School and Salon

Puyloubier and Salon-de-Provence (week 8)

Much to their chagrin, the boys are registered for school.  We met with the directrice (and grade 3 teacher) and everything seems to be in order.   We now have the list of school supplies (not as long as we were led to believe), and the boys each met their teachers.  Craig had a flashback of working for the Lunenburg County District School Board, because there were workers all over the school painting, putting in drywall, and generally renovating.  Yes, school starts in 5 days....  The boys also met their teachers; Andrew has a male teacher, which is a first for our children.  The class sizes are ~25, which seems large for a town of only 1500 people!

St.-Michel bell tower (l) and Nostradamus's tomb (r)

In the afternoon we went back to Salon-de-Provence.  We had previously visited, but made the mistake of going on Monday when many things were closed, and at 11am, when everything (else) was shutting down for lunch.  So we did the exterior touring two weeks ago, and have now returned to do the interior touring.  Salon's two main claims to fame are: (1) It used to be the border of the Holy Roman Empire, so there is a (partially restored) former imperial palace that now houses a museum and (2) It is the hometown of Nostradamus.  For the latter, I give him no particular credence: if you make enough predictions, and don't date them, you're bound to make a lot of correct guesses.  Nevertheless, if you're interested, there is a Nostradamus museum in town, which we didn't visit, and his tomb is in the Collégiale Saint-Laurent (in spite of its name, it is a church).  We also dropped into the Eglise St-Michel, which has nifty exposed bells (not surrounded by towers so you can clearly see them from the street).

Musée de l'Armée en Province in the Château de l'Empéri

The main thing we visited was the Château de l'Empéri's museum, which is a vast collection of military small arms (rifles, swords, etc.) and uniforms from the start of the Gunpowder Age to the end of WWI.  The sheer number of muskets and rifles is huge, and they are all immaculately restored.  Of course, to a child one musket looks much like another, so David and Andrew might not have appreciated it quite so much.

Salon's "Mossy Fountain"

As for the tour about town, Salon is lovely and the residents take great care to keep the houses in good repair and the flower boxes fresh.  There are a number of little fountains in the squares that have some sort of drooping plant in the middle, so that the water trickles down through vegetation into the basin - it's a neat effect.  Unfortunately, not all French dog owners are fastidious about cleaning up after their pets (this is true throughout the country), so in 30C heat the air was somewhat malodorous in the narrow streets.

Those Romans were an industrious lot

Pont-du-Gard (week 7)

The Nîmes aqueduct was a major feat of engineering, moving water 50 km with a drop in elevation of only 17 m.  It had to cross the river Gardon, hence the Pont (Bridge) du Gard (Gardon).  It is the second-tallest remaining Roman structure, after the Colleseum in Rome.

The site is well designed.  It charges each car €18 to enter and anyone in the car is admitted to the site; it's a good deal considering foot traffic is charged €10 a head.  The site contains a neat museum, several small shops, excellent sanitary facilities, a kids play area (we didn't go in), all for the carpark price.  It was unusually muggy the day we went, although the sun stayed mostly behind clouds.  So hiking around the site was warm, especially since there is a lot of up-and-down if you want to get out to the places with panoramic views.

We ended up at the bottom, where you can swim in the river (or rent a canoe or kayak to paddle under the bridge).  It was a good place to cool off at the end of the tour.

Puyloubier - more mundane "living" stuff

Our house is marked with the arrow

Puyloubier (week 7)

We are settling into a routine, which will be totally disrupted when school starts in a week, but that can be the subject of a future blog post, I suppose.  We are still going on excursions, bt generally one beach day and one or two long excursions (>1hr drive) per week.  It's pretty much pointless to go to a small town on Monday because most things are closed (even at the peak of tourist season!).  So we spend more time in Puyloubier and environs than elsewhere.  So here are some more things from around the town.

Pizza is supplied by Coco Pizza, located in truck that would not look out of place on a Canadian street (except that it would be selling poutine and hot dogs in Canada).  The pizza is pretty good - certainly it is better pizza than many places we've tried (although they don't have a duck topping).

The patisserie we frequent the most is called "Festival des Pains", and they have excellent bread and croissants.  Andrew has adopted the French way of just eating such things plain.  David will eat the bread sometimes as well, although he still prefers "sandwich-style" for his sandwiches.  We often get desserts and quiches from there as well.

The weather has been warm all of the time, the lowest afternoon temperature I've seen was 26C.  However, the wind can blow quite cold.  Also, it's a "dry heat" so as long as you aren't walking around in the full sun (which we do a lot on our excursions), it's not too bad.  We have an air conditioner in the TV room, which is on the top floor with a large south-facing window, so it's welcome in there.  For most of the other rooms, keeping the shutters closed is effective.

The house is a townhouse, 3 levels.  The first floor is the sejours, in our case a kitchen/dining area.  The second floor contains two bedrooms and an in-between room that is set up like an office.  The top floor is the TV room, with French doors opening onto a patio (the patio is shared with the house next door, owned by the same people).  There are two bathrooms (1st and 2nd floors) and a big storage area underneath that is only accessible through an outside door.

Medieval mountain-top fortress

Les Baux-de-Provence (week 7)

La Chapelle des Penitents

A "baux" is a spur or rocky outcrop, which perfectly describes the hill that is topped by the ruined Chateau-les-Baux.  This was a strategic area that changed hands many times through the middle ages: Occitan and French rulers, the counts of Barcelona, the princes of Monaco, and Huguenots.  Eventually the French king got fed up with the independent (rebellious!) spirit of the people of Baux and demolished the chateau.  However, the ruins still give a good idea of what the place was like.  The keep was carved out of the rock of the hill, so the walls blend in perfectly with the mountainside.

Crossbow shoot

There is lots to see, including several intact (and one ruined) chapels, siege engines (including the largest trebuchet in France), crossbow-shooting (Craig and David both shot one), and great views from the tops of the walls.  The surrounding village has a Banff-like feel of fancy restaurants and boutiques rubbing shoulders with cheap sandwich shops.  Some of the stairs appear to be the originals - very uneven and carved into the rock, and so worn down in the middle that they are effectively U-shaped steps.  Unfortunately, the limestone appears to be suffering quite badly from the rain - it flakes off in your hands and has a rippled look.

For you chemists and geologists - this is the town that gives the mineral Bauxite its name, although it's pronounced "beau" in French.

