Lavender... and finally, the Cote d'Azur

From Provencal into Digne-les-Bains we drove past many many lavender fields filling up every nook and cranny. From mesa tops where we saw rows upon rows, to rocky fields where the tiniest area was filled with plants - oh! to have been travelling a couple of weeks later when everything was in bloom to see the magnificent fields of purples.

These pictures show the fields with a grey look, which is the stalks of last year's blooms left on the plant. This gives the field a fuzzy look when you are zooming past it in your car.
Here is a link to a map of where lavender is grown in this area of southern France.

http://www.beyond.fr/map/lav_map.html




We arrived in Antibes, our base for exploring the Cote d'Azur, on a Sunday afternoon and discovered a "boules" tournament taking over the entire inner harbour area, filled with teams from far and wide.

The game of boules, otherwise known as pétanque , is perhaps the sport that is closest to French hearts. Similar to British lawn bowling or Italian bocce, the French version is traditionally played with metallic balls on a dirt surface beneath plane trees, with a glass of pastis at hand. The local boulodrome is a social focal point in southern France.

The object of the game is to throw your balls — usually with somewhat of an arched back-spin — so that they land closer to the small object ball (cochonnet) than those of your opponent, or strike and drive the object ball toward your other balls and away from your opponent's.

Many a lazy day can be spent watching games and get caught up in the on-field drama of the shot 'almost made'.

Provencal 4 - Market Day

baskets

fabrics

lavender products (unfortunately we missed the blooming by weeks)

After the arid cities and villages elsewhere in Provence, the presence of water at every turn is a welcome change. In Isle-sur-la-Sorgue — called the "Venice of Provence" — the Sorgue River's extraordinarily clear and shallow flow divides like cells, producing water, water everywhere.

And they are famous for their twice a week markets. We visited on a Sunday and the entire town was taken over with booths selling anything from local produce and crafts to antiques.

It really is worth visiting one along your way for a glimpse into the everyday life.

And the one memory that sticks in my head about travelling in France over all the years that I have returned, is the POPPIES! Haven't seen the lavender fields in bloom yet, but the poppies brightening up every field makes up for it.

Provencal 3 - Nimes and Orange

We came to Nimes to visit the best preserved Roman amplitheatre in the world but discovered this one was hosting a bullfight that day and the festivities had taken over the entire town.


From marching bands winding their way through narrow cobblestoned streets; to tents selling anything related to the bull; to food stands (paella, of course); to beautifully embroidered matador jackets and paraphernalia - the town was a wonder to wander through - until the bullfight started and then the streets were empty!






We did get to visit the Maison Carrèe in relative quiet though - this neat, jewel-like temple is nothing like its name, Square House, being in fact long and rectangular. Built in 5AD it is possibly dedicated to the Gods Jupiter, Juno, or Minerva. It survived the centuries as a meeting hall, a private residence, a stable, a church and, after the Revolution an archive.


On the way to Orange, we made a point to take in the masterpiece of engineering - the Roman aqueduct Pont du Gard, built about 8 BC at 160 ft high, it carried water over 30 miles into the city of Arles.


Then into Orange and one of the best preserved Theatre Antique left standing. The Roman Theater of Orange is extraordinary in that it has retained its magnificent stage wall - surprisingly well preserved and unique in the Western world. Because of the wall it still has wonderful acoustics; this theatre can hold 10,000 spectators and has concerts within its walls to this day.


All of the preceding places are, of course, UNESCO world heritage sites.

Then onto Provencal...

Based out of the city of Arles, this area of France is great to explore for the Roman ruins, the hilltop towns, the white horses of Camargue, the rice paddies, and the FOOD!

Arles is noted for the wealth of its Roman and Romanesque heritage. Arles became Roman after Julius Caesar distributed the land among his veteran legionnaires in 46 B.C. This was the first Golden Age of the city dubbed « Little Rome in Gaul », which became a major religious center during the Early Christian period. The monuments of the city listed as UNESCO world heritage monuments in 1981 include the Roman amphitheatre (the arena) - still used for bullfights:






the Roman theatre, the Cryptoportico (foundations of the Roman Forum), the Roman baths of Constantine:




the remains of the Roman circus, the cloister and portal of St. Trophime’s, and the Alyscamp cemetery. The Musée d’Arles et de la Provence Antique, the Arles archeological museum, is a must-see for three-dimensional re-creations of many of these sites - and being able to see what these places looked like over 2000 years ago bring them to life when looking at dusty ruins! In this museum I especially loved the mosaics that had been taken out of buildings and were on display in a very large scale.






The skilled craftsmen who could create such delicate shading on the human figure with squares of rock were to be admired for lasting through the milleniums.