A herd and a flock above Vedene......

It must be the time of year for the sheep and goats in the area to visit and snack on the grasses on the hill above Vedene. During the summer months you don't find many people or animals in this area but with the cooler temperatures both man and beast are making the rounds with increased frequency.

Nearly everyday for the past 3 or 4 weeks there has been a herd of goats and a flock of sheep making their presence known on "the hill" above the town. Most times you will hear them before you see them as a few of the sheep and goats have bells around their necks that give off a distinctive sound every time they move. Accompanying these animals are usually 3-4 extremely well trained dogs who keep the group moving in the direction that the herder tells them to. It is amazing to just step back and watch and admire the communication between the herder and his dogs. The dogs are VERY aware and attentive and no strays are left behind.

Of course Rudy wants to run and chase and there's no doubt the animals would be spread out over all 4 corners of the hill by the time he finished his "herding" chores. That being the case Rudy is kept close and on his leash which gives him many stressful moments,  especially when these curious animals want to get a closer look at him.

"NSLB" - No Stray Left Behind 

Alicia holds on to Rudy as the goats and sheep approach. 

Rudy doing his best herding impression. 

Curious sheep moving in closer to get a closer look at this shaking dog. 

Heading across the hill and back towards home. 

Saumane de Vaucluse

Above Saumane de Vaucluse 

One of our recent voyages took us to the very small but picturesque village of Saumane-de-Vaucluse. This little hillside town is tucked away up in the west end of the Vaucluse mountain range and doesn't get much of the tourist traffic other towns in the area receive. In fact, there is only one business which is a quant looking cafe that sits near the entrance to the village.

The small 12th century St-Trophime church is located on the south end of the village where you can also get some nice views of the Sorgue River valley in the distance. There is an impressive looking chateau-fortress just past the northern boundary of the village, but it is a private residence and I would have needed to scale the walls or gate to take a closer look. Since I wasn't in the mood to get arrested for trespassing I thought it best to just admire it from afar.

Still no real fall color on the trees here and many of the leaves on those trees are turning a rust color before they finally let go and float softly to earth. Lots of leaves already piling up on ground so I don't think we'll have a colorful fall season here.

St-Trophime church 

Le Bistrol de Saumane restaurant...the only business in town. 

One of the few streets weaving its way through the village.

This mildly cross eyed kitty didn't seem to be in very good humor, but he gave his okay for just one photo. 

At least someone in the village seems to have a sense of humor.

All things American.....

The church of Notre Dame du Lac which sits right next to the Sorgue river greets you as you enter Le Thor. 

Earlier this month we spent a Saturday afternoon in the town of Le Thor which is only a 15 minute drive southeast of Vedene. The purpose of our trip was to see what their American Festival was all about. I really wasn't expecting much but I must admit I was very surprised and impressed with the festival and the large crowds who attended during the day.

There were a fair amount of old American cars and trucks as well as Harley Davidson motorcycles. One of the courtyards in the center of town was filled with people in cowboy hats line dancing to some American country music....and they must have been practicing because they were very good. Lots of people dressed up in American clothes from the 1940's & 1950's singing songs from that era....with a definite French accent.

Still not much color on the leaves here with more falling to the ground quickly turning from green to brown. It's turned much colder and very windy today with the forecast calling for 50 mph winds tomorrow which should separate many leaves from the trees. I'll still keep holding out hope that fall is a little late here and we'll still see some color on those remaining leaves.

I'm not so sure this was American made but it sure looks like it would be alot of fun to ride.  

I think this Cadillac might have been slightly modified from its original version. 

Old Chevy pickup with Texas license plates. 

Just part of the huge crowd enjoying the festival 

These ladies were singing alot of those American songs from the 40's & 50's 

A crowd watching some line dancing and some Texas two-stepping. 

The kids weren't left out of the fun as there were carnival rides to enjoy after getting your face painted.

Another really nice Chevy pickup.

le Barroux.....

Looking southeast towards le Barroux

A little over a week ago we returned to the little village of le Barroux which we had passed through a few months earlier. Of course our first visit was at the end of the day but the town appeared to be worth coming back to and taking a closer look.

This small village is dominated by a 12th century chateau which was built to protect against invasions that plagued the area during medieval times. It went through major additions in the 16th and 17th centuries but was damaged during the French Revolution. It was repaired in 1929 but because of French resistance during World War II the Germans set it on fire in 1944.  New owners in 1960 took on the task of restoring this castle to its original state.

The castle is open for tours but when we arrived the last tour for the day had just started so we missed out on that. We had more than enough daylight left to walk through the town which was very quiet and peaceful. Not alot of shops & restaurants in the village but it has its fair share of nice homes and scenic views especially towards the south into the valleys below.

Already the middle of October and I know the trees back home, at least in some areas are showing some brilliant fall colors. It's starting to feel like fall here but so far I haven't seen any leaves turning color although some have already fallen to the ground. The camera is ready so I'll be on the lookout for any leaves that start to give off any hint of changing to shades of orange, red or yellow......wish me luck!

City hall in the shadows of the castle. 

Church next to the castle. 

Fountain near the center of town. 

Looking to the south...many small villages and towns in that valley below.

After leaving le Barroux we passed through the very small village of la Roque-Alric...population: 75

A trip to Nimes....