Liberation Day

The parade (l) and Andrew and I beside an M8 (r)

Trets (week 6)

Often overlooked by Canadians (and others) is Operation Anvil/Dragoon, the invasion of southern France by the U.S. 7th Army and Free French units.  On this date in 1944 (August 18, D-Day+3), they liberated the village of Trets, which you may recall is 10 km south of us. To celebrate, they had a street festival.  The centrepiece was a parade of vintage cars and military vehicles (including an M8 Greyhound scout car, several Jeeps with different armaments, and an M3 halftrack), as well as people dressed in period military kit (with weapons).  The parade wound through town twice, then parked in the Place de la Gare, where a band played big-band music.  We didn't stay for the whole thing (it ran to midnight - the nighttime noise laws are more relaxed here), but we did hear several BHS Jazz-esque standards like Moonlight Serenade and Chattanooga Choo-Choo.

First Sister

Gordes (week 5)

The Luberon is an area of hills and valleys on the other side (north) of Mont Ste. Victoire from our village.  It is a prime lavender-growing region, so when the flowers are in bloom there is a lot of purple in the fields.  Unfortunately, it is past the time of the lavender harvest, so we could only imagine that part.  Of course, the crags and cliffs and valleys are still impressive, as are the vertiginous roads clinging to the hillsides.

Lunch tailgate party!

Gordes is an official "plus beau village", climbing up the side of a steep hill.  In a valley nearby is the Abbaye Notre-Dame de Sénanque, one of the "Three Sisters" of Abbeys of the Cistercian Order in Provence.  It is a functioning abbey, so silence is requested and "appropriate clothing".  The lands were nationalized during the Revolution, but later returned to the Order.  The monks raise lavender in fields all around the abbey.... plus a vegetable garden they hide in the back.  We made the mistake of arriving on a feast day (the Assumption of Mary) so parts of the abbey were closed, although we were able to see the spartan but beautiful church.  We also were able to walk the grounds and took a path up the side of the valley.  Once again, our cameras were not up to the task of capturing the grandeur of the steep valley slopes with the bell tower peaking out through the trees, but here is the picture nonetheless:

Puyloubier - more early impressions

Puyloubier (weeks 4-5)

Some more impressions of Puyloubier now that we've spent a week here:

There are a lot of cyclists in this area, and the roads are at best 1.5 lanes with ditches on either side (to prevent road runoff from getting into the vineyards, presumably), so you really have to be on your toes.  It is not too busy, but there is steady traffic through the roads.  Neighbourhood kids have a few places to play including, literally, in the street.  Just like in Canada, the first to see one shouts "voiture!" and the kids jump onto the sidewalk, and resume playing after the car has passed.

Fortunately, there are also a couple of other places to play - such as the school playgrounds and especially the Parc des Sports.  The area has an enclosed basketball/something court (indoor soccer? handball?) - as you can see from the picture, it has a fabric surface which makes dribbling tricky.  It also has a very well-cared for soccer pitch, etc.  Andrew has invented a game called "lineball", where the boys try to get the ball past each other but must stick to the court lines (this is what they are doing in the picture).  David also shoots hoops, and the previous tenants left behind a couple junior tennis rackets and a big bag of balls, so Yolanda has been practicing with them.

The church bell keeps track of time on the hour every hour, even through the night.  Luckily it is not that loud!  There is a second, ruined church up the hill, which we gather is medieval.  All that's left is a couple walls, about 10-12 feet high.  They have also restored part of the medieval (?) wall, which is lit up at night with floodlights (we can see it from our patio).

Andrew has befriended a local cat.  Her name is Dexey, and is the pet of the local handyman (he also cares for our place in the absence of the landlords, who are Canadian).  People have a very laissez-faire attitude to pets here - they seem to be more like co-habitants rather than beloved family members.  Small dogs and cats wander at random through town, but they seem to have the same laid-back attitude as everyone else.  It's too hot to bite or scratch anyone! 

Some other nearby places: Trets and Aix

La Rotunde in Aix

Aix-en-Provence and Trets (week 4)

On the weekend, nearby Trets (population 10,000) had its medieval fair.  On Sunday it corresponded to market day, so the usual fruits and cheeses were supplemented by demonstrations of dancing and period costumes.  Costumes were available for sale, but were quite pricey, so we settled on a toy crossbow for the boys (which they've been asking for ever since they saw one in Chambord).

On Monday we went into Aix, which is the region's trendy tourist city (population 140,000).  We took a stroll along the Cours Mirabeau, and did more mundane things like go to the SFR store for a mobile phone for Craig and a top-up card for Yolanda.  We also visited such venerable Provence institutions as Monoprix (an all-purpose department store) to get some needed house supplies.

David demonstrates the buoyancy of the Med

Tuesday was beach day.  See the Beach Blog #3 for details.  We didn't plan to go to the beach we went to - we were looking for another nearby beach, but the GPS in the car didn't recognize its name (Ste. Croix), so we kind of wandered around until we found a beach, which turned out to be another one (La Couronne-Plage).  Not to fear, though, it was very good.

The Wine Blog!

Here is a list of the various (mostly in the local Mont Ste. Victoire sub-appellation) wineries that we've tried.  The distance is from our house in Puyloubier (as calculated by Googlemaps).  Many of the local wineries have on-site sales, but it can be a challenge to find them open.  Of course, many of them operate on "Provençal time", and everyone including vintners take month-long summer vacations, so your best bet is to drive around until you find something that is open.  (Also, some will post a telephone number on the door and a message that says something like "I'll come down right away".)

20. Sainte Lucie & Les Diables (1.7 km)

Ste. Lucie corks

On the D17 just outside Puyloubier, this is the most popular of the local wineries - they had a rupture de stock (out of stock) sign out until the wines were ready for 2015 sales (they re-opened just the last week or so).  Mostly specializing in rosés and whites, we tried the €32 2011 L'hydropathe Rouge at the winery.  It was nice, but I'm not sure it's worth the price, as there are other reds I've liked better for much less.  The other wines we tried were more in the normal range of €7-12.  Their economical rosés are among the most highly rated in the Côtes de Provence appellation, all three made with varying amounts of syrah, grenache, and cinsault.  Yolanda's favorite was the 2014 Bonbon Rosé, which, true to its name, is a fruity wine.  Craig preferred the 2014 L'hydropathe Rosé, which is milder with a distinct flavour of pomelos (for some reason, the Spanish word for grapefruit is used in the Pays d'Aix).  Finally, the whites are 100% rolle; we chose the MiP (for "Made in Provence"), their low-end white, but it was the one we preferred of those we tried.

