So big it's got it's own weather system

Rognes (week 29)

Another town that struck our fancy in the Secret Provence book was Rognes.  It is now known for a few things.  One is for being one of the four towns largely destroyed in the 1909 Lambesc Earthquake, which measured ~6 on the Richter scale - that might not be overpowering for modern Pacific rim buildings, but 19th century stone houses were not built to withstand it.  Another thing for which it is known is its old quarry, giving building stones of a distinct colour (they were popular with the people of Aix).  A third is the gigantic ex voto to the Virgin for saving the town from damage in WWII, carved into the former La Foussa château fortification.  It is six metres tall, although you can't get right next to it for a proper sense of scale.  Ironically, it looks larger from the hill a couple of kilometres outside of town than it does close-up.

the Tour Guide

We wandered around the town, which was very nice, including a friendly cat that followed us for several blocks that the boys named "The Tour Guide".  We eventually found our way up some rough footpaths to the ruins of the château.  Although we were told at the tourist bureau it was on private property, it was clear that the path was well-used and there was no indication that it was, in fact, private.  Along the way you pass some ruined foundations from the earthquake, along with sections of garden walls around current houses that are obviously old and jagged, presumably also survivors of the quake.  New construction is proceeding apace on the site of the old town, so if you want to see the ruins, you'd better come soon!

Further along the path, we passed some grottoes and troglodyte dwellings, around which have been found evidence of prehistoric dwelling.  The ruins on the hill are called Le Foussa, which is the name of the 13th century château, but some of the surrounding ruins appear to be from an earlier period and are called the oppidum, the Latin word for a type of Celtic hill-fort, suggesting a town from at least the period at the start of Roman era.  The most prominent remains from the medieval Le Foussa is a piece of wall that includes a window.  I like the description in the walking tour guide produced by the town: "La légende raconte qu'un seigneur tyrannique a été défenestré à cet endroit et que la fenêtre aurait été conservée pour mémoire," i.e. a local tyrant was thrown from the window, so it was saved as a memorial.

It didn't burn down, fall over, or sink into the swamp

the prison, high windows are for the guards

Aigues-Mortes (week 29)

In 1240, the French kingdom had no Mediterranean port, so when King Louis IX ("Saint-Louis") wanted to mount the Seventh Crusade, he had to either depend on Italian ships or build his own port.  He chose the latter.  The natural harbours that are now part of France (at Marseille, Toulon, Nice, etc.) were under the control of other crowns at that time, so Louis chose the site of the salt works in the swamps of the Rhône delta, uninspiringly called Aigues-Mortes = "the Stagnant Waters".  Charlemagne had already established a small defensive tower there in 791 to protect the salt workers and fishermen.  Saint-Louis greatly expanded the fortifications to create a walled town with navigable channels to allow loading of seaworthy vessels (the town was never actually on the coast).  He also built the Tour de Constance on the site of Charlemagne's original tower.

The fortifications are remarkably well preserved and restored, and in fact Constance Tower has been in use since it was built.  It has often been used as a prison, holding Templars after their order was disbanded, then Protestants when the Edict of Nantes was revoked and Protestantism became illegal in the Kingdom of France.

windy!

We visited Aigues-Mortes on a very windy day, travelling by way of the Camargue wetland preserve.  It is famously home to three animals identified by their colours: black bulls (for bullfighting), white horses (for herding the bulls), and pink flamingoes (for starring in the title sequence for Miami Vice).  We saw plenty of the first two, but did not venture into the bird preserve.  The drive itself has long straight stretches bordering large fields, reminiscent of the southwestern Ontario plains.  The mountains are a distant, ghostly presence, and the flat open spaces were actually a welcome change from the normal driving over and through the mountain valleys that dominate this area of France.