A few weeks ago we finally visited Nimes which during the Roman era was a very important city. There are still remnants from that era but the town has also grown and expanded with some parts very modern. On the day we arrived the center of the city was buzzing with activity and the streets were full of people. I'm not sure if it's always this crowded but on this day they were having bullfights in the 2nd century Roman arena which is one of the best preserved in France. We had planned to tour the arena but since we weren't too interested in the bullfights we were content to walk those crowded streets and see the sights.

Many people were out shopping as well as having lunch outside while enjoying the many streetside musical and performance acts. Nimes draws in alot of tourists and those tourists were not in short supply as we saw quite a few buses emptying of people. Like many of our trips we often visit multiple areas in one day and Nimes was our last stop. Needless to say we didn't have nearly enough time to really take in all of the city which would probably require a full day.

These guys didn't just walk on these, they also danced.  I think they called this dance the "ankle break."  :-) 

This guy greets you as you're making your way to the Roman arena.

The heart of the city with the arena looming over it. 

Huge fountain near the entrance to the center of town.

While enjoying a cool drink at this cafe these musicians  dropped by to entertain. They performed a very good rendition of the Pink Panther theme song.

One of the many small shops in Nimes. 

Tarascon.....

Tarascon Castle

I know it's been awhile since my last post so I do have some catching up to do. We've been to a few places since my last entry so I have added alot of photos to the computer files. A couple of weekends ago we returned to the town of Tarascon that sits on the Rhone river south of Avignon. The Tarascon castle and St Martha's Church are 2 impressive landmarks in the town.

Construction on the castle was started in 1441 and finished in 1449. It is one of largest and most well preserved castles that I have seen since arriving here. They spared no expense when building this fortress that has many levels and some nice courtyards inside the walls. Starting in the 16th century the castle was used as a prison up until the 19th century. When touring some of the rooms you can see some very artistic carvings in the stone left by those prisoners. Many of those incarcerated were from the Spanish and English navies so many images of boats and ships cover the walls.

Just across from the castle stands St. Martha's Church which has its origins in the 10th century but was almost entirely rebuilt in the 14th century. As you would expect the church is very ornate on the inside with those high, arched ceilings that many of the churches in this region exhibit.

St. Martha's Church - photo taken from the top of Tarascon Castle 

Inside the church

Street view of the church 

Courtyard inside the castle 

Large rooms with very high ceilings 

A room used for prisoners and one of the carvings right into the stone wall.

Another carving of a ship that I imagine the prisoner served on before being captured.

A very small room right next to the king's main chamber.  Gives a whole new meaning to the term, "the royal throne."

Rudy versus the sea......

Rudy's long awaited and long delayed trip to the sea is now in the history books. Whether or not this first trip to the sea was enjoyable for him is up for debate. We did find an area close to Saintes-Marie-de-la-Mer that allowed dogs so off we went to the beach. As we neared the ocean I could sense that Rudy was getting excited seeing all those waves and all that water. When I finally unhooked his leash he made an immediate dash to the water and followed Alicia who was already about 20 yards into the sea.  Even at 20 yards the water was only 2 feet deep in places and it was entertaining to see Rudy jumping over every wave that was coming in to get to where Alicia was standing. 

I expected him to initially take a drink of that salty sea water and realize it was not for drinking. The more time we spent in the sea the more we could see that he was still drinking the water. Eventually the boy started feeling badly and we knew we had to get him away from the sea. We had brought some fresh water for him so it was back to the car for him to drink it - and he drank ALOT. At the very least if one drinks alot of sea water it can lead to cramps and cause the kidneys to work overtime in an attempt to flush the system of all that excess salt. I can attest that Rudy's kidneys were working extreme overtime for the next few hours. 

After our beach adventure we took Rudy for a short walk into the Camargue which is an area consisting of wetlands, marshes, and lakes. This river delta consists of 360 square miles making it the largest of its kind in western Europe. The area also has a distinctive Spanish feel to it which you can see in some of the architecture as well as in the music you hear being played in the town.  

Rudy's first encounter with the sea.

By the time this photo was taken he was starting to feel the effects of all that salt water.

Thinking about going back in....I think the waves intimidated him a little at first.

The Camargue....known for its many trail rides and over 400 species of birds. 

Catching a wave and the wind.  

The Camargue

The sun starting to set on the western horizon. 

Chateauneuf de Pape: Part 2

During most of the 14th century the Catholic Church was headquartered in Avignon France. Of course the Popes needed a summer residence so they chose a high point north of Avignon to build that summer residence. They called this new fortress/chateau Chateauneuf du Pape which literally means, "the Pope's new house." Only 2 walls remain of this large structure but when visiting it you get the feeling that it was quite impressive while the Popes where there.

From the chateau you have a great 360 degree view of the plain of Comtat which is known for its vineyards and winemaking. To the south you can see the outline of Avignon as well as the Rhone river which is just to the west and in the valley below. Even with what remains of the place it is evident that they spared no expense in the construction of their summer home.

As is the case for many of the castles and fortresses of the area it has been destroyed by different groups of people throughout the centuries. During the Wars of Religion it was partially destroyed and then for the final time when the Germans were retreating during World War II.

Steps leading up to the chateau above the town.

The only 2 remaining walls 

The east interior wall that is now an exterior wall as well. 

A good place for a Pope to sit and enjoy the view plus the nice breeze.

The south wall and the main room on the first floor.  Notice how thick the walls are. If not for those who destroyed most of the chateau I imagine it would still be intact today.  

In the center of the photo you can barely see the outline of Avignon and the Rhone river.