Lost in Time in Provence

 

Charles Dickens started his novel A Tale of Two Cities with "It was the best of times; it was the worst of times". Driving first south to the Luberon and then eastwards out to Roussilon and eventually northbound through the Haute Vaucluse regions of Provence I saw Dickens’ words materialized like a boldly colored Van Gogh all over the landscape. I saw it in old stonewalled houses and elegant villas in rustic villages among picturesque vineyards with turning autumn leaves. I saw it in derelict ruins of old farm buildings in grassy fields or in fallen castles on hilltops over-looking thousands of acres of historic vineyards. And it is so visible in Orange’s 2000 year old Roman amphitheater, renovated, revitalized and back in use. Provence most certainly has experienced good times and bad times.

In my eyes it was all history in various shades of time. Constantly grateful that so much of Provence has survived wars and pestilence and still look reasonably well cared for. Well, to a degree! For the peoples of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur….

I have often wondered how people that live in the ancient cities or villages of Italy and France see their surroundings. Is that wall that is flaking layers of time during every rainstorm just brickwork, just protection? Medieval, but still practical. Do they ever consciously think of their history when they walk those alleys? Or are those weathered limestone houses along steep narrow, cobbled-stoned streets in hilltop villages just their neighborhood. Just another place where they happen to live? The antiquity of it all lost upon them, faded into the background of the daily consumption of life.

 

Roaming the old center of St. Remy-de-Provence, a sleepy little village south of Avignon. We had a late start out of Avignon because I had to pick up our rental car for the week and the service at the Avis counter at the railway station was very slow. Hence our arrival at the old village center, just after 12 pm when most shops have closed and the place nearly deserted, which was also good because we had the place virtually to ourselves. We took our time to walk the ancient streets of this Greco-Roman village where Nostradamus was born. One enters the old center through 14^th century ports, one of them, Porte du Trou, leads to the Nostradamus fountain (right).
 

 

 

On the outskirts of St. Remy is an old Roman forum with a beautifully preserved Mausolee and the Triumphal Arch of Glanum built near the end of the reign of Augustus Caesar (died in 14 AD) Across from the les Antiques, as the forum is known, is the Saint-Paul Asylum where Vincent Van Gogh spent a year in 1889-1890. Through the inviting gates and a tranquil courtyard we visited the bedroom where Van Gogh stayed and walked the gardens. Among the paintings Van Gogh did while at the asylum are “Irises”, “The Wheat Field” and “The Starry Night”.   

 

From St. Remy we drove to Les Baux-de-Provence. Built by the Lords of Les Baux in the 10^th century, on top of a rocky outcrop, perfectly blending with the stony spur, are the ruins of the Chateau Les Baux, with a commanding view of the surrounding landscape. In 1641 the town was granted to the Grimaldi family, current rulers of Monaco, as a French marquisate, but purchased back in 1791. Top right, the Alpilles Mountains with olive groves as far as the eye can see. The village itself is well "preserved" but unfortunately over commercialized to some extent.

Les Baux is a time-warp. A medieval stone and cobblestone relic that was ravaged and deserted due to wars and an unstable Provence. By the beginning of the 19th century it had but a handful of inhabitants. The famous Provençal poet, Frédéric Mistral described the village as un lieu où souffle la désespérance (A place where desperateness blows).  But since 1945 after the end of World War II it was "rediscovered", excavated and restored to its present day glory.

The old village is one big tourist trap. Albeit, a fascinating one where the grey/cream-colored limestone buildings and roads melts perfectly into the scraggy hillside. Below the old village is the modern-day village where the 400 or so permanent inhabitants stay. Commercialized or not it stays one of the most beautiful, interesting and impressive villages of Provence.

The Chapel of the white Penitents (or Chapel Sainte-Estelle). The  interior is decorated with frescoes by Yves Brayer representing the Shepherds' Christmas in the Provençal tradition.

Southbound

 

Sunday morning.

For a change there was no rush to get to the train station. Our overnight hotel was just a 1000 feet from Paris’s Gare Lyon TGV train station. With a nine o’clock departure to Avignon we even had time for a cappuccino and a croissant before boarding.

After a week of iffy weather and all the rain in the Loire we were ready for some sunshine and we were not disappointed upon our arrival in Avignon, two and a half hours after we left Paris. I simply love those bullet trains. Glorious sunshine and a warm breeze greeted us at the TGV train station. This was further reflected by a warm and friendly and very opinionated taxi driver (the November 2012 American Presidential election was the main topic) who promptly “ripped” us off by taking a bit of a detour to get us to our apartment in the walled part of Medieval Avignon. I guess he was just being friendly and wanted to practice his English and show us a bit more of Avignon while he had the opportunity. At our expense of course! Taxi meters don’t stop for anything.

 Avignon's 14th century ramparts.