19. Château de la Galinière (11 km)
On the D7N just past Chateauneuf-la-Rouge if you are coming from Aix, north (left) side of the road.  There are a couple of enormous signs, so it's hard to miss!  They have a couple whites, a couple reds, and a couple rosés.  We tried three.  The basic 2012 Château de la Galinière Rouge is a full-bodied mix of syrah and grenache while the more expensive 2012 Cuvée Jean-Baptiste Badetty mixes in some cabernet as well to result in a much smoother and lighter taste.  The 2013 Château de la Galinière Blanc has the typical fruity-flowery attack common to the whites of this area, but in this case it has a lighter finish than some of the Cassis wines we've tried.

18. Les Vignerons de Baou (14 km)
Located in the village of Pourcieux, if coming from Aix/Puyloubier on the DN7, you take the exit one past the D6 (where the Air de Sud is).  You turn left onto D423 and just as you enter the village the winery is on your right.  We tried the 2014 Sainte Victoire Rosé, which has a distinct grapefruit taste - very nice!  In addition, we had the 2012 Sainte Victoire Rouge, which has a spicy/smokey attack and a fruitier/velvety finish.  Finally, the 2012 Chateau des Tilleuls is a smooth, well-blended wine with a smokey flavour.

winter fields

17. Château Ferry Lacombe (9.9 km)
This is the other winery at the Air de Sud shop.  The winery itself is on the D6 between the Air and Trets.  (It's actually a nice little spot, with a long driveway that goes under the rail line and a pleasant setting.)  The wines vary from €7-20, we tried a few of the mid-range ones.  We served the 2013 Naos Rosé to our landlords (who are, obviously, rosé connoisseurs) and they thought it was good; it was light and not too fruity, good with meals rather than an apéritif.  The 2011 Naos Rouge is a grenache-syrah-cabernet blend that stands up well to salty food; Yolanda thought it was a little spicey.  The 2011 Cascaï Rouge was the most expensive, a blend of the same grapes but with syrah as the predominant varietal; it tasted quite syrah-y, smooth and well-blended.

16. Château des Ferrages (12 km)
This cave is just before the "leaving the MSV" appelation sign, on the DN7 a little bit before Saint-Maximine-la-Sainte-Baume.  They have a limited selection (one of each red, white, and rosé), we tried the rosé and the red, each of which was €7.  They were both described as "fruity" by the proprietress, which is true.  The 2013 Cuvée Roumery red goes well with mild cheese and dessert because the light fruitiness matches well.  Craig wasn't crazy about it with more savory fare, such as tomato sauce.  The 2013 rosé is also called Cuvée Roumery, and is quite light while maintaining a nice fruitiness.  It has a gold medal from one of the big Paris trade shows.

15. Clos la Neuve (9.9 km)
At the junction of the DN7 and the D6, just east of the Var/Bouches-du-Rhône border.  The shop is called "Air de Sud"; there is also a small blue Vignerons du Mont Sainte Victoire sign with the domaine name on it.  We tried 4 of the wines, all within the €7-10 range, three of them are the Mont Ste-Victoire appelation, the other was a Côtes du Rhône.  The 2012 Blanc tentation is made with the Rolle (Vermentino) was mild; we didn't really like it paired with the salty-savoury dinner we tried it with, but it was much nicer with the cheeses and dessert.  The 2013 Rosé seduction is a syrah/grenache that tasted quite white-like; Yolanda liked it better than me, and described it as having a distinct pear taste.  The 2010 Rouge désir is a grenache/syrah/cabernet that was Craig's favourite from this winery; it was a fruity/fresh flavour but still with a mild and dry finish.  Finally, the 2009 Rouge suave is a grenache/syrah, which was less fruity than the other red.  Both the reds were described by the salesperson as being "tannic", which explains the dry finish even in the fruity red.

14. Cellier Lou Bassaquet (9.7 km)

grape harvester

This is Trets's cooperative, coming south on the D12 from the D7N it is at the roundabout just as you come into town.   They have a variety of wines, including a series of single-grape varieties for very little (~€3).  We tried the more traditional blends, 3 reds and a rosé.  The reds are all grenache-syrah-cabernet sauvignon blends, but aged in oak for different lengths of time.  In order of increasing length in the oak barrels, we tried: Cuvée Speciale (2012), a light wine without much body but with a smooth finish; Rascailles (2011), much fuller bodied with a taste of licorice; and Sainte Victoire (2013), with a lingering finish and hints of plum.  The rosé was the 2013 Sainte Victoire, which was a light wine meant to be paired with food as it is not too fruity.  Per-bottle prices range in the €5-7 range.

13. Domaine Terre de Mistral (8.6 km)
Outside Rousset (south) on the D56C between the D7N and the D6.  A very large cave with an attached café.  One of the highlights of touring the facility is that you get the chance to make your own blend from a selection of wines they have on tap.  The domaine has on the order of 10 different grape varietals and they make reds, whites, and rosés.  All the wines are named after someone in the family and includes the personal touch of posting bios of the person beside the wine on the shelf.  They have five wines with the Mont Ste.-Victoire appellation, and we tried them all (there are another dozen or so of various other types in addition to the five we tried).  The prices ranged from €7.50-20. (i) Cuvée Rosalie 2013 (syrah-cinsault-grenache-rolle): a fresh rosé with a strong attack and sweetish finish, we thought it went well with mild cheeses. (ii) Cuvée Nadia Rosé 2013 (grenache-syrah): a fruitier attack with a short finish, with a distinct grapefruit flavour (incidentally, in this area they use the Spanish word pomelo instead of pamplemousse). (iii) Cuvée Nadia Blanc 2013 (rolle): this is one of the few single-grape wines we've seen here, and as we've never had this grape type before, we were intrigued.  Rolle is the French name for the Italian grape vermentino, which has only recently been planted in this area.  This light wine had a very interesting mild candy taste (Craig thought caramel, Yolanda thought honey). (iv) Cuvée Nadia Rouge 2013 (syrah-carignan): a fresh or young-tasting red, with a fruity attack and a short/dry finish; this is the first time we've seen carignan in this area. (v) Cuvée Zaéllo 2012 (syrah-grenache): this is about as typical as you can get in a red in the Pays d'Aix - a syrah-grenache blend with nothing else; this wine was much mellower and well-blended than the Nadia, a very pleasant wine to drink.

