Nice

True to my word, we were up early the next morning ready to leave Aix en Provence to board the train to Nice.  After dealing with a series of unfortunate events the day before, I was ready for some relaxing time on the beach.

The beach at Nice is made up pebbles and small rocks.  I loved the sound it made when the water retreated with each wave, kind of like a rain stick.  When the sun was out, the water was a brilliant teal.  And when the sun began to set, the coastline turned to gold.  Gorgeous!

The next morning we returned to the beach for breakfast.  Our time is France was dwindling quickly, so we're making the most of every hour left. 

Do we have to go home?

I wish I had a good photo of the twilight sky that evening with its deepening blue.  Imagine Van Gogh's "Starry Night Over the Rhone."

It's breath taking, and I can't help but whisper, "Vincent, I see it, your glowing blue evening sky." 

But I was able to get a great shot of this cathedral.  Wow!

We spent our last day exploring the market and shops of old Nice for gifts to take home.  And eating a lot of ice cream.

Thank you for allowing me to indulge in re-living our trip.

Aix en Provence

After getting lost in Nîmes, we decided the next morning we would take it easy and hang around Avignon until our train leaves for Aix en Provence.

We wanted to go to an outdoor market in Avignon.  Walking while studying the street map, I fell off a curb in front of some rather chic-looking young ladies.  Oh, the embarrassment!

I brushed myself off, a little sore, but it's not going to ruin my day. 

We strolled through an antiques market, paused in a church, and bought a pretty painting of Avignon's famous bridge from a charming artist who has set up shop in a garden.

Then we boarded the train to Aix en Provence.

We'd heard good things about Aix en Provence, so we thought we'd stop along the way to Nice.  Receiving our train ticket, we noticed that we're also given a bus ticket.

Hmm...

As it turns out, the train station is a good distance from city center.  We found the right bus to take us into the city, and which let everyone off in the middle of a very busy roundabout.  There were no traffic signals and driving seemed like a complete free-for-all.

Remember the video game Frogger?  Except we're pulling luggage.

I saw a sign for the city center, and we started down that street until the sidewalk ends, and we realized that the street is more like a minor highway.  An off-duty bus driver parked on the side of the road saw our dilemma and offered directions.

Once again, who said the French aren't nice to Americans?  Not us!

I could go on and on about how we're sweaty and irritable by the time we spot a bus stop that would take us toward the center of the city.  My husband proclaimed, "No matter where it's going, I'm getting on the next bus."

I started under the bus shelter to consult the map, but stop short.  A man was lying on the pavement in his own vomit.  He was not moving.  His head was turned away from us, but the angles of his body don't look natural.  Two people were standing nearby in official-looking dark jumpsuits.  They weren't helping the man on the ground.

I whispered to my husband, "I think that man is dead!"

"Me too.  Keep walking!"

Now my day was ruined.  At this point, I'm finished with Aix en Provence.  Forget about the bus.  Find me a taxi and take me to the hotel where I can book the first train out of town tomorrow!

So much for charming Aix en Provence.

Last stop...Nice.  Much nicer than Aix en Provence.

Pont du Gard and Nîmes

I went to France to see ancient Roman ruins. 

Ampitheaters and arenas and aqueducts, oh my!

Pont du Gard is one of the most visited sites in France, and one of the best preserved aqueducts in the world.  I overheard a college student tutoring his traveling companion about the Romans.  "There weren't great artists, but they were great engineers and planners."  Well said.

The sky looked threatening while we hiked around the aqueduct, but we managed to stay dry until a cloud burst open while we waited on the side of the road for the bus that would take us to Nîmes.

This would begin the most challenging 24 hours of our entire trip.

First, I hate buses because I get car-sick.  So while the scenery was very charming, I felt lousy once we arrived in Nîmes.

And we realized we didn't have a map of the city.

We wanted to see the arena, and we figured it would be easy to find.  But due to some construction along the esplanade, we couldn't see the arena, turned right when we should have veered left, and wandered up and down the wrong street for a good 40 minutes.

Somewhere along the way, I lost a button on my jacket.

