Road Trip – Week 2 Nimes to Aix en Provence

Day 7 – Saint-Rémy-de-Provence

An early start got me to Saint Remy before the crowds. It’s a charming place which is one of the oldest towns in France.

It’s where Van Gogh  spent the last year of his life at the asylum at the edge of town. It’s also where he painted his most famous paintings.

Another famous resident was Nostradamus. He was born here in 1503.

The town has been inhabited since prehistory. The Romans were here and there is an archaeological site, Glanum, located just outside the town center.

I had to be in Aix at four, so this day was a speed tour. I hoped to get back here another day. 

The walled part of St. Remy is quite small, so doesn’t take long to see. Many of the shops were decorated above their windows!

I caught a glimpse of this vine-covered chateau out of the corner of my eye when I headed out of town. I got about 3 miles down the road when I decided to try to go back and get a photo. It’s on a narrow, busy road with no place to pull over. Hence, this photo does not do it justice, but I can still see it in my mind.

Driving through this region I was delighted to see red poppies growing along the sides of the road. Unfortunately I was too early to see the lavender in bloom. Last time I was here the sunflowers were blooming and it was glorious. Of course there are also miles of vineyards.

My most useful phrase  “je suis désolé, je ne parle français,” I’m sorry, I don’t speak French.” Even just “Désolé, no français” worked too! And as they say “bonjour” goes a long way.

L’Ile-sur-la-Sorgue

The old part of this town is a real tangle of tiny streets, so easy to get lost. I have a really good sense of direction but needed to find my way back to my car. It’s easy once you can get out to the river that surrounds the island but you have to get to it.

I happen to arrive on market day, good and bad. The market is huge and winds through the tiny streets on the island. This makes it hard to see the buildings and get the feel of the town. The market started in 1596.

The city is the antique capital of the south of France with many vendors. But what I found charming were the antique shops surrounding the island and, of course, the waterwheels.

The River Sorgue divides the city into several islands. Recent excavations have shown the presence of man from 4000 BC. The river served as a moat around ramparts which surrounded the town until 1795. The river also served as a source of food and industry. Such as fishing and mills for oil, wheat, silk, paper, woolens, rugs, and dyeing. Water wheels ran the mills. At one time there were as many as 70 waterwheels, today 17 are left.

Notre-Dame des Anges church, in the historic center, was constructed in 1212 . 

Cicadas

The cicada is a part of Provence’s agricultural rhythm, symbolizing good luck and prosperity.

According to local legend, cicadas were sent by God to rouse peasants from their summer naps to ensure they didn’t become too lazy.

However, this backfired as the buzzing sound lulled the workers into an even deeper sleep?. This legend is captured in the old saying, “Il ne fait pas bon de travailler quand la cigale chante” — it’s not good to work when the cicada sings.

Gordes is one of the most well-known hilltop villages in the region.

Marc Chagall lived in Gordes for a time. He left Paris in 1940, concerned about his possible arrest as a “degenerate” by the occupying German troops. He settled in Gordes and set up a studio. His was one of the few houses in Gordes that was not fallen in. He was only there a year but kept the house and would return off and on the rest of his life. Because Gordes was an active center for the resistance his life was in danger so he fled to the U.S.

At the time Gordes was described as “a charming, tumbled-down old town on the edge of a vast and peaceful valley.”

The castle dates from the 10th century and dominates the village.

Time to Drop off the Car

The only time Siri let me down was when I was trying to get to the TGV train station. It took me up a one-lane road into the woods. If I would have kept going, I would have eventually gotten to the station but it would have taken me forever.

When I switched to the car GPS has the right of way. Well, even if that is the case in France, I was the one backing up. Fortunately, I am good at it so I eventually found a place to pull over so they could get by.

I went back down the hill and turned right, drove a few miles and once again ask Siri for directions. This time he took me on the highway!

Things are not always as convenient as I think they should be. The car drop-off at the train station is about 200 yards from the terminal. Evidently, they do not allow taxis on car rental side of the terminal so you have to walk, lugging your stuff. Fortunately, I tend to travel light. You have to walk to the terminal, take the elevator to Stop 2, walk across a catwalk. Then there is another elevator taking you to the ground level. Unfortunately, the elevator was not working so I had to go down two flights of stairs with my luggage to get a taxi. 

The kicker was when I got to the hotel I discovered there is a Sixt car rental office one block away! C’est la vie!

Aix En Provence and Smithsonian Journeys

This is where I met up with a Smithsonian Journey group. Living in France: A Three-Week Stay in Provence.

While I don’t mind, and even enjoy traveling by myself, I’m old and you never know what might happen. So it is nice to have someone have your back. Just having someone haul you around while you gawk out the window is nice too. I’ve been on a few tours that hop from one hotel to the next with no downtime. I’m at a point where now I know the regions I like and now want to be able to explore them in depth.

