We’re in Paris, France gazing out at the square from our hotel room (glass of wine in hand bien sûr). For the next four weeks we'll be sightseeing, celebrating with friends at a chateau, basting in the Turkish sun and finishing up in Lincolnshire with antique shopping and a hen party. Off we go then into the land of wine, cheese and truffle oil.
The Musée de National du Moyen Age (or Musée de Cluny), steeped in both medieval and ancient Roman history, contains an impressive collection of Roman statues, gothic sculptures, a treasury filled with the works of medieval goldsmiths and a collection of tapestries dating to the 15th century.
However, it is not just what is inside Musée de Cluny which is of interest to historians—the very buildings are of great historical importance. Notably, it is made up of two main buildings, the fifteenth century Cluny Abbey and a series of Gallo-Roman baths.
These baths, known as Thermes de Cluny, date back to the first to third centuries and represent some of the best preserved remnants of the Gallo-Roman city of Lutetia. With much of their walls still intact, Thermes de Cluny is an exciting find for ancient Rome enthusiasts.
Time for a long lunch before our next sight. The French are so civilized.
The ‘walls’ of the gem-like holy chapel of Sainte Chapelle are sheer curtains of richly coloured and finely detailed stained glass (the oldest and finest in Paris), which bathe the chapel in an extraordinary light on a sunny day. Built in just under three years (compared with nearly 200 for Notre Dame).
Ste-Chapelle was consecrated in 1248.
After a full day of sight-seeing we’re too tired to eat out so we pique-nique in our hotel room as we watch the sun set over La Tour Eiffel.
The parquet floors are of the finest woods, the fireplaces are decorated with exceptional carvings, and many of the pieces of furniture are originals dating back to the Renaissance.
Walls and ceilings are richly adorned with wood panelling, gilded carvings, frescoes, tapestries and paintings.
The beautiful horseshoe-shaped staircase that leads to the palace was constructed for Louis XIII (1610-43).
Sandi marvels at the size of the white asparagus at the local market.
We meet Tim’s sister, Tessa and brother-in-law, Charlie and head south to Provence and the city of Orange. Founded in 35 B.C. Orange gets its name from the days when it was a dependency of the Dutch House of Orange-Nassau. Overlooking the Valley of the Rhône, Orange tempts visitors with Europe's third largest extant triumphal arch and a well-preserved Roman theater.
The carefully restored Théâtre Antique dates from the days of Augustus. Built into the side of a hill, it once held 8,000 spectators in tiered seats. It is 105m (345 ft) long and 38m (125 ft) high, making it a compelling backdrop for evening concerts, plays and opera productions.
High atop the magnificent stage wall resides an imposing statue of Gaius Caesar Augustus, great nephew of Julius. Ever practical, the Romans designed their statues to accommodate interchangeable heads. Which makes little difference given that they all looked the same and wore identical hair styles.
In recent years, this stage has seen the likes of Elvis Costello, Frank Zappa, and Robert Smith. But none of them compare with the early years of the Third Century, when actors rolled around entirely naked in mute pantomime. Upon learning this, we couldn't help but wonder: Which of the aforementioned performers might have produced the most scintillating soundtrack?
Louis XIV, who toyed with the idea of moving the theater to Versailles, said, “It is the finest wall in my kingdom.”
Cardinal Richelieu called Les Baux-de-Provence a “nesting place for eagles”. In its lonely position high on a windswept plateau overlooking the southern Alpilles, Les Baux seems to be part of the mysterious, shadowy rock formations themselves.
If Tim was the Prince of Monaco, his last name was Grimaldi and he could own a picturesque hilltop village, it would be Les Baux de Provence. Oh wait, that's the way it is, except for the part about Tim. The picturesque marquisate boasts a permanent population of 443, with 1.5 million annual visitors. No cars, no skateboards, but lots of shopping. Once a center for Protestantism, Les Baux has largely given way to provencal kitsch. The valley below is said to have been the inspiration for Dante’s Purgatorio. Funny, it looked kinda pretty to us.
