Alsatian battlegrounds

Hatten and Baden-Baden (week 35)

cupola atop Casement Esch

The Maginot line runs through much of Alsace, our next stop after emerging from Switzerland (and trying a section of the Autobahn where we kept our speed to a mere 150 km/h).  Unfortunately, there are so many pieces and so few volunteers that they are open on a rotating basis, so of the top 10 listed by the Alsace Tourism website, only two were open this day.  The Four à Chaux fortress only had guided tours (in French or German), so we went to the Musée de l'Abri de Hatten - an abri is a fortified bunker-barracks.  At this site you can tour the bunker (featuring period equipment and mannequins in costume) and stroll the equipment park featuring a large and eclectic array of military equipment, including several East German Cold-War vehicles.  Some of the equipment is showing its age and is in need of restoration - the website says the museum is actively seeking volunteers.  Finally, the museum has a memorial to the Malgré-Nous (against their will): because the Nazis considered Alsace-Lorraine to be part of Germany, all able-bodied men in the region were conscripted into the Wehrmacht and sent to the Eastern Front.  

David looking in the cockpit of a MiG21

Just before Hatten is the Casement Esch, closed to interior tours but we could stroll around the outside.  For some reason, an Sherman tank with American markings is parked on top of it.

don't worry - David's cup has apple juice in it

Since everything in Alsace appears to shut down for Sunday, we headed across the border to Baden-Baden to find some lunch: most of the menu was pork of some sort (schnitzel, sausages, roast) and cabbage (the children's menu had fries instead).  It was very tasty and went well with the beer (the Provençals do not understand beer!).  We then strolled through the spa part of town.  Known to the Romans and throughout the centuries since then, there are a number of hot springs in town, with temperatures ranging from 50 to 65C.  Unfortunately, the archeological site is closed for the season, so we had to be content with seeing the modern spas and some of the medieval buildings in the old town.

Another part of the Via Aurelia

La Turbie (week 31)

On the trip out from Monaco, it was much easier to find the Corniche roads because right in front of the main train station on Blvd Princesse Charlotte (an easy street to remember since it is named after my niece) there are signs that say "Vers Nice, Basse Corniche" and "Vers Nice, Moyen Corniche".  We took the middle road as far as Èze-Village, then made our way up to La Turbie and the Grand Corniche.  Although we didn't see it, one of the roads between these two Corniches was where Princess Grace died.  The views over the Mediterranean and Cap d'Ail and Cap Ferrat are as impressive as advertised.

David looking down at Monaco-Ville (r) and Monte Carlo (l) from the lookoff at La Turbie

3 of the Trophée's remaining 4 pillars

We stopped in La Turbie to see the Trophée des Alpes, or, as it was known to its builders, the Tropaeum Alpium.  The Grand Corniche runs atop the old Via Aurelia (the Roman road linking Rome to Nice).  In 6 BC, Caesar Augustus commissioned a monument to be built along the road to commemorate his victories over the 45 Alpine tribes that brought the Alps region under Roman control.  We arrived only 45 minutes before closing, and the sun was starting to set so the temperature was quickly dropping.  Craig and David braved the chilly wind to climb up to the viewing deck (with views similar to, but higher than, the Jardin Exotique), and everyone spent some time in the small museum alongside.  It's hard to tell from this picture, but the height of the monument is 35 metres.  After 2000 years, it is showing its age somewhat (especially since France's Louis XIV ordered it destroyed because he was worried it would be used by Savoy as a fort during the War of the Spanish Succession), but some of the original columns are still in place.  Probably the best views are from the road coming into town, where it dominates the skyline of La Turbie.

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.

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.

Along the Via Agrippa

Orange (week 15)

The Roman city of Arausio was capital of one region of Roman Provence, and therefore contained all the amenities of home, including a theatre.  The theatre has been restored and today is the only example of a complete Roman theatre - including the acoustically vital stage wall - in existence in Europe.  Just outside the city is a triumphal arch across the Via Agrippa, celebrating various battles and triumphs in the region.  The theatre is very impressive, and we all enjoyed climbing the seating for various views of the stage.  It was a good time of year and time of day to come, as the theatre wall faces south-ish - with the lower sun in the fall afternoon the wall was brilliantly lit.

that's Yolanda by the arrow

The city's name transformed over the years from Arausio to Orange.  Incidentally, the "Orange" of the Dutch princes originates from this city, when landholdings of the Holy Roman Principality of Orange were combined in 1544 with holdings in the United Provinces of the Netherlands, due to the personal estates of Prince William the Silent.

Orange's Roman remains are now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and they are impressive.  There is still excavation going on, for example next to the theatre where there was a temple complex (of the Cult of the Emperor).  Like the amphitheatre in Arles, the Orange Theatre is used today for plays and concerts, although more of the original seating is intact and not covered by modern metal (except at the very top).  The lighting is also very discreet.  Inside the corridors under the seating you'll find little films detailing the theatre's use.  Whoever picked the clips for the concert film had good taste, as it included samples from concerts by Dire Straits, Frank Zappa, and Elvis Costello.

bundled up against the Mistral

Unfortunately, we were not able to test the acoustics because a real Mistral blew in today - the car was pushed all over the highway, and the temperature dropped 10 degrees (to a high of 15C) compared to the day before.

The putrid fields

Pourrières (week 9)

In 102 BC, Caius Marius defeated a barbarian army on the plains at the foot of Mont Sainte-Victoire, in what became known as the campi putridi - the Putrid Fields.  To commemorate his victory, a pyramid monument was built along the Roman road.  Naturally, after the fall of Rome, the monument was mostly dismantled to provide building supplies for the local peasants.  However, a small amount remained, and the village of Pourrières (the name supposedly derived from campi putridi) collected the remaining blocks and built a fountain.  Thus, the blocks in this picture date from ~102 BC, but the structure itself is considerably younger.  (The information about the Font Caius Marius is from a neat book we found in our rental house, called Secret Provence)

One of the curious things about touring Provence is that you never know when you're going to stumble upon some Roman artifact.  There are numerous places along the roads where oddly square-shaped caves can be seen - but the regular shape and the size imply that these caves were made by the Romans for their aqueduct systems.  For example, as we were driving along the road we call the "forest road" to Aix (D17), we came across this remnant piece of what appears to be part of a Roman aqueduct beside the road.  Whether this is actually vintage Roman, I don't know; it's at least old and made in the Roman style.

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.

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.