After walking a loop around the city center, we finally found the arena.  Good grief, how did we miss it?

We stroll along Les Quais de la Fontaine, and Nîmes began to redeem itself, even though it took my button. 

A lost button would be nothing in comparison with tomorrow's adventure.


Coming next...The challenges continue in Aix en Provence.

Arles and Orange

I was looking forward to seeing Arles since Van Gogh painted many of his most well known works while living in Arles.  I completely understand why so many artists fall in love with the light in Arles.  There must be something about the angle of the sun because the light is truly fantastic.

So many beautiful shades of blue and lavender on shutters throughout the town.  And these red doors!

We toured the Roman amphiteatre in Arles, which is still used today for bullfights and concerts.

 



It was also inhabited by a few cats.  I'm missing our pets at this point.

The best part about Arles?  These lavender tarts.  It was the most delicious thing I ate on the entire trip.

Oh my.  I probably would have circled back for seconds if we didn't have a train to catch to Orange to see the Théâtre Antique d'Orange.  Dating back to the 1st century CE, it's still used today for theater, operas, and concerts.  See the statue in the alcove?  It's head was interchangable, making it easy to switch the noggin when a new ruler came to power.  Weren't those ancient Romans clever?

So, what did you see in France?

A bunch of Roman stuff.

Actually France has some of the best preserved Roman ruins.  We actually crossed one site off our list because we felt like we'd seen enough Roman arenas.


Next stop...more Roman architecture at Pont du Gard and Nîmes.

Avignon

Everyone sing along...

Sur le pont d'Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d’Avignon
L'on y danse tous en rond

Most likely, the dancing would have been under Pont Saint-Bénezet, not on it.  If you aren't familiar with this French tune, it dates back to the 15th century when there would have been cafés on the banks under the bridge's arches which spanned across the Rhône.  Flooding took its toll on the bridge over the years, causing parts of it to collapse.

 From 1309 to 1376, the popes resided in Avignon rather than Rome.  Seven popes resided the papal palace of Avignon.

While the palace is largely unfurnished today, there are some rooms with impressive paintings still remaining on the walls and ceilings.  In the 1980s, several hidden vaults were discovered in the floors (no mention if any papal treasure or church documents were still inside).

We used Avignon as a base for exploring nearby towns, but Avignon itself is charming and pedestrian friendly.

 

How about this darling terrace?

While we really didn't have a bad meal on our trip, we had two of the best dinners in Avignon.  One was at this café on the left.  It was recommended in a Rick Steve's book, so my husband made a reservation.  It was tucked away from the street, so we almost couldn't find it!  Check out those blue shutters in the building connected to the church.

 

I forgot to adjust my camera settings back to outdoor lighting so some of my pictures had odd colors.  No matter.  I'll just switch them to black and white. 

 

Next stop...Arles and Orange (the town, not the color).

Lyon

There's a difference between going on vacation and traveling.

Vacations are nice.  But, I like to travel.  Traveling comes with adventures.  And sometimes, these adventures aren't always expected.

Like when I am sitting on a train in Paris, bound for Lyon, and my husband reviews the email he saved with the hotel information, only to discover there is a disclaimer at the bottom which reads, "This is not your reservation.  Click here to confirm your reservation."

Oops.

It was a nailbiting ride to Lyon.  At least he was biting his nails, freaking out, thinking in his jet-lagged fatigue he overlooked that last step.  Or did he? 

Me, I was calm as could be.  No worries.  We'll find Wi-Fi service when we get to Lyon and see if there is another email that arrived later.  Or we'll just start walking until we find another hotel, regardless of the price, for just one night.

Walking out of the train station, I spotted a hotel across the street.  Yes, they had a room available for 279 euros (gulp).  Yes, we could use their Wi-Fi to check our email.  But the front desk clerk could also just call the original hotel where we thought we had a reservation.

Who said the French weren't friendly?  Not us!

And we had a room reservation.  Whew!

At that point, I suggested we splurge for a taxi to take us to our hotel, where we would sleep in the next day, then find a laundromat.  By this time, we've been living out of two carry-on suitcases for nearly a week.

