Out and about in Provence

Friday, April 4, 2014

This morning we left Apt and headed west through Avignon, headed for the Pont du Gard.  The Pont  du Gard is a two thousand year old aqueduct built by the Romans to provide water for Nimes.  It is truly a marvel of engineering  whether you think 19 B.C. or 2014 A.D.  It was designed to drop one inch every 350 feet and the arches are the largest that the Romans ever built. It is an imposing and impressive structure.  About 10 years ago there was a terrible flood in the river the aqueduct spans. Trees were uprooted by the flood and several modern day bridges were destroyed.  Officials lived in fear that the Pont du Gard would also be destroyed.  It survived without a problem.  Let's hear it for those Roman engineers.

We left the Pont du Gard and drove back to Avignon.  In 1309 Pope Clement V decided to move the seat of the Catholic church from Rome to Avignon.  For almost 70 years Avignon was the center of the Christian world.  During this time a large fortress was built and was the home of the pope. Our plan was to visit this fortress, the Palais des Papes.  Unfortunately, while standing in line we observed signs that said that the chapel and the general audience room were closed for renovation.    The ticket seller told us there were many other rooms to see but it was the chapel and audience room that held our interest.  We decided to save the Palais des Papes for another trip!  All was not lost however.  The Palais des Papes is inside the walled old town of Avignon. This was worth seeing, plus we had a nice lunch.

Heading back to Apt we stopped in the village of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, also know as "the Venice of France".  We suspect that any picturesque village with a bunch of little rivers or canals in it is called "The Venice of whatever country you are in."  At one time Sur-la-Sorgue was a center of textile making and the water wheels on the streams still remain.  It really is a pretty little town.  0ur interest, however, was the small cathedral at the center of the village.    King Louis XIV had paid to have the cathedral decorated and had it decorated so the peasants knew that the person responsible, King Louis, was much closer to a higher being then peasants could ever be.  This cathedral proves the motto of Tim's brass quintet:  You cannot explain good taste and there is no end to bad taste.  It really is beyond words to explain the interior of this church.  Unfortunately, there was no photography allowed inside the church, so you will just have to trust us on this one.

Our last stop of the day was not so much a stop as a "drive through" with a photo op.  Gordes is a village with little of interest except for its commanding and stunning location on the side of a hill overlooking a lovely valley.  A few years ago the wealthy Parisians discovered Gordes, buying up and renovating properties and driving prices sky high.   Still it has its stunning location.  We do have pictures of this and hope you are as impressed as we were.