Upon arrival, we had lunch at the Restaurant Coco.  The restaurant was small and the tables were pushed close together, but it was friendly, warm, and had the best fries we've tried in Europe.  Unfortunately, despite our insistence that we really did want our toro to be cooked bien cuite, the steaks came out somewhere between raw and rare.  After lunch, we dropped into the local office de tourisme and the Templar church of Notre-Dame-des-Sablons and wandered through the town.  We then paid the €15 fee to access the walls and tower.  The walls can be circumnavigated, a 1640 m round trip.  Along the wall are various strong points (towers, gatehouses) and every section had its own "toilet" (a seat with a hole to allow the waste to land outside the wall).  There are excellent views over the canals, and mountains of salt stand as testament to the continuing use of the salt marsh.  The views are even better from the top of the Constance Tower.

l: Andrew atop the Porte de la Marine (gatehouse); r: David demonstrates the wall-top latrine

We also tried dropping into the Château d'Avignon, but it was closed for the off-season.  It's only open from April 31 to October 31.  <-- yes, that is EXACTLY what it says on the sign.

The week of living undangerously

Aix-en-Provence and Puyloubier (week 28)

Several days of rain and various illnesses slowed us this week, so no travelling at all on the weekend.  We eventually decided on the Natural History Museum in Aix as our destination on Wednesday, since it was still raining and we wanted something close and indoors.  On our way we ducked into the Monoprix on the Cours Mirabeau to escape the rain, which was picking up again after we started walking from the carpark (is it just me or are the raindrops bigger in Provence?).  We discovered that they were having a clearance of their fall/winter stock, so picked up a jacket and shoes for Andrew, each at 50% off, and a replacement backpack for David for 70% off.  The latter became necessary because his $15 Walmart backpack finally got destroyed after 1.5 years of service.  We'll see how his €9 Monoprix backpack compares!

Just above Andrew's head the sign says, "Le musée est fermé"

The good news is that the rain had pretty much stopped by the time we left the Monoprix.  The bad news is that the museum was closed for renovation (despite the fact that a Google search before we left did not turn up this particular tidbit of information).

Terminus: Nemausus

the graffiti on the bench says "Je suis Charlie"

Nîmes (week 27)

Loyal readers will know that we previously visited Pont du Gard, a bridge for the Nemausus (now known as Nîmes) aqueduct.  We figured that any town worthy of such a structure deserved to be visited, so we travelled up there this sunny 16C afternoon.  Even better, the Mistral has died down for the time being, so it was a nice day with no risk of being blown off anything.

The Roman sites in Nîmes consist of a trio of buildings: the Amphitheatre (arena), the Maison Carrée, and the Tour Magnus.  We didn't have time to go to the last - a ruined tower that was part of the Roman fortifications.  The Maison Carrée is a Roman temple (to whom it is not known), which is called one of the best-preserved from the Empire.  The front is the most obvious, with impressive columns and an actual roof.  The interior is completely modern, though - it's just an exhibition space normally showing a historical film.

The Nîmes Amphitheatre (l) and the Maison Carrée (r)

The arena is smaller than the one in Arles, but it seems better preserved.  Medieval modifications were apparently not incorporated directly into the structure, unlike the one in Arles (or the conservators have since removed them).  Nîmes's arena is considerably smaller as well, which perhaps explains why the restoration is more complete.  That doesn't mean it is completely safe!  There is no way parts of this building would be open in Canada: at one point you can walk on top of the exterior wall, with nothing to stop you from just falling off the edge and down to the street 70' below.

Nîmes is a pleasant and clean town, with easy access to parking and some nice squares.  We decided to stay for dinner and finally try eating at the ubiquitous Quick burger chain.  It may not be quite up to the standards of Steak 'n Shake, but at least it is French.

"Je suis Charlie"

Puyloubier (week 26)

As you might expect, media coverage is dominated by the Charlie Hebdo shooting.  We have a lot of English news stations on our satellite TV: BBC World Service, Sky News, CNN, Al Jazeera, an English version of France 24, and (sadly) Fox News.  Naturally, the library has posted a couple of "Je suis Charlie" signs on the circulation desk.  The local family-owned grocery store also had one on his front door for a couple of days.  The school had a memorial assembly in memory of the victims.

the mairie's tree: decorations are cut plastic bottles

Rousset (week 26)