We stayed in Adagio Aparthotel. It’s just a few blocks from the museums, shops, and markets. I had an efficiency apartment with a fully equipped kitchenette that would be a couple thousand a month in NYC. It’s not luxurious but nice. The entire place has been totally renovated in the last year so many of the reviews you read online are out of date. 

Some people complain about construction across the street. They must have been here when whatever was there was being torn down because it is currently an archaeology site. As you can imagine in an area that has been inhabited since at least 123 BC , anywhere you dig you are going to find ruins, and when you do everything stops.

On this tour there are 3 tracks you can chose from art and architecture (what I chose, of course), language, (should do this but didn’t want to spend the time) or culinary (not a foodie).

They actually set it up so you could do all three but I wanted to have free time to explore on my own, and have some time to chill.

It’s a great group, 28 in all. Some days we toured as a group, some days just with just your track, some days just met for a meal, some days just for a drink, and some days did not meet at all.

Everyone is very well traveled, most way more than me so I got many great travel ideas of where to go next.

Day 8
Our aparthotel is on the edge of  Vieil Aix, which is a tangle of medieval lanes. It is divided from 17th-Century Quartier Mazarin where the rich built their mansions by the Cours Mirabeau. The Cours Mirabeau s a wide street with shops on one side and many banks on the other. The Cours Mirabeau was built when they tore down the walls of the old city. 

We walked to the Quartier mazarin and had a lecture on the history of Aix.

Then we took a walking tour of both of these quarters. Loved the woman’s hair!

We had lunch at La Brocherie, which started with a buffet of starters, grilled salmon (you could see the chef grilling it over the open flame), frites and mixed vegis, followed by a chocolate mousse.

I was in Aix with the artists group in the ’90s but don’t really remember much about it. It’s a beautiful city that glows. It is notable for it’s many fountains and huge plane trees.

You will see a lot of market photos. There is some kind of market every day.

The Vendome, is a beautiful public park and event space at the end of our block. They call the building a “folly.” I always equated that term with a cute little building in the garden, not a mansion. It was built for the Duke of Vendome, governor of Provence and cousin of Louis XIV.  He was one of the most aggressive and successful French army commanders during the wars of Louis XIV.

Day 9 in Aix

This was a free day. I got up late, wandered to the market, the grocery, tourist office, Sixt office, and back to the hotel to take a break. That evening I went to dinner with some folks. One was a lady who left her phone on the plane. OMG, I would freak out. But that is why I always travel with my iPad as well as the phone. I leave the iPad in the hotel, but at least I would have a way to communicate and shut my phone off if I lost it.

The lady could not remember her son’s phone number but said her daughter-in-law was on FB a lot. I left a message on FB asking that her son call my phone. Which he did. He said go to an Apple store and they might be able to shut it down so her account could not be accessed. Fortunately, there is one twonblocks away. She took her passport and they were able to help her.

We went to a restaurant serving traditional French food. I had an artichoke soup, leg of lamb, vegis, and mashed potatoes! I also had a glass of sparking wine that smelled and tasted of rose water.

The fellow worked for the World Bank, he’s now retired but is still a consultant for them. Unfortunately, he confirmed my fears about the monetary stability of our country at the moment.

He also said he already knew the group by face and name, all except four people, and would know THEM by the end of tomorrow. Boy, I wish I could do that. So I copied the list of participants, and am making notes beside the name when I grab on something to remember each person by.

Day 10 Luberon Region

The whole group went to the Luberon region. There is a lot of agriculture there, and the town of Cavilion is famous for its melons.

The area has a maximum elevation of 4,121 feet and is about 230 square miles. There are three mountain ranges: Lesser Luberon, Greater Luberon, and Eastern Luberon.

Lavender Museum

The museum was well done and very interesting. I didn’t realize how much I did not know about lavender. Like the fact that there is Fine Lavender, which grows above 2600 feet. It’s a small plant, one flower grows on each stem. It is used for its medicinal properties and perfume. 286 pounds of the plant are needed to produce 34 fluid ounces.

Spike Lavender grows below 2,000 feet, each stem carries several small flowers and is used for diluting paint.

Lavardine grows below 2,600 feet all over the world. It is tall and grows in large clumps. It is a hybrid between fine and spike lavender. It has a much stronger smell and is less subtle than fine lavender. It cannot be used for medicinal purposes and is mostly used in cleaning products. The flowers are used in the little sachets you find. It takes 1400 pounds to make 32 ounces of oil.

The museum is housed in a traditional Provencal farmhouse made of dry stones from the area. It is  and surrounded by a field of lavender shaded by olive trees and parasol pines. “This museum serves as a true conservatory for Fine Lavender from Provence, as well as workshops.”

Fine lavender can treat insomnia, cuts and burns, colds and sinus, sore throats, cramps, and head lice!

The oil is distilled by packing flowers into a still, then steam goes through it to extract the oil. In the old days when it was not lavender harvest season farmers were able to use their stills to make alcohol. They cannot do that now. The remaining stems need to be burned after the oil is extracted since they will not deteriorate if they try to compost them.