12. La Grande Bauquière (5.2 km)

Entrance to the Domaine la Grande Bauquière

This winery has a full selection of wines with multiple reds, whites, and rosés, ranging in price from €8.50 to €40.  It's easy to find if you know what you're looking for - on the D12 between Puyloubier and the D7N, there is a small side road (heading east) with 4 or 5 little markers, one of which is the sign for the winery.  Once on the little road it's obvious, because they have a typical cedar-lined winery driveway.  We tried the two 2012 reds, which the vintner says was a good year.  They were both based on syrah, with grenache and others added in.  The main difference is that the "B" Rouge is only lightly oaked, while the Rouge Moment Suspendu spends a long time in oak barrels.  We enjoyed both reds, but the difference in the oaking is marked: the heavier oaking makes a much smoother taste.  It also doubles the price!  We also bought one of the rosés, the 2013 Rosé Moment Inattendu, which the vintner chose as the best rosé to have with food (it also has a cool-looking curvy bottle).

11. Mas de Cadenet (6.4 km)
On the D57, just south of the D7N.  Founded in 1813 (so they can now say "over 200 years old"!), in the same family for many generations.  They have a wide variety of wines, whites, reds, and rosés, in three different families - a Cote de Provence, a Mont. Ste. Victoire, and "the good stuff".  The three rosés are very different.  The Arbaude is the Cote de Provence, containing grenache and cinsault; it has a fruity attack but a light finish.  The Mas de Cadenet is Ste. Victoire appelation so it has syrah along with the grenache and cinsault; it is lighter on the attack but with a longer, stronger finish.  Both are very nice and easy to drink!  The Mas Negrel Cadenet is the house specialty rosé, distinguished from the others because it is aged in oak for 8 months, which is very unusual for a rosé, and makes the taste quite a bit less fruity.  Craig wasn't crazy about it by itself, but it will be better with food.  Finally, we also got one of the reds (the Ste. Victoire), made from syrah, grenache, and cabernet sauvignon.  It was dry but very nice.  Nana and Craig also tried their signature red, but the vintner suggests aging it for up to 20 years (they sell the 2010 vintage), which is a little longer than our timeline for staying in France!  Prices ranged from €10-22.

10. Domaine Jacourette (7.3 km)
On the D23, between the DN7 and Pourrières village.  Coming from Aix, it is the exit to Pourrières that has the roundabout (although it's faster to take the back roads if coming from Puyloubier).  A much more economical option than the last few, prices are under €10 for all the wines I tried, which was the three rosés and one of the reds.  The rosés were all light summer wines - very pleasant, although without being able to taste them side-by-side I wouldn't be able to remember details.  The wines are different, coming from different grapes: l'Ange et Luce is a mix of syrah and cinsault,   Les ailes d'un Ange is merlot, and Sainte Victoire is syrah and grenache.  The red we tried - a mix of syrah and cabernet sauvignon called Cuvée Tradition - was interesting.  It didn't have a great taste if drunk alone (Craig thought it was a little vinegary), but paired with a salty roast chicken from the Trets market it was excellent.  It was Craig's first experience in conducting a tasting entirely in French - either because his French is improving enough that they didn't automatically switch to English (unlikely) or because the proprietress didn't speak English.

grapes mid-October (just before harvest)

9. Domaine de Mauvan (5.0 km)
On the D7N between the D57 (Peynier road) and the D12 (Trets road).  Another place with no real tasting area, just a bar/counter in the wine-making facility.  The owner was very accommodating, considering it is now harvest time (he'd been up since 3am because he says rosés have to be made at night when it's coolest).  He also brought out samples of all the stages in the rosé process - some of the freshly-pressed juice (very sweet), some freshly-fermented "wine" (a little tasteless and very cloudy), then finally we tasted some of the final products.  They have one white (sold out), two rosés, and three reds.  Although all the grapes are grown at the same domaine, only two are specifically classified as Ste. Victoire (the others are simply Côtes de Provence).  We bought both rosés (Craig liked the non-Ste. Victoire better).  The reds were defined by their dominant grape - mainly grenache, mainly syrrah, and we can't remember the third (cabernet sauvignon?).  Craig liked the 2011 grenache best - called Cuvée Vielles Vignes.  It was light and quite dry.  Prices ranged from €7.50 to 13.50.

8. Domaine Richeaume (3.0 km)
On the D57B just west of Puyloubier village.  Coming from Aix it's easy to find with a large sign, but the sign is totally obscured by a tree when coming from the east.  This winery is very businesslike, with no real tasting area.  There is a sign on the door to the cave with a phone number to call when you arrive.  Having said that, the man who came down in response to the call was very friendly and helpful, and spoke some English (about as well as I speak French, so between the two of us we were fine).  The wines are quite expensive, the "cheapest" being the blended red and white at €20 a bottle.  The prices for the single-varietal reds are €30-40 a bottle.  Oddly for the Côtes de Provence, they produce one white and several reds - but no rosés.  We tried the 2012 white, which was nice.  The equivalent (blended) 2011 red was very robust (but good!), probably the most robust red we've had here.  It would be an excellent pairing with a strong cheese; unfortunately we didn't have any strong cheese, but it was still good with the Comté and Rouy that we had on hand.

grapes early August (Mt Ste Victoire behind)

7. Château Gassier (4.9 km)
On the D7N, between two of the roads up to Puyloubier (D57 and D56C).  This winery actually has two vineyards, both in the Côtes de Provence appellation, but one is in the La Londe sub-appellation, while the other is in Montagne Sainte-Victoire.  We tried two rosés, one from each sub-appellation, which were very different.  The Cuvée Loubiero (the La Londe rosé) was sweeter but ultimately lighter, more of an apéritif; it has many grape varietals (6 or 7 - it was a long list!).  Le Pas du Moine (the MSV rosé) was more like a white; it contained mainly grenache and syrrah, which the wine stewardess explained was required by the AOC in order for it to be labelled as an MSV sub-appellation.  It had a stronger finish.  We also bought the brand-new red, which they just started selling last week.  It is a 2011 from their MSV vineyard, called Esprit Gassier.  It is a good dinner wine, not too heavy.  The prices per bottle ranged €8-12.

6. Domaine de l'Anticaille (6.7 km)
Located in Trets, on the D57.  Again, this is a wine we happened to find in the grocery store (this time at the Carrefours in Trets).  It's good to see national chain grocery stores supporting their local businesses - something we see very little of in Thunder Bay.  The wine we found was a 2013 Rosé, simply labelled with the domaine name.  It was very white-tasting (i.e. tasted more like a white wine than a rosé to us).  UPDATE: At the Trets food fair, Craig decided to sample the local whites.  This winery's Cuvée Mazurka was the clear winner - a light-tasting and mild wine.  Yolanda wasn't as enamored with it, but it was by far Craig's favourite.

