After a rainy Northern French summer we decided to go to the Provence region in search of the sun. Arriving late at night in Avignon and staying near the train station we had a full day the next morning and set out in our rental car. We went to Châteauneuf du Pape to sample the renowned wine of the Cotes de Rhone region and see the crumbling chateau.
In the afternoon we had a picnic at the Pont du Gard; an amazing architectural feat from Roman times that brought fresh water to the city of Nimes at a constant decline of 2.5cm. The rest of our afternoon was spent lounging by the pool at the hotel before going to the small artisanal town of Saint Rémy.
The next day we woke up early to go to Les Baux de Provence. The old walled city and the castle ruins are located high on the rocky outcroppings of the Alpilles Mountains. The castle ruins are now somewhat like an open-air museum, but with an amazing view.
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Giving the Crossbow a go at the chateau of Les Baux de Provence |
That afternoon we went olive oil tasting at Castalas, an olive tree farm and mill.
We ended our day at the beach along the Mediterranean. This beach was like no other Mediterranean beach; we had to drive half an hour through flat Camargue marshlands before arriving at this sprawling sandy coastline filled with tent and cabin trailers.
The next morning we went to the Saint Rémy market before going to see the famous Pont d’Avignon concluding our summer vacay in Provence.