Nothing like a good night of sleep and clean clothes for these travelers to get their groove back!

We finished the day taking it easy, exploring Lyon on foot.

The next day was a huge market, arts and crafts on one side of the river, food and flowers on the other.

And that email to confirm our hotel reservation?  It arrived in our inbox three days later.  Thanks, Expedia.

Next stop...Avignon

Versailles

On a day showing promise of clear weather, we headed to Versailles.  During our visit five years ago, we spent 80 percent of the time in the palace and about 20 percent of the time in the gardens. 

While the palace is lovely and the restored Hall of Mirrors is beautiful, we decided this time we would skip the palace to spend more time exploring the gardens and subsidary structures, the Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, and the Hamlet.

 

Once we moved away from the palace, the crowds evaporated.  Unless you get an early start on the palace or rush through every thing, it's hard to see all of it in one day.

 

 



In addition to the buildings, there are countless gardens to explore.

 

 

 

Even though Marie Antoinette probably never said, "Let them eat cake," by the time we reached her Hamlet, I could feel the justification behind the French Revolution.  Imagine the gossip mill back in Paris that the Queen was playing make-believe in her very own peasant village while the people were struggling with a crippled economy and rising bread prices.

 

Nevertheless, Versailles is beautiful.

The skies darkened briefly as we were walking back to the main gates, but thankfully no rain, just a faint rainbow.

Coming next...We depart Paris and travel to Lyon.

Chartres

I've always wanted to see the cathedral at Chartres.

Chartres is unusual for several reasons.  Many cathedrals of this scale where built over a much longer span of time.  Funding shortages, war, or plague caused halts in construction.  Architects died before the project was finished.  Construction flaws lead to design changes.   Chartres was built relatively quickly, between 1194-1250, so its design is consistent.  One of the spires was damaged by fire in the 16th century and was rebuilt.

Of all the medieval cathedrals in the world, Chartres retains the most original stained glass windows, escaping war and revolutionary vandalism over the centuries.  The windows were removed during World War II and stored throughout the countryside until the war ended.

During World War II, it was suspected that the Germans were using the cathedral as an observation post, and an order came to destroy it.  An American officer questioned the strategy and went behind enemy lines with one enlisted soldier to determine if the Germans were in fact occupying it.  He found the cathedral was not being used by the Germans, and it was spared.

Currently, a project is underway to clean and repaint the interior in its original 13th century color scheme.  It's a somewhat controversial project.  There is concern that creating a brighter interior will diminish the beauty of the windows, which glow against the aged, dingy walls.

We were able to see a few completed sections.  After seeing countless dark medieval cathedrals, I think the completed restoration will be magnificent.

The town of Chartres is charming and very pedestrian-friendly.  We enjoyed a leisurely stroll before boarding the train back to Paris.

Coming next...Versailles!

Reims

After dealing with a day in rainy Paris, we opted for a day trip to Reims, about 80 miles northeast of Paris.  It was a cloudy day, but thankfully, it was dry.

We came to see Notre-Dame de Reims. 

The current cathedral dates back to the 13th century, which was built on the site of the original cathedral, dating back to c.400.  Amazing!

Unfortunately, the cathedral did sustain damage during World War I, but efforts to repair the cathedral began following the war and still continue today.

We also visited the Saint Remi Basilica and Museum before heading back to Paris.  It's not a popular tourist site, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

It wasn't raining when we returned to Paris, so we decided to make our obligatory trip to the Eiffel Tower.  We skipped the ride to the top since we've done it before.  I was a little disappointed in the pictures I was getting, until I switched them to black and white.

The first floor is being redesigned, so right now there is some narrow scaffolding at the base that I removed with Photoshop.  Five years ago, we were in Paris during the Rugby World Cup, so there was an ugly sponsor's blimp in all our Eiffel Tower pictures.  Ugh.

A young couple asked us to take their picture, so we asked him to return the favor.  He snapped the photo with the tower growing out of my head.  Thanks a lot.