Stepping through a time warp

And what an introduction to Medieval Avignon it was? The cab driver, instead of just slipping onto Boulevard Saint-Roch and then enter the city through Porte de la Republique and up the main street with the same name to our apartment close to the top of the street, decided to take us on a more scenic, but slower drive down Boulevard de l‘Ouille with the Rhone River on our left and the weathered ramparts of the ancient city on our right and entered the city at Porte de l’Ouille close to the famous Avignon bridge, half of bridge washed away by the Rhone River in a flood many years ago.

Immediately upon crossing the city’s threshold, tiny, narrow and crooked streets with ancient stone buildings closed in upon us. We have stepped through a time warp into another time period. Moments like these always make me feel so small. Our current moment so fleeting in time. How many thousands or millions have not entered those ports since 1355 when they started to build the present day walls.  

 View of the Palais des Papes complex and Avignon's city walls in the foreground.

Layers of civilizations

Of all the places I wanted to see in France Provence was top of my list. There is something about this region from what I read and saw before our trip that has always excited me and inspired me to one day go there. From a historical interest I think the layers of civilizations throughout history who inhabited this harsh but also luscious southern belt of France and their impact on the soul and general outlook of life of today’s occupants mixed with the rugged, stony landscape are building blocks of an interesting culture. The place is living history.

Modern day marketing of Provence’s many hilltop villages, the lavender and sunflower fields, the vineyards and vintners of Chateauneuf du Pape and Gigondas, the laid-back Mediterranean lifestyle and the popularity of the Mediterranean cuisine contribute greatly to the popularity of Provence among tourist and travelers alike.

 

The Rocher-de-Doms gardens and St. Mary on the Cathedral de Notre Dame-des-Doms. 

 

The region was first inhabited by the Ligures people and then followed by the Celts. Then the Greeks came in 600 BC and established a settlement at Massalia, today’s Marseille. They were followed by the Romans and when Rome fell in the 5^th century AD Provence became a battleground for centuries as wave after wave of tribes and kingdoms tried to claim Provence. First the Visigoths, then the Ostrogoths, the Burgundians, the Franks, the Normans, the Arabs (Saracens as the French calls them), the Catalans from Barcelona and eventually at the end of the 16^th century Provence became finally French under the Bourbon Kings. Today Provence still has a streak of independence and even the French they speak is laced with words from Spanish, Italian and Arab influences.

Our itinerary was packed. There was simply so much to see and do in Provence and we had only 5 days. However, we decided to move to a slower lane. Life in the south and for that matter all around the Mediterranean Sea is slower in pace than up north. So we must fit in. When in Rome…Our base was an airy and surprisingly spacious 5^th floor apartment within spitting distance of the Palais des Papes. It was well located on rue Carnot with a beautiful view over the lighted palace at night. In the evenings we would open the windows and the sounds of the city from the narrow ancient cobbled-stone streets below and the ringing of the bells from the Eglise Sainte Pierre church down the road would drift into the apartment while we sipped on a glass of Cotes du Rhone and had our tired feet up. We had a rented car and the plan called for visiting two villages per day and one whole day was set aside for a wine tour through Chateauneuf du Pape. And Provence didn’t disappoint.

 The palace of the Popes at night from our apartment window.

Sunday afternoon

Most of that glorious sunshine that greeted us upon our arrival in Avignon gave way to patches of clouds and periodic light rain. More a nuisance than anything else. From our apartment we walked the narrow alleys from rue Carnot to the square in front of the Palais des Papes, Palace of the Popes. But first we climbed the natural outcrop to the Rocher-de-Doms gardens, took a quick peek into the Cathedral de Notre Dame des Doms before we entered the Palace. The palace and the gardens are situated on a natural outcrop with stunning views over Avignon, the mighty Rhone River that flows just below and outside the city walls, the famous Pont d’Avignon (officially Pont St.Bénezet), and the Rhone valley beyond.  

View from Rocher-de-Doms gardens and the Pond d'Avignon.

Between 1309 and 1377 Avignon was the new “Rome” for the Catholic Church. In 1305 the Curia elected the Archbishop of Bordeaux as Pope Clement V, the first French Pope. Although summoned to Rome for his coronation he instead decided on Lyon for his coronation and later moved his court to near Avignon instead of moving to a dangerous and unsafe Rome.  

 Palais des Papes, Palace of the Popes in Avignon, France

 

Started in 1334 by Pope Benedict XII   and complete in 1364 the place is more fortress or castle than palace and absurdly huge. Monstrous! 15,000 square meters. The largest Gothic palace in the world. Grey stone block upon stone block (probably from the nearby Luberon Mountains), soaring 50 meters into the sky. The palace is rather bare inside thanks to the French Revolution (1789) when the palace was ransacked, and during the Third Republic (1870) when the palace was seriously vandalized. However, a few beautiful statues and frescoes still remain.

 

Although huge and impressive the palace is rather cold and characterless. Nevertheless, it is still worth a visit if you happen to be in Avignon and have a free Sunday afternoon. Oh, and the panoramic views from the Rocher-de-Doms gardens is not to be missed.

 

The Grand Chapel (on the left) and another huge hall in the Palace of the Popes.