As a result of the rallies and in the interest of keeping off the roads in case the police had set up checkpoints and snarled traffic, we chose to stick close to home this week.  Wednesday afternoon we took in Rousset, a nearby village described by a local techie as being "The Silicon Valley of France".  According to Wikipedia, it hosts two semiconductor companies, which is a lot for a town of 4500 people.  There is clearly money there: the renovation projects that seem to be occurring all through the Pays d'Aix seem to be complete in Rousset, and the used car dealer (previously mentioned) has 3 Porsches and a Ferrari sitting on the lot.  The church was another interesting site: seemingly alone in town the façade has not been restored; it has two towers, which is unusual, and perhaps uniquely in the area it is not on the highest point in town (that is occupied by a school).

Saint-Marc-Jaumegarde (week 27)

Our weekend trip took us to the Barrage de Bimont, a dam just outside Aix, which has created an artificial lake for use as a reservoir.  Yolanda and Craig had seen the dam looking back at Aix from the path to the prieuré on Mont Ste.-Victoire, so we all drove out on Sunday to stroll across it and along the surrounding hiking paths.  Unfortunately, the mistral was picking up force through the afternoon and the wind could only be described as "bitter" by the time we left.  We were happy to get back to Puyloubier, where we are usually sheltered from the Mistral by lying in the lee of the mountain.

two views of the Barrage de Bimont: l is from the parking lot, r is looking down from the trail 2/3 of the way to the prieuré

Hiking to the Croix de Provence: a step-by-step route guide

Priory entrance

Montagne Sainte-Victoire (week 26)

With the kids in school all day on Monday, including the cantine for lunch, Yolanda and Craig decided to hike up to the Croix de Provence on the western peak of Mt. Ste.-Victoire.  Craig consulted at least a dozen route guides and they were all useless.  So was the guide at one of the information kiosks at the base of the mountain.  So here is a step-by-step route guide for someone wanting to climb to the Croix de Provence and/or the Prieuré.  There are many routes, this is one from the south-west.

1. If you can, find the parking lot for the trail with the blue blazes.  This is the easiest to follow and will take you straight to the top and straight back down.  We have no idea where this starts, except that it is west of where we started.  None of the guides make any mention of blaze colours.  UPDATE: there are blue trail blazes on the east side of the Barrage de Bimont, so that might be the start of that trail.

2. Our route: park at the Roque Hautes parking lot.  This is on the D17 between Aix (Le Tholonet) and Puyloubier.  It is located at the turnoff for Le Bouquet.  There is a little sign in the parking lot that says "Prieuré" and an arrow pointing towards a picnic area.

3. Go over the stream to the picnic area.  Go straight through (don't drift right!) and up to the yellow trail.  You will know you are in the right place if you go up some stairs cut into the rock.  Go up the stairs. The yellow blazes turn to the right - do not follow them!  Instead, make your way left through the bushes, you should very shortly come out on a dirt road.

4.  Go right (up) the road.  This is an access road for the olive grove.  You may see a red bar blaze (sometimes horizontal, sometimes vertical).  Walk up the road, keeping an eye open for the red bar trail that will leave the road on the right.  There are stairs and a single worn blaze.

5.  At this point the trail goes through the woods, and up wooden-log stairs.  You will come to a Y junction that looks like a road.  There are no indications which way to go.  Go left.  A hundred metres on you'll start to pick up the blazes again.  Follow to the Cezanne Refuge.

red circle blaze at lower-right

6. At the Cezanne Refuge (a ruin, a modern building, a well, picnic tables, etc.), you'll see a signpost (on the left when looking at the mountain, on the road, separated from the buildings).  There are 5 signs pointing to two different trails on the post.  Follow the left trail.  You'll pick up the red blazes again.

7.  This is the most challenging part of the trail, more of an easy scramble than a hike.  There are lots of blazes, and at one point you'll see a sign that says "facile" (easy) to the left and "illegible" (difficult) to the right.  Even the "easy" trail is a scramble.  At this point the blazes change to red circles.

8.  At the top of the rocks you'll hit a T-junction with the blue trail.  MAKE NOTE OF WHERE YOU ARE! There is no indication where the red trail turns off the blue on the way down.  There is a stone pyramid here, but there are a few on the blue route so you'll have to look carefully on the descent to pick up the red blazes.