We strolled back toward the Louvre for some evening shots of the pyramid and kept on walking until we reached Notre Dame.  It was a long walk.

Once again, we've been to Notre Dame before, so it really wasn't on our list of things to see again.  But we recalled that there were decent free public toilets just outside the cathedral. 

Yeah, we went to Notre Dame to use the loo.  And we got some fantastic photos of Notre Dame at night.

However, the toilets are closed in the evenings.


Coming next...To Chartes to see another cathedral.

Rain!

Waking up from a nice long sleep, I look out the window on our first full day in Paris and see this:

Rain!  Lots and lots of rain!  And it's Monday, which means most of the major museums are closed.  But the Musée de l'Orangerie is open, so we grab our umbrellas and hit the streets.  I've packed the same pocket-sized travel umbrella on numerous trips over ten years.  When I opened it, I laughed when I saw that it still had the price tag on it!  My luck with the weather was bound to run out sooner or later.

When we reach the Musée de l'Orangerie, the line is long and slow moving.  We strike up a conversation with an American couple behind us.  It turns out that he grew up in a nearby suburb of our home city.  The time standing in line begins to go by more quickly as we swap our opinions of various Kansas City barbeque restaurants.

My husband and I take our time enjoying the artwork, hoping the rain will let up outside.  Leaving the museum, we stroll through the gardens toward the Louvre, which is closed on Mondays.

 

When I review the photos back at the hotel later, I realize I had taken pictures from the exact same spots five years earlier.

 



 

Booking this trip in October means we're missing two things back at home: The start of the big run-up to Election Day and autumn decorating.  I don't miss the politics at all (if you live in a swing state, I feel sorry for you).  I'll miss most of the colors of autumn at home, and there is not one sign of Halloween in France.  I kind of think Halloween has become over-commercialized, so I really don't miss it either.

 

 

We had some great photos of the Louvre's famous (or infamous) pyramid taken at night on our 2007 trip, so we decide to come back when it isn't raining for more evening shots and move on to revisit one of our favorite churches, La Madaleine which overlooks the Place de la Concorde.

 

 

Back at the hotel at the end of the day, we study the forecast for Paris, which calls for rain for the rest of the week.  We have three more nights booked in Paris, but the extended forecast shows rain throughout all of France.  What if it rains during our entire trip?  In a moment of panic, we consider changing our plans and heading for Spain or Italy if the rain continues, but it seems to be raining everywhere.  We've lived through one of the worst droughts ever this summer in Kansas, and now we can't get away from the rain.

 

In the meantime, there is only a slight chance of rain in Reims, about 80 miles northeast of Paris, so we'll catch a train tomorrow morning for a day trip.

 

 

Coming Next...Reims and the Cathedral of Notre-Dame of Reims.

 

Where I Have Been Lately

You may have noticed an extended absense from me.  There's a good reason.

I was in France.

Forgive me for not telling you about this trip ahead of time.  For our privacy and security, telling people about our seventeen-day trip was on a need-to-know basis.  I'm sure you understand!

We had a big birthday and a big anniversary to celebrate this year, so we decided to take a big trip.  We went to Paris five years ago, but there is so much to see, so we knew we'd have no problem filling two weeks sightseeing throughout France.  I'm very excited to share our experiences with you!

Since we had seen most of the major Parisian sights on our earlier trip, we opted to focus on revisiting our favorite places and seeing a few things we missed the first time.  Plus, we had a couple of day trips planned.

We've made several trans-Atlantic trips, and we've found the best way to spend the first day is to take a casual stroll, exploring nearby neighborhoods.  Since we caught an early flight, we arrived in the city mid-morning.  Nothing like a couple of cafes and croissants to start shaking off the jet lag!

There was a nun circling this fountain in quiet contemplation in the Place de Vosges.  I could walk circles around it, too.

Unlike most tourists, we don't rush off to the Eiffel Tower. Been there, done that. We just enjoy the nearby gardens, fountains, and monuments until we can check into our hotel, shower, and find an early dinner.

 

 

Coming next: A slight change of plans?

 

 

I'm linking up...

Le Chateau Des Fleurs