I might have been more disappointed to be leaving Paris after just two
days last month, having spent so little time in the City of Light with my
family, were we not bound for exciting new territory (to me) - Provence and Languedoc
in the south of France. We
did not accomplish all of our planned itinerary on this our first visit to
Paris with our son, but I understood that, as with most amazing travel
destinations, one always runs out of time in the City of Light before running
out of things to do or places to see. Plus,
I confess that riding in first class on one of France's high-speed (TGV) trains was an
additional lure to make our exit from the capital in the final days of 2012.
And, after two rainy, cold days in Paris with leaden skies, we were ready
for warmer temperatures and the sun. As
if on queue, we awoke the morning of our departure to bright sunshine. After breakfast in the hotel, our driver, with
whom we had pre-arranged our transfers while in Paris, took us from the 5th
Arrondisement along the Seine past the Jardin des Plantes and across the river
to the packed Gare de Lyon, from which all TGV trains to the south depart.
SOUTH TOWARDS THE
SUN: On board, we found our assigned seats and grabbed lunch from the dining car,
which was delicious like every meal in France. We then settled in for the comfortable,
2.5 hour trip from Paris to Avignon, covering 689 kilometers (about 428 miles)
traveling at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour. As we made our way south, the Paris suburbs quickly
gave way to verdant farms, medieval towns with castles and, later, to our first
glimpses of the Alps.
We arrived in Avignon, one of Provence's main visitor destinations, just
after lunch, exiting the modern TGV train station (which is separate from the
main train station in the center of town) and grabbing our rental car. A pleasant surprise came in the form of an
upgrade to a black Mercedes C-class sedan.
Once my spouse had switched the navigation voice from French to English,
we crossed the Rhone River that separates - administratively at least -
Provence from Languedoc and drove for about 30 minutes until we reached our
home for the long New Year's weekend, the lovely and beautiful medieval village
of Uzès.
Arguably,
there is an endless number of contenders for the title of the most beautiful
village in France. Undoubtedly, Uzès would
rank high on such a list. This ancient
town of about 8,000 is compact, leafy, prosperous, walkable and full of great,
small-town shopping and dining. The town
was a major center of religious power from the sixth through the eighteenth
centuries. Today, you can get a sense of
its historical importance by taking the circular walk along the city's main
boulevards. Physically, Uzès is a town
of red tile roofs and cream-colored stone walls that overlooks a valley of
forests and vineyards. And, while it's the
closest location to one of the most visited examples of Roman architecture in
southern France, and also a place where English is widely spoken, Uzès seems
remarkably un-touristed and feels more like a great travel secret.
We discovered
Uzès as a result of our first apartment rental experience using www.airbnb.com, the worldwide service that allows travelers to live like a local by
staying in privately owned apartments and houses. After searching for apartments in and around
Avignon, I hopefully selected a "two-bedroom, sunny flat in the charming
village" of Uzès. I had read other
travelers' reviews and then traded emails with the owner of the flat to assure
myself that - hopefully - this would be a legitimate handing over of my Amex
card number (rentals through airbnb are basically non-refundable absent
extraordinary circumstances). Happily, absolutely
every last detail of our rental was just as represented by the owner, Michel,
who lives in Paris. Because he lives out
of town, Michel had arranged for his friend in town, Monica, to meet us and get
us settled. At the appointed time, we
met in the parking lot of the gothic Uzès cathedral, from where Monica led us
around the circular main artery to an underground car park and then to our
flat, which was, in fact, a spacious and sunny, two bedroom apartment with a
full kitchen and washing machine just off Place aux Herbes, the town's main
square and home to a bustling, all-day Saturday market. Thanks to Monica's suggestions, we learned
that just out the door were several good restaurants, as well as "super
marché," a great wine store and Dechamps Phillipe, a patisserie with
amazing coffee éclairs among its sinful offerings. The apartment was clean and comfortable with
wireless Internet and cable tv. All of
this, including the underground parking, for about $150 a night at the current dollar-euro
exchange rate.
And, when we
were ready to venture out, our apartment made for a great base of exploration in
this part of France. Located roughly
equi-distance between Avignon, Nimes and Arles, Uzès lies about 50 miles inland
from where the Rhone delta empties into the Mediterranean and not far off the busy
A9 motorway that connects Lyon, Montpellier and Barcelona. From this vantage point, we were able to pick
a different direction each day and explore some of the highlights of this
beautiful region.