St. Ser bottles

5. Domaine de Saint Ser (2.0 km)
Located on the D17 just outside Puyloubier.  They grow three grapes (Granache, Syrah, and Cabernet-Sauvignon) and mix-and-match to make their wines.  They have one white, three rosés, and three reds - we tried the reds.  One is unoaked, the other two are oaked and vary by the primary grape (one is mostly Syrah, the other is mostly Cabernet).  All were very good, although the unoaked wine is not as smooth as the others.  At the domaine they sell 2008 vintage for the oaked and 2010 for the unoaked, and they are not cheap.  My favourite was the Cabernet-dominant wine, which was €20.  However, you get what you pay for, and these wines are very good.

4. Cellier de Marius Caius (6.2 km)
Surely the best-named winery in the area!  The cave is right in Pourrières, right in front of you if you come into town on the D23.  When we drove past it was closed, but we found some in the Hyper U in St.-Maximin.  It was called "Grand Reserve" (2013) and was fairly typical of the local rosés - a little fruity but not overwhelmingly so.  I suspect we can get better and more interesting wines at the cave if we can find it open.

3. Château Grand Boise (6.0 km to store, 12 km to vineyard)
This winery has a boutique on the D7N (which is the same road as the DN7, its name changes from Bouches-de-Rhone to Var), between the Trets and Rousset exits.  The vineyard itself is just south of Trets.  They make pricier wines (something like 8-10 different wines), and the boutique has a selection of fine wines from other regions of France.  We tried the Jadis 2012 Rosé, which was €14.  It is a mixture of Grenache and Syrrah, the latter aged in barrels before blending.  It had an interesting taste - a bit smokier and drier than a typical rosé.

the red dirt of Puyloubier

2. Domaine Sacaron (10 km)
On the DN7 at Pourrières (Var), there is a boutique for the winery and also a fruit stand out front in the parking lot (not sure if they are related).  They have 5 wines, 2 red, 2 rosés, and 1 white.  We tried the pinker rosé (called Atout Coeur), which Yolanda thought was a little fruitier than some of the others we've tried.  I thought it was fairly mild, but it still stood up with the fajitas we had for dinner (probably on account of the fruitiness).

1. Les Vignerons du Mont Sainte Victoire (250 m)
This is a local winery co-op, that has several producers contributing.  Several of its rosés have won awards at national wine shows.  We are in the process of trying several of them, and to our inexperienced palettes, they are fine.  We have been told by the locals that rosés are to be served ice cold.  They also have "table wines" (one each of red, white, and rosé) that can be bought by the 5 or 10L box, or you can bring your own container and fill from the cask.  We have not tried these yet - the price for bringing your own container is ~€2/L.

Lions vs. Christians

Arles (week 4) 

Modern seating in the Roman Amphitheatre

In the civil war between Pompey and Caesar in 49-45 BC, Marseille had the unfortunate luck to have chosen to side with the loser.  Therefore, its treasures and influence were carted off to Arles, which had sided with Caesar.  As a result, there are many Roman ruins in Arles, some of them well-restored.  Perhaps more interestingly, the French government has restored them to a usable condition, so the Theatre holds shows (with incongruous modern stage lighting surrounded by Roman stone seating), and the Amphitheatre (Arène in French) is used for bullfights twice a week in the summer.  As you can see from the picture in the Amphitheatre, they have installed modern steel scaffold seating in the upper tier and wooden in the lower.  The building was used as a fortification in the Middle Ages, thus the medieval towers (sticking up above the seating) not original to the Romans.  The rest of the building is mostly restored Roman, except the actual ring where the bullfights take place, which basically looks the same as any rodeo arena.

We spent some time in the Amphitheatre, the kids poking their heads into various nooks and crannies.  We also took in the remains of the Thermae (baths), which has been cleared of non-Roman structures but not restored.  We didn't have time to go into the Theatre, but you can see the layout from outside.

Van Gogh's hospital garden

Arles's other claim to fame is that Vincent van Gogh lived there for a while, painting hundreds of painting in and of the town, as well as being the site of his infamous ear-removal.  Unfortunately, there are no actual paintings in Arles's art museums, and his Yellow House was destroyed in WWII.  You can visit the site of the hospital where he was cared for during his various illnesses (including getting stitched up for the ear).  And, of course, you can buy Absinthe in every corner store.

The Beach Blog!

Provence and environs (ongoing)

I thought I would keep a running tally of the various beaches we went to this year, for future reference.  So I'll be updating this particular post off-and-on.

Cassis: little Cannes

12. Cassis, rating: GOOD.  Cassis is very much like a little Cannes.  There's some sandy areas mixed with rocky areas, and the footing in the water is more rocky than sandy.  If you go there, bear in mind that Cassis and the beach area are very small - finding a spot on the sand will be difficult in the summer, even if you manage to find parking.  Having said that, the downtown area around the beach is full of restaurants, little shops, and places for the kids to run around safely, and it was perfectly busy when we were there, on a 25C day in mid-October.  There are also some great sunny spots on the flat slab rocks lining the west side of the harbour (the furthest out from town is the nudest area).  The beach is easy to find - it's right with the marina and the Tourist Information office, just follow signs for those (or the Calanques tours); if worst come to worst, just walk downhill until you find it.  There are public washrooms around, but no showers (there was a place for them, but they were broken or disconnected).

Cannes: great sand, food, & ambiance; non-existent facilities & parking

11. Boulevard de la Croissette - Cannes, rating: GOOD.  The waterfront of Cannes is, like Nice, a wide promenade for walking, with beaches lining one side.  Unlike Nice, the vast majority are private - owned by hotels across the road or by restaurants right on the beach.  There are plages municipale on either end of the boulevard - one is right off the Palais des Festival, where the film festival is held.  However, if you can get to Cannes in the off-season, the public beaches are very nice, with great soft sand.  The water depth increases quickly, so there is good swimming (but not good wading for the kids).  Even in mid-October, the air temperature was 26C and the water temperature in the low 20s, so plenty warm for swimming!  The restaurant selection along the beach is varied in price, although again like Nice, everything on the beach shuts down at 18:00.  Luckily there are lots of restaurants across the boulevard with a wide variety of class-level and cost.  There is also lots of fashion shopping, small amusement parks at either end for young children, and marinas for the admiring of yachts.  The main drawback for a casual visitor would be the total lack of washroom facilities of any type anywhere along the promenade.  Parking is probably also a big problem (we had hotel parking and washroom, so not a big deal for us on this trip).  Compared to the other Riviera beaches we've been to (Bandol and Nice), it's certainly the nicest sand and it has best ambiance with the variety of shops and restaurants, but parking and no washrooms make it a poor choice of destination if you are a day-tripping.