9. From here, turn right (up) to follow the blue to the summit, it's pretty well marked.  If you go off the trail, it's pretty obvious because you'll very shortly be staring down a 100 m drop.

The white-tipped Alps in the distance

Good luck - you'll need it!  We got lost twice - once at the base following the yellow blazes (20 minute detour), and once coming down (we missed where the red path splits off and went 35 minutes out of our way).  We also asked for help at least 4 times.  The views are spectacular, though!  And the Priory and the Cross make the destination interesting.  The day we were there we could see white snowcaps on the Alps (NE), more on the Pyrenees (W), and we could see the Mediterranean (S).  And, of course, the Meyreuil power plant and Aix's reservoir dam.  It took us about 1h40 to the Prieuré, maybe another 10 minutes to the Croix.

Jour-J ..... Operation Dragoon

Toulon (week 26)

To celebrate the good weather this weekend (the temperature was over 16C both days), we spent the time outdoors.  As usual, Yolanda and David had their tennis lessons on Saturday (Andrew and David played soccer too).  On Sunday we went to Toulon to do Mount Faron, the formerly fortified hill behind the port part of town.  The fortifications are mostly ruins (in worse shape than Nice's), but there is a very scenic (and very scary) drive up the mountain and ample hiking trails dotting it.  For the less adventurous, you can park your car at the bottom and take the cable car up.

We first visited the Fauverie du Faron, i.e. the Toulon Zoo, which is almost completely cats.  They have the usual lions and tigers, leopards and panthers, but they also have many other less-common cats, including the most endangered lynx in the world (the Iberian Lynx), servals, caracals, jungle cats (Felis chaus), and ocelots.  Unfortunately, this is an old-style zoo with animals in small habitats - it's good for viewing, but not healthy for the animals.

We then backtracked to the Mémorial du débarquement de Provence (if you're looking for it, follow the signs for "téléphérique", as it is right by the cable-car station).  When someone says "D-Day" now, it generally refers to 6 June, but the term was a generic one for the starting point of any military operation.  Appropriately enough, it's "Jour-J" in French.  Jour-J for Operation Dragoon, the American-French landings in Provence, was 15 August 1944.  Of course, the Nazis had their hands full with Patton and Monty in Normandy, so resistance was less in Provence and the landings were only lightly opposed.  Toulon was chosen to host a Dragoon memorial-museum on Mount Faron, which is small but interesting.  One thing we learned was that there were 1200 Canadians (landing at Hyères) and two Canadian ships involved (HMCS Prince Henry and Prince David).  The museum has a room for each nation involved including the British and Canadians, which is nice considering they were minor participants.  There are the usual maps, models, and equipment pieces as well.  Outside are three large pieces: a 7.5cm PaK 40 (German anti-tank gun), a Free French Sherman M1A1 tank, and an American 90mm M1 AA gun.

Bonne Année!

Puyloubier (week 26)

clearly Craig isn't good at selfies

Yolanda asked the head of the Puyloubier Tennis Club for a suggestion for New Year's Eve, and he told us about the annual fête held (appropriately enough) in the village's Salle des fêtes.  It isn't formally hosted by the town, but the mayor attended and served as master of ceremonies - which included welcoming us to the party ("The first Canadiens to attend our New Year's party!") and choosing the karaoke selections.  They were mostly French songs that we didn't recognize, except a French version of "Old Time Rock and Roll" (called, as you might expect, "Le bon vieux temps du Rock 'n' Roll") as sung by Johnny Hallyday.

Dinner and drinks were included, and consisted of a variety of things the boys didn't want to try - lox, pâté en croûte de canard (head-cheese and duck pâté baked into a loaf of bread), and various other unidentifiable (but good!) Provençal foods.  And, of course, foie gras.  Unfortunately, the boys' late night driving back from Spain took its toll, and Andrew was asleep on Yolanda's lap by 11:20, so we didn't get to see the Puyloubier equivalent of the ball drop or hear the French equivalent of "Auld Lang Syne".