Once it was the citadel of the powerful seigneurs of Les Baux, who ruled with an iron fist and sent their conquering armies as far as Albania. In medieval times, the flourishing culture of Les Baux attracted troubadours from all over Europe to the “court of love”. Later, it was ruled by the notorious “Scourge of Provence”, Raymond de Turenne, who sent his men throughout the land to kidnap people. If a victim’s friends and family could not pay ransom, the poor wretch was forced to walk a gangplank over the cliff’s edge.
When Les Baux became a Protestant stronghold in the 17th century, Richelieu, fed up with its constant rebellion against Louis XIII, commanded his armies in 1632 to destroy the “eagle's nest”. Today the castle and ramparts are a mere shell, though you can see remains of great Renaissance mansions.
The Palais des Papes in Avignon is the largest Gothic palace in the world. According to legend, an unpopular Pope Clement V ran afoul of Rome sometime in the early 14th century and decided Avignon was as good a place as any to set up shop. Then his successor, John XXII, decided he needed to construct a magnificent palace, presumably so God could make out the papacy’s new address. Avignon reigned as The Holy See from 1309 to 1377, after which the Holy See became binocular—with one pope in Avignon and another in Rome—a disorder known as The Great Schism.
View of the town square from the ramparts.
You may recognize Avignon for the famous children’s song that begins, “Sur le pont, d’Avignon, l’on y danse, l’on y danse”. It’s all about dancing in a circle on a bridge that spans the River Rhône. The bridge is too narrow for circle-dancing and it no longer spans the river. But Pont d’Avignon (better known as Pont Saint-Bénénezet) lives on.
Completed in 1185, it’s the product of a young man (Benedict the Bridge Builder) who saw not one but three visions of God telling him to connect Avignon with its next-door neighbour Villeneuve-les-Avignon. It’s a lovely structure, but God—if ever He endorsed the plan—has long since abandoned it; 18 of its 22 arches washed away nearly 500 years ago. The remaining bridge-to-nowhere is now a popular tourist attraction for dancers and non-dancers alike.
Southern France rocks. Quite literally. For all its fermented libations and aromatic vittles, the South of France is riddled with large stones assembled into great works of ancient architecture. Just look at the fantastic Pont du Gard, a three-tiered Roman aqueduct whose sole purpose was to transport a four foot-wide stream of water from the Fontaines d’Eure springs to what is now the city of Nîmes. Multi-ton stones cut to fit and stacked one on top of the other without the aid of steam, coal, or gasoline. Try doing that with Photoshop!
The Pont is one of the most powerful works of man you could hope to lay eyes on. This is real vacation satisfaction.
Sandi can’t resist a selfie reflected in the courtyard window of our hotel.
Arles, where in 1888 either Gauguin or Van Gogh himself did the lacerating of the latter’s ear. But that wasn’t the only battle that took place in Arles. Back in Roman times, the town’s coliseum hosted a variety of blood sports, including gladiator matches and public dispositions of the criminal class. The only blood you’ll see there today is that of da bulls. As in Bull Fighting. The Arles Coliseum’s rocks have survived 2,000 years of wear.
Les Alyscamps is one of the most famous necropolises of the western world. Its fame began when Genesius, a Roman civil servant, refused to write down an edict calling for persecution of Christians. For this, he was beheaded in 250; later he was made a saint when it was said that miracles began to happen on this site. In time, as the fame of Les Alyscamps spread throughout the Christian world, more of the faithful wanted to be buried here. Dante even mentioned it in his Inferno. The L’Allée des Sarcophages, lined with sarcophagi under tall poplar trees is where 80 generations have been buried over 2,000 years.
In the Middle Ages, 19 churches and chapels occupied this site. After the Renaissance, the graveyard was desecrated. Tombs were removed and stones were taken to construct other buildings.
We’re heading out of Arles to continue our tour.
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