Bandol: David on Plage des chiens (l) and walking along the marina (r)

10. Plage Centrale - Bandol, rating: GOOD.  It's interesting that we went to Nice and Bandol on consecutive beach days, because Bandol seemed to Craig to be run down compared to Nice.  Bandol can be considered the start of the Riviera, and a look at the marina tells you why - it is enormous, and the yachts range in price up to the million-dollar range.  There is a promenade along the beach/marina, but it doesn't have the same elegance as Nice, with small bars and shops instead of luxury hotels.  The beaches run along the main waterfront drag (Quai Charles de Gaulle - when you come off the autoroute from Aix or Puyloubier you'll end up on the D559 - when you see water, turn right!).  On the other hand, it's certainly more economical than Nice.  The beach itself is better, but not great: the sand is soft but shallow, near the waterline it's very gravelly, and there are boulders (say a foot or two in diameter) lurking just offshore for stubbing of toes and skinning of ankles.  On the plus side, there are free and clean washrooms all along the plage, lots of places to have snacks or food with the kids, showers, and very easy access to the various tour boats in the middle of the marina (to the calanques, dolphin-watching, Île de Bendor just off Bandol, and Île de Porquerolles just off Hyères).  There is also a Dog Beach on the other side of the marina.  It was 28C at the end of September and the parking lots were full, although hardly anyone on the beaches (they must have been in the casino).  There are lots of pay parking lots and the price is very reasonable - we paid €2.50 for 3 hours.

Plage Public du Voilier - rocky, but good swimming!

9. Promenade des Anglais - Nice. rating: GOOD.  Along the entire waterfront of Nice runs a wide pedestrian/cycling promenade called the Promenade des Anglais, because the paving was originally payed for by English tourists.  Along the entire Promenade is Nice's beach(es).  Although it is one long stretch, it is divided up into public and private beaches, the private ones being mostly restaurants that have seating on the beach.  As you can see from the picture, the charm of the beaches is not the surface - it is rocky, although that has a charming sound when the surf rattles the rocks against each other.  The water is, of course, beautiful as it is all along the Riviera - here it drops off very quickly (I was in over my head within 20 feet) but that does make for excellent swimming.  As you might expect for the Riviera, tops are optional for men and women, which maybe 10% of the women take advantage of.  Most of the topless women were presumably ex-hippies (they were certainly of that age!).  Depending on the time of year, the drive from eastern Bouches du Rhône is 1.5 hours (it took us over 2 hours because we didn't take the Autoroute most of the way).  Nice traffic is notoriously snarled, and there is a lot of construction, but we were not seriously impeded on a Friday afternoon in mid-September (the cross-town highway was nowhere near as congested as the Gardner Expressway, for example).  There are lots of public pay lots, although we found free parking on the street a couple blocks inland.  There are rentals for gear, parasailing outfits, showers at the beach stairs, and pay washrooms (€0.50).  All along the promenade are bistros right on the beach (plats price range €15-30), as well as fancy restaurant dining across the road (plats prices €45 and up).

Plage Lumière - France's smoke-free beach!

8.  Plage Lumière - La Ciotat, rating: EXCELLENT; Plage de Cyrnos - La Ciotat, rating: VERY GOOD.  La Ciotat is just east of Marseille and, depending on who you ask, somewhere near the start of the Riviera.  All the beaches are right in town, so there are many dining options, and a wide boulevard walkway links them.  They are separated by breakwaters and beachside restaurants.  We went to two.  Plage Lumière has excellent soft sand, a gentle slope in the water, washrooms, lifeguards, and showers on the beach.  It's the first Mediterranean beach where there's been a noticeable undertow (although it was pretty weak).  It is advertised as "France's largest smoke-free beach" so as you might expect, it was popular with families with very young children.  We were there on a Wednesday in September (29C) and it was full (but we could still find room to put down our beach mat).  Plage de Cyrnos has all the same facilities, but the "sand" is very fine pebbles, which is a little harder to walk on.  It also has a much steeper grade, slightly larger waves, and far fewer people.  The best part is the colours in the water - several shades of blue and green are noticeable as you look across the bay - this picture does not do the water justice.  The day we were there, a waterbomber was practicing - landing and loading water, then taking off and dumping the load.  It cycled at least 6 times while we were there.  To get there from Puyloubier is 60km and 1 hour on the non-toll roads.  We highly recommend the D96 through La Bouilladisse, then D559 from Roquefort.  The latter road is twisty with a magnificent view of the beach you're headed to as you get your first glimpse of the Med.

Pont-du-Gard: bad beach, cool scenery!

7. Pont-du-Gard, rating: POOR.  Just to be clear, Pont-du-Gard as a tourist site is excellent!  However, as a beach, it is not very good - the water is nice (clear, not too cold), but limited because there are places where the current is significant; for example, you're not allowed to swim under the bridge itself.  The shore is rounded rocks, but they range in diameter to about 10 cm, and are very difficult and painful to walk on, not to mention slippery with algae in places.  But, of course, you aren't here to go to a beach, and if you have a hot day trekking around a bunch of dusty Roman ruins, a dip in the river is very refreshing.  The kids also have fun looking at the rocks (lots of colour) and when we were there (late August) there were lots of small fry and even a couple adult fish swimming in the shallows for easy viewing.  There is a place to rent canoes up the river, and all the facilities of the site are available (washrooms, restaurants, etc., but no change rooms or washrooms right at the riverside).

La Capte: stretches out forever!

