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.

Remains of the castle above Chateauneuf du Pape

A little over a week ago we took a short drive to the village of Chateauneuf du Pape which is well known for its excellent wines. The fields and landscape surrounding the village are full of vineyards - about 7500 acres in all dedicated to growing the grapes the area is famous for. In some areas you can make a 360 degree turn and all you will see are vineyards.

You might say Chateauneuf du Pape is the town that wine built as there a great many wine shops and wine cellars, or wine caves as they are called in France. Above the town are the remains of the castle that was built in 1320 by Pope Jean XXII that was used as a summer residence for the popes when the papacy was located in Avignon.

I've uploaded some photos of the town and the surrounding area and in my next post I'll share some photos of what's left of the castle where the popes spent their summers.

One of the numerous wine caves...watch your step....and your head. 

Most of the caves have steep steps down and VERY low clearance.  

Late afternoon shadows leaving their mark on this narrow street. 

Just a lazy day or could it be that Morris had one too many wine samples?

One of the many restaurants in town. 

As far as the eye can see....lots of grapes just about ready to be harvested. 

A large vineyard and winery located in the rolling hills just outside the town. 

Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

It's already been 2 weeks since we were in the village of Moustiers-Sainte-Marie which is almost a 2 hour drive from here. Definitely a tourist type of village with lots of shops and restaurants for the many who come to visit there.

A stream flowing from the cliffs above the village slices the town almost in half with a few waterfalls along the way. There are also lots of fountains large and small that you will find as you take a leisurely walk around town. Chains suspend a star above the town that was originally put there by a knight who promised he would place a star above the village after returning from captivity during the crusades.

Above the town is the Notre-Dame de Beauvoir chapel which was built in the 8th century and restored in the 12 and 16th centuries. I made the very steep walk to see the chapel up close which also gave me some great views of the village below and the surrounding countryside.

Last Friday night I had good intentions of getting some photos of the blue moon. However those good intentions were thwarted by clouds and very high winds. We were returning from Monteux when off to our left we could see that big fat moon on the eastern horizon. A quick trip with the camera and tripod to the hill above Vedene was made in about 5 minutes after that. In those 5 minutes clouds had completely covered the moon leaving me with nothing but darkness to photograph. When the moon appeared about a half an hour later I tried to take some photos with no success. The wind was blowing so hard that even with a tripod getting clear photos was impossible....I got some nice blurry ones though. :-)

Sunday we took a short drive to the town of Chateauneuf du Pape which is in big time wine country. I'll share our visit there and post some photos in my next entry.

Almost to the chapel-looking back towards part of the village.

Notre-Dame de Beauvoir chapel  

Looking up at the chapel...a very winding walkway to the top. 

The village is also know for fine ceramics 

This guy had the best view of all.  

You can just make out the star to the top and center of the photo. 

One of the many fountains in the village and the water is COLD! 

Another ceramic shop.

This guy used a blowtorch to craft all types of ornate creatures from glass. 

I think it's time to replace those shutters.

A waterfall right next to a restaurant where we had a cold drink.