Alas, we were too early to see the fields in bloom, I’ll just have to come back in July.

Our last stop for the day was Rousillon. On the way we crossed the Roman road that runs from Carpentras to the Apt Valley. This is a Roman bridge,which you could drive over up until a few years ago.

Roussillon

Roussillon is a charming village located in the Vaucluse area of Provence. It is renowned for its ochre cliffs and red-orange buildings.

“Rouge” is French for “red,” so the name is pronounced something like rougesion.

The history of the town is intertwined with the ochre industry, which has shaped both its economy and its landscape. It dates back to settlements as early as the Neolithic period and much later the Romans.

The discovery of ochre deposits in the surrounding cliffs transformed Roussillon’s economy in the 18th century. The rich ochre pigments were used in painting and construction, leading to the establishment of numerous ochre mines.

If you are a artist, you can never walk into an art supply store without coming out with something, need it or not. I bought a set that comes with six dry pigments with light and dark ochre. The pigments can be mixed with various ingredients to make tempera, watercolor, acrylic and oil paints.

I’m anxious to try it. I purchased the dried pigments to try to use in an underglaze, we’ll see! The small set is ready to be used as watercolors.

It seems many elite who have had homes on the Riveria also have homes in the Luberon. One noteable one was Matthew McConaughey. He lived here when his children were small. 

Look how scary that staircase is!

Day 11

This was a leisurely day. I was a slug until 11 when I went to the market.

More on Solo Travel

Pros 
Do only what you want to do, spend as little or as much time in a place, lots of time to think, eat or don’t eat, and you end up meeting more people.
Cons
Costs more because you are not splitting expenses, might get lonely, two heads are better than one in solving issues, someone has your back. You have to accommodate others wishes and time frame.
Conclusion
I like both travel solo and traveling with others. The best is a mixture like the tour I’m currently on with Smithsonian. Fortunately, I have traveled extensively in the U.S. by myself, I’m very cautious and am not afraid. 

I, unfortunately, have a habit of losing things so I have tied my wallet to my purse. My phone is on a tether and also tied to my purse. If someone tried to steal either they would take me with it and I cannot leave either without leaving my whole purse. It is not attractive at all but fashion gives way to safety.

Also I have apple trackers in my suitcases, purse, and on my camera. This was great in Salsburg when the airline kept saying they would deliver my luggage. I could see it was still in the baggage claim at the airport after a day so went out myself to retrieve it.

And lastly, I sometimes wish I wasn’t so much of a loner, but it takes a lot of alone time to paint as much as i do. I”d like to try to find a better balance.

Day 12 Aix

Today we visited the The Granet Museum, which is housed in a17th-century building that was formerly the priory of the Knights of Malta. It’s collection spans many centuries with archaeological artifacts, old masters including paintings by Rembrandt, Rubens, Cezanne, Monet, Van Gogh, and Degas, Picasso, Braque, Léger, and Klee.

In the evening we had an amazing meal at La Bouchee. We had a Provencial Tart – a slice of eggplant wrapped with strips of zucchini, on some kind of a crunchy base, OMG. The main was Cod with spring potatoes and fennel olive compote. Another OMG was the dessert, a thin skinned chocolate pear filled with ice cream.

Day 13

Silvacane Abbey
As a group we visited Silvacane Abbey, Provence’s oldest Cistercian Abbey, It was founded around 1145. The site was chosen for its seclusion and proximity to water.

It is one of the three Cistercian abbeys in Provence known as the “three sisters of Provence”. The abbey’s prosperity faded by the 14th century due to political instability and the plague.

Now it’s used for cultural events like piano and vocal festivals. 

Lourmarin and Its Castle

A castle is a fortified structure that was built for defensive purposes. A chateau is a grand country house or palace that was built for residential or leisure purposes.

This castle started out as a 12th-century fortress, and  was transformed into a castle in the 15th century. After the French Revolution it fell into ruin. In 1920 Robert Laurent-Vibert aquired it and restored the castle. He died in 1925 and donated it to the Academie des Sciences, Agriculture and Arts. A foundation was created and now each year ten, painters, sculptors, musicians, researchers, and writers come as resident artists.

The circular staircase built from slabs of stone is one of its outstanding features.

Looking toward town from the castle you see the village.

Evidence suggests that the area has been inhabited as far back as 10,000 years, with the discovery of prehistoric tools and cave dwellings nearby.

It later served as a Roman settlement.

And our last stop for the day was at La Tour d’Aigues. The dominating feature of this town is the ruins of a palace. The site originally held a medieval fortress dating back to the 12th century.

In the 16th century, the fortress was transformed into a Renaissance palace by the d’Agoult family. It was designed with elaborate courtyards, gardens, and lavish interiors. The château suffered damage during the French Revolution.

Revolutionaries burned and looted the structure, seeing it as a symbol of aristocratic oppression. The ruins were classified as a historic monument in 1893. It now hosts art shows, concerts, and theatrical performances.

The end of another fabulous week in Provence!