6. La Capte - Hyères, rating: EXCELLENT.  Another Riviera beach, this one located at Hyères on a spit that sticks way out into the Med.  It is very narrow but very long (the picture shows about 1/3 of the beach, it stretches even further in the other direction).  The sand is excellent and clean (no cigarette butts), there are free toilets and showers on the beach (although the facilities are not as good as at Couronne).  The water is very shallow with a gentle grade - I had to walk out maybe 75 m to get up to get over my waist.  We took the free roads - the most direct route is to follow DN7 to Brignoles then D43 south.  You can also take the D5/D554, which is mostly forested and has a neat switchback climb up a hill.  Once you're in Hyères, follow the signs for the Toulon airport (you'll have to traverse the town).  Once you pass the airport you need to be on D197 in La Capte (we followed the signs for La Tour Fondue, which is at the end of the spit).  The beach is all along the road, we accessed at a point just past the "leaving La Capte" sign.  We arrived at 4:30 on an August Monday, the weather was 27C (but a little windy); the parking was pretty much full but we found a spot on our first rotation through the parking area.  The clientele was mostly families, probably because of the shallow grade.  There was even an ice-cream vendor pushing his Dickie-dee-like cart up and down the beach; his French was too good for it to be Norman Leary.  The sails you can see in the background are catamarans that you can rent right at the beach.

The water park at Lac de Peyrolles

5. Lac de Peyrolles,  rating: FAIR to VERY GOOD.   This is a lake beach, although the beach itself is underwhelming.  The beach is hard stoney gravel and the water is cloudy (although warm enough).  However, the beach itself is not the real attraction, but rather the playground-like surroundings.  There are beach volleyball and beach soccer courts (both with excellent sand), a water park full of various floating things to climb and jump from (this costs €2/hr), and playground equipment.  There are washrooms, picnic areas, and a little canteen as well.  Overall, it's a good family destination with lots of variety.  Parking at the site is €2, although there is some free parking further away along the road and in Peyrolles-en-Provence.  It is right on the border of the Luberon, so there are some hills surrounding the lake, and some trails as well.  Unfortunately, it was very windy the day we were there, so it wasn't great beach weather.

Base Nature: breakers!

4. Base Nature - Fréjus, rating: VERY GOOD.  Base Nature is the nature park in Fréjus, which is in the French Riviera.  You can follow the DN7 from Puyloubier or Aix to Fréjus-St.Raphäel, then follow the signs in town for "Plage Fréjus" or "Base Nature" (sometimes only one or the other is on the sign).  You can also take the A8, which costs €8.40 (one way) from the Trets-Rousset exit.  The travel time difference is 60 minutes on the highway to 90 minutes on the DN7.  There is a large free parking lot, but the beach is enormous (several km long, although quite narrow) and, as you might expect for the Riviera in the summer, busy!  Luckily, it thins out a lot at night and we were easily able to park at 18:30 when we arrived.  It was mid-August, and the temperature was still 32C at that time of the evening.  The sand is pretty good - no rocks, although a little gravelly right at the water.  The water has a big drop right at the shore - maybe 3.5 feet in 10 feet, but it is more gradual after that.  The day we were there there were real breakers, as you can see from the picture.  There is a one large brasserie near the carpark, and showers on the beach (no change rooms).  There is only one pay toilet that we could see - i.e. one single toilet!  The cost is only €0.10, but annoying if you have to go all the way back to the car for a coin.

La Couronne: very similar to Risser's!

3. La Couronne-Plage, rating: EXCELLENT.  This is a very easy beach to travel to - it is right at the end of the D9 highway from Aix; therefore the beach is west of Marseille.  Coming from Puyloubier, we took the D6 towards Marseille, then across the city A51-A7-A55 (the last then crosses D9).  This route is toll-free but still a divided highway practically the whole way.  A very easy and pleasant trip, no traffic at 3pm on a Tuesday in August.  The beach itself has a 500-spot parking lot for €3.50, but it was full when we got there, so we parked along the highway - the cars stretched out probably 1 km on both sides of the highway and the street alongside (just like Risser's on a hot day!).  The temperature was 34C, so not surprising that it was so busy.  The sand was excellent - soft and deep, very few cigarette butts, good for digging and building sand castles.  The view wasn't quite as nice as Les Lecques, but still interesting.  The facilities were excellent: a 4-head shower right at the exit to the beach, plus well-tended and free washrooms, much like Risser's.  There were even some small breakers where the waves passed over the sandbar.  The grade into the water is very gradual - Andrew even went in up to his neck!  Very busy but not so crowded that you couldn't find a place because the sand is quite wide.  There are a few shops (a restaurant, ice cream place, etc.), but this is not in town.

Les Lecques: not too busy for 32C!

2. Les Lacques - Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer,  rating: GOOD. This beach is in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer and is long (but narrow).  There are some free parking lots, and others for €1/hour.  Beach access is free.  There is a row of shops/restaurants along the seawall (it appears most only take cash).  The sand is quite good, mostly fine sand with a few rocks mixed in.  It was busy but not completely packed when we were there (11-13:00 on a Tuesday in August, sunny 32C).  The deepness of the water increases gradually, and there is a breakwater at one end (for the yacht club) to keep the waves down.  Very safe for small children, we saw people of all ages (including teenagers by themselves, young couples with or without children, grandparents, etc.).  There are a lot of cigarette butts on the beach, but I expect that's true everywhere.  Scenery is quite nice with a curved bay on one side with a forested hill coming down to the water and houses dotting the hillside closer in.  Water is very clear.  There are public restrooms towards the centre of the beach on the boardwalk.

1. D-day Beaches (as beaches, not as historical sites): Omaha, Gold, and Juno.  Remember that the tides are very high along this part of Normandy, so the amount of sand is going to vary greatly with the tide!  For none of these did we find things like change rooms or taps to rinse off your feet, like you would at a Provincial Park beach in Nova Scotia.  We also didn't see public restrooms either, although we didn't have to "go" during any of these visits, except at Juno where we'd already paid to see the museum so we used their facilities (likewise, there is a museum right on the beach at Gold, and one just up the road about 3-5 minutes walk from Omaha).

Omaha: sand as far as the eye can see!

(a) Omaha (Saint-Laurent-sur-Mer).  By far the best beach for my tastes.  Very wide and open, plenty of free parking, wide roads compared to what is normal in the area.  Very clean, nice sand, wide, few people.  Very few nearby amenities (to eat, etc.).
 (b) Gold (Arromanches-les Bains).  The main beach is right in the village, so parking and travelling to the site in the car is difficult.  There is a pay lot right next to the beach and museum, but it is small.  We were there at high tide and there is literally no beach when the water is all the way in.  The sand (that we saw before it was covered) was good, there are still some Mulberries that you can apparently walk out to when the tide is out.  Overall, very poor access but good if you're looking for cafés and shops.
(c) Juno (Courseulles-sur-Mer).  There is a yacht club right next to the beach, with lots of windsurfers out.  The beach has nice sand, but when we were there, at least, there was a lot of seaweed and a slightly rotten smell coming from it.  Luckily you can get away from it because the beach covers a lot of area when the tide is out.  There is a watch post (not sure if they are lifeguards per se) in the middle.  The town centre is a short walk, between the yacht club and the Juno Centre there is a good amount of parking.

