P.S. Merci à Ebbe for this shot:
This weekend we took the TGV down to Provence, a region in the South of France. Our first stop was Pont du Gard, an Roman aqueduct in Nîmes. Its amazing to think of the Romans constructing the bridge without cranes . . . some of the stones weighed up to 6 tons, and the the entire pont was made by carefully fitting together the huge stones without mortar.
Pont du Garde is huge! And it is purposefully constructed to bow slightly upstream, so that it can better resist a sudden deluge.
Next, we stopped at Abbaye de Montmajour. Apparently Monks don't update their website very frequently . . . the visiting hours had changed, so we couldn't enter. Nonetheless it was pretty from the outside . . .
We were staying in Arles, in the (south of France, near the Mediterranean coast) for the weekend. Think small cobble-stoned village, dabbled with Roman-age ruins, and divided by the Rhône.
Oh, and it's where Van Gogh lived and painted!
This is the "Van Gogh Café," aka the subject of his painting, Terrasse du Café le Soir. Side note: the french pronounce the second "g" in Gogh.
On Saturday in Arles, we first visited the Roman Arena.
It's in the midst of being restored so that it remains structurally sound.
If you look closely, you can tell the difference between the column on the left (the original) and the one on the right. Our guide explained that in restoring ruins, they make sure that the new part mimics, but does not replicate the original, so that people can always know which parts remain from the original construction.
Next we visited the Roman Amphitheater.
And then the Roman baths.
During Roman times, the floor was on top of the columns of bricks. Underneath the floor, hot air circulated among the columns to heat each room to a specific temperature.
Laurent, enlightening us all.
On Sunday, before taking the train back to Paris, we headed out to Avignon. Apparently there is a song about this bridge; Sur le pont d'Avignon, on l'y danse, on l'y danse. It cost 8 euro to go on the bridge, so we took the budget route of dancing sous le pont.
Another highlight of Avignon was le Palais de Papes, or the Pope's Palace. Pope Clement V moved the papal residency from Rome to Avignon at the beginning of the 14th century
The ceilings and walls were adorned with murals, but taking pictures of the painted rooms was strictly interdit.
I loved the tall ceilings and arched doorways, as well as the color of the stone.
At the top of one of the towers, there is a panoramic view of all of Avignon and the Rhône below.
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