Day 12 - Travel Day to Nice

We drove from Avignon to Nice.  We got there in time to have a nice French lunch of a croque-monsiuer sandwich and pomme frites on the Promenade des Anglais

Carol on the Promenade des Anglais

Carol and Carol in a panoramic on the Promenade des Anglais

We climbed up the Castle Hill to see the sunset.  We stopped for a break by the cool, gnarled tree.

I sweat a lot when it's hot and humid and I climb up hill

Nice Port from Castle Hill

We had a light dinner of olives, cheese, and cold cuts

Day 11 - Avignon

Between 1309 and 1377, during the Avignon Papacy, seven successive popes resided in Avignon and in 1348 Pope Clement VI bought the town from Joanna I of Naples. Papal control persisted until 1791 when, during the French Revolution, it became part of France.

On a windy day only one of us gets her hair messed up

Views from the Rocher des Doms (Doms Garden)

The Doms Garden is next to the Cathédrale des Doms and the Papal Palace.  It sits above the city ramparts and has a view of the Rhône, and the surrounding region.


Carol took a picture of me taking a picture of...

The Pont Saint-Bénézet, better known as the Pont d'Avignon and for the famous French song Sur le pont d'Avignon. Only four of the twenty one piers are left and the bridge ends mid-channel. On one of the piers stands the small Romanesque chapel of Saint-Bénézet.

Carol took a picture of me taking a picture of...

...Fort Saint-André (Villeneuve-lès-Avignon)

Overlooking the Rhône

Whatshername...

The Palais des Papes (Papal Palace)

Seven successive popes lived in Avignon, so the palace was impressive.  However, they took all the good stuff back to Rome with them so just the buildings were impressive.

Cathédrale des Doms with a golden statue of Mary overshadowing Christ on the cross

The Streets of Avignon

Across the Rhône

We walked over the bridge and a few miles up the other side of the Rhône from Avignon.  A view of the Papal Palace from the bridge

A panoramic of the walking path on the other side

The Pont d'Avignon and Papal Palace from the other side.

Food

Les Tartines at Restaurant Ginette et Marcel.  These look like the Tartine croque-monsiuer.  The croque-monsieur is the standard ham & cheese grilled sandwich in France.  Tartine is an open-faced sandwich.  Pretty much what you see.  Simple, but yummy.

More tartine from the day we arrived

Fashion

This guy seems to be wearing drapery as an ascot

Odds & Ends

More people taking pictures with their tablets

Day 10 - Côtes-du-Rhône Wine Route

Côtes-du-Rhône Wine Route 

We drove the Côtes-du-Rhône Wine Route, visited some wineries, saw some cool vistas.

Carol took pictures of me taking pictures

If you click the image for the larger version you will see a swarm of crows over that small building

Cycling fans may recognize Mont Ventoux in the background

Cycling fans may recognize Mont Ventoux in the background

This was just as good as the picture I took

Vaison-la-Romaine

We stopped for lunch (Gelato) in Vaison-la-Romaine.  Here are some pictures of the Roman ruins.

Food

We had dinner at Les Violette, which occupies a corner of the large paved courtyard in front of the elegant 18th century mansions that now house the contemporary art of the Collection Lambert.

In the courtyard was Abel Abdessemed's Coup de tête (Headbutt).  The sculpture captures France's soccer captain, Zinedine Zidane, charging at the Italian defender Marco Materazzi during the 2006 World Cup final.  Materazzi had apparently insulted his family. As a result, Zidane was sent off and France subsequently lost the match.

Caramelized Pork Ribs, Thai Rice, & Thai Salad

Chicken Caramel, Citronella Rice, and His Banana Leaf (wording directly from their menu)

Raspberry Fountain

Day 9 - My Birthday in Arles

Arles

We spent my 56th birthday in Arles, France.

Arles is a city on the Rhône River in the Provence region of southern France. It's famed for inspiring the paintings of Van Gogh, which influenced the contemporary art displayed at the Fondation Vincent Van Gogh. Once a provincial capital of ancient Rome, Arles is also known for many remains from that era, including Arles Amphitheatre (les Arènes d'Arles), now hosting plays, concerts and bullfights.

Arena

The arena was huge.  I took a couple of wide-angle pictures with Carol in them...

and stitched them together to get this.

We ate lunch with a view of the lovely Carol Marol, and the Arena in the background.

Van Gogh Easels

The visitor's center in Arles provides a walking tour map of ten reproductions on easels depicting actual places throughout Arles including: Starry Night Over the Rhone and Café Terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night.  Looking at the vistas, and the actual paintings, gives you insight into the genius of Van Gogh.

Van Gogh - Starry Night Over the Rhône

Van Gogh - The Yellow House (La Maison Jaune)

Van Gogh - The Arena in Arles (Les Arènes).  This is standing at the Arena, facing the street

Van Gogh - Entrance to the Public Garden.  I wonder what Van Gogh would have painted with tourists shoving ice cream cones in their faces?

Van Gogh - The Garden of the Hospital in Arles

Carol in the garden

Van Gogh - Le Cafe Le Soir

Roman Theater

This theater once seated 10,000 people

Les Baux-de-Provence

Les Baux is two sites: the ruins of a medieval castle/citadel, and a medieval town below.

A panoramic from the top.  I started it with Carol on the right, passed it to Carol and ran to position on the left.

Views of, and from, the citadel

I thought I'd try something cute and put myself in the middle of a panoramic picture.  Sadly, in the middle of the picture I stepped off a 30" ledge.  What you see is me disappearing over the edge.  Even on my 56th birthday I'm agile enough to have stuck the landing without injury.

The medieval town from the top of the citadel

The cemetery in the medieval town.

Food

My birthday lunch

Ham, cheese, and egg gallette.

Lemon-Sugar crepe for dessert.