Our home in France - first impressions

Road sign, entering from the west

Puyloubier (week 4)


Our France home is in Puyloubier (Bouches-du-Rhône département) which is about 15 minutes east of Aix-en-Provence, close to the border of Var.  Wikipedia helpfully informs us that people from this area are "bucco-rhodaniens".  The village is about 1500 people, has a small grocery store, two bakeries (boulangerie-pâtisseries), and multiple restaurants, one of which the locals can't go to because it's mentioned in the Michelin guide and therefore very busy.  Most importantly for Yolanda, there is a tennis club.  It is up the side of Montagne Ste-Victoire, which was painted frequently by Cézanne, and is a popular hike (but not a simple one).

Map of Puyloubier

There are also many fruit stands with local produce, although where they grow them (between the vineyards) I'm not sure.  Local fruit right now is peaches, apricots, etc., but pretty much everything you want is grown here - green beans, garlic, apples, tomatoes, cucumbers, canteloupes, etc.  The locals are very snobby about produce, "Well obviously you don't buy fruit at the grocery store!"  Speaking of grocery stores, nearby Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume has a very large superstore (HyperU) in the middle of a shopping complex (it reminds me of Crowfoot Crossing in Calgary), which is pretty convenient.  Trets is a little closer, but the road is narrower and the store (a Carrefour) a little smaller.

Vineyards as far as the eye can see

Because of the climate and the soil, this is purely a wine-making region.  The next town south is 10 km away - and the entire trip travels through vineyards.  Some of the caves/chateaux/domaines have direct-sell outlets (although we haven't gone in one yet).  There is a cave cooperative (literally: wine cellar co-op) about 200m from our door, so we've been trying some of their fare first.  Provence is best known for its rosés.  For example, one nearby winery (Château de la Galinière) has Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Carignan, and Viognier varietals.

The Mediterranean is not a convenient distance, especially since most of the roads in this region are either 1.5 lanes wide or toll highways.  It cost 45 minutes and €11.80 in tolls to get to what looked like the nearest beach, plus €1/hour for parking.  Of course, the boys didn't want to go and then didn't want to leave.  But more on that on the beach blog.

...and then came the forest fire

Montpellier (week 3)

The GPS in the car advertises the trip from Carcassonne to Montpellier to be 1.5 hours "without traffic."  We were warned that the last weekend of July/first weekend of August is the busiest on the roads of France, because everyone takes either the month of July or to month of August off.  Thus, everyone in France is on the road this weekend, so we knew the trip would take longer.

However, we were unprepared for the police convoy.  We are not sure what they were convoying, but it was 4 police trucks (perhaps carrying prisoners?) with lead and chase cars.  For a few kilometres around each highway exit they would drive abreast across the 3 lanes of traffic to prevent anyone overtaking them - and the trucks typically drove 90 km/h in a 130 zone.  We finally got past that and a presumably unrelated jam at a toll booth, and were nearing Montpellier.  Then Yolanda said, "Hey, look at that smoke up there!"

Sure enough, smoke was billowing across the highway from somewhere up ahead.  Traffic slowed and then stopped.  No cars were coming from the opposite (westbound) lanes.  Planes and helicopters circled overhead, including what looked like at least 4 waterbombers.  It turns out a forest fire (probably more what we would call a wildfire) closed the road, eventually for 6 hours (and 200 km of stopped cars).  Luckily, we were near a point where the police opened a U-turn lane through the guardrail separating the eastbound from the westbound lanes, so we were only in that jam for about an hour, but of course we then had to drive back towards Carcassonne and find a new route to Montpellier.

Having finally reached the hotel after several hours on the hot highway (the temperature again was in the low-mid 30s C), the boys closed the swimming pool at the hotel - finally getting out at 10:30pm.

The  next day's activity was the Montpellier zoo, billed as the 2nd-largest in France. Unfortunately, due to construction of new habitats, it's location in hilly terrain, and 35C by 10:30 am all conspired to prevent the boys from seeing many of the animals in the outdoor pens.  They did enjoy the indoor "Amazonia" exhibit, though.  They also did their Grandpa proud by again convincing their mother to let them have Magnum ice cream bars before setting out for "home"  in Puyloubier.

Festy-day!

Trebuchet at Castelnaud (DPM at left)

Montignac, Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, and Carcassonne (week 3)

Close to Limoges is the Vézère Valley, site of a series of caves containing some of the most complex and oldest paleolithic cave paintings known.  Thus, we set off for Montignac and the Lascaux Cave.  The real site is closed to preserve it, so the tourist attraction is Lascaux II, a faithful reproduction (also in a real cave).  As we drove into Montignac, we learned that they were having a festival.  Because of its international diversity theme, we watched a veritable parade of people passing by of various ethnicities in traditional dress.  By the time we crawled to the tourist office (where the tickets to the site are sold), the next available English tour was 4.5 hours later (you have to take a tour).  So we ate lunch and chose not to wait for the tour but instead to head south to Castelnaud-la-Chapelle, site of Château de Castelnaud and its Museum of Medieval Weaponry.

By the time we worked our way there, Andrew had fallen asleep (the Monédières' hospitality of the night before kept the boys up very late... and their parents too!), so David and Craig made their way up to the Castle.  It was a steep climb up to the cliff-hugging fortifications in 30+ Celsius heat, but it was worth it.  As advertised, the rooms of the Castle are full of paraphernalia, and we also saw a trebuchet demonstration.

Cité de Carcassonne from our hotel room

After the whistlestop at Castelnaud, we carried on to Carcassonne, a Roman and then Crusader fortress city on the route between Italy and Spain.  It is one of the most extensively restored medieval fortress complexes in Europe.  As we approached our hotel, we ran into yet another festival, this time the Festival de Carcassonne, a multi-week event (this year's featured headliners included Elton John, Franz Ferdinand, and the Jacksons).  The free concert we saw outside our hotel (in the Square André Chénier) was reggae by The Wailers, fronted by Bob Marley's former guitarist.

So, another late night but the boys were game the next day to run the ramparts and explore the keep in the old Cité de Carcassonne.  They shot arrows and threw grenades at whatever enemy was attacking the city.  We had lunch at one of the many cafés (the interior of the Cité is quite ample) and then headed towards Montpellier.