 AD. Staying in a B&B that once belonged to Napolean’s sister 600 years ago- protected from major structural change so a little quaint but cute and comfortable. No lifts of course so Mark got plenty of weight training in! Yummy dinner and wine in a wee restaurant where food was cooked above and sent down to table via a manual dumb waiter arrangement.
26September2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
The Cinque Terre means 5 lands (Pronounced Ching-qua tear-re)
Today was an outing to these cute little villages that hug tightly to the Italian coast and are largely only accessed by train or boat or hiking the famous track in between them – about 5 hours with varying degrees of difficulty. There are no cars except for little delivery carts – 3 wheels. We took the train from Santa Margherita to the easternmost village Riomaggiore with its brightly coloured houses piled up the steep slopes (no two houses on the same level) and then walked to the next village – Manarola via Via dell’Amore (Lover’s Path) an easy 20 minute stroll. Houses here are all pastel coloured and again crowded up the hill.
We then took a boat past the next village, Corniglia, the smallest and remotest of the villages (no harbour) set high on a cliff., and hopped off at Vernazza – again brightly coloured and crowded up a hillside valley but with a cute harbour and a sandy beach!! Then took the train to last village, Monterosso, largest and most developed and then train back to our base at Santa Margherita Ligure. Staying in an oldish castle here with a nice view over the bay and across to Portofino way.
We are now up to date with photos – see “Umbria and Tuscany” and “Cinque Terre”…
26September2008
Posted by Gill under: 2008 Travels.
Headed cross country today through Tuscany skirting south of Florence, through rolling hills, grape vines (Chianti), cypress trees and ploughed fields. Very dry but ‘typical’ Tuscan, as in pictures minus the sunflowers! Lots of little hamlets on mountain spurs and up valleys, many walled and with castles or fortresses. Then into the province of Liguria and on to Santa Margherita (base for 2 nights) and drove along to Portofino. Lovely coast – windy though and narrow – Mark has done narrow and steep villages with very sharp turns!!