After a good
night's rest, our first destination was the world-famous UNESCO sight at Pont du Gard, the Roman aqueduct bridge across the River Gardon. Constructed around 19 B.C. to provide water
to nearby Nimes, an important center of Roman administration, the Pont du Gard
is the highest of Roman aqueducts built and today is considered by many to be the
best preserved aqueduct after its urban cousin in Segovia, Spain. This structure is, well, breathtaking
to behold. Amazingly preserved and
intact, you can walk across the main span and climb up and across the upper
span. Back down on the ground, there is
an excellent, start-of-the-art museum and, during warmer weather, swimming and
kayaking are available. Although my
spouse and I were suitably blown away, generally, it takes a lot to impress our
jaded, nearly-12-year-old son. But, in
this case, the Pont du Gard managed the task very effectively.
The next day
was New Year's Eve and we headed south to check out the city that had earned such
a magnificent source of water. After
driving through the spectacular Gorges du Gardon, which tested the steering
precision of our rented Mercedes, we arrived in Nimes, the 2000-year-old capital of the Gard
department of the Languedoc-Rousillon region. During Roman times, Nimes
was an important stop on the Via Domitia, the ancient road that connected Italy
and Spain. Today, this city of about
140,000 claims two of the finest examples of Roman Empire architecture anywhere. The
city boasts a still-functioning amphitheater and it also is home to the Maison Carrée, one of the best-preserved Roman temples
still in existence. After exploring both
of these ancient sites, we strolled through the center of Nimes, which features
a warren of pedestrian-only streets and alleys filled with shops and
cafes. After a quick break, we spent the
last afternoon of 2012 enjoying the Jardins de la Fontaine, Nimes' 18th century
park built around the ruins of Roman baths.
A highlight of this beautiful and elegant park is a ruined tower that
now features an observation deck, which rewards climbers with a panoramic view of
this sophisticated and interesting city, often overlooked by tourists who flock
instead to nearby Avignon and Arles. Pleased
with our "discovery," as the late afternoon sun began to set, we made
our way back "home" to Uzès and to what would turn out to be a very
quiet ringing in of the New Year. If
there was partying amongst our temporary neighbors, we heard not a peep. For us, New Year's Eve 2012 involved a quiet
dinner cooked with ingredients from the local market, accompanied by bread from
the boulangerie down the street and some delicious wine from the nearby
"magasin de vin," topped off by some of those éclairs.
THE CITY OF POPES: After saying au revoir to 2012, New Year's
Day 2013 started off on a gloomy note. A
quick walk around the rainy, deserted streets of Uzès the next morning confirmed
that, at least in this corner of France, New Year's Day was all about staying inside. Virtually no one else was out and nearly
everything was closed. What to do? Well, after a late breakfast of baguette, eggs,
local preserves and chocolate, we checked online and confirmed that at least
one major visitor sight in Avignon was open. So, we grabbed our umbrellas and headed north, back
to the City of Popes.
Avignon today is one of Provence's most
visited cities, and it features lots of hotel choices with good shopping,
dining and nightlife. It sits on the
left bank of the Rhone River and is one of the few cities in this part of
France that retains its ramparts or ancient city walls. Much of the city's key visitor sites,
including several museums, lie within these walls. But, Avignon's main claim to fame dates back
several centuries to a break in the rule of the Roman Catholic Church. It's a rather complicated story involving
kingdoms that no longer exist, but - as
a result of a schism - the church was ruled for more than a century not from
Rome, but from Avignon. Between 1309 and
1423, a series of popes (and their contenders) held court from this scenic
location. Their legacy is the gothic Palais des Papes,
an imposing castle that looms over the city and offers commanding views. Less palatial and more monastic, it's a
rather cold and austere place and certainly bears no resemblance to the church's
other, lasting seat of power in Rome.
But, it made for a very atmospheric visit on a cold, January day. Adjacent to the palace is the imposing,
Romanesque Cathedral of Notre Dame des Doms and, next door, the Rocher des
Doms, a beautifully landscaped garden perched above the Rhone and overlooking
Avignon's other signature landmark. The Pont
Saint-Benezet, or Pont d'Avignon, was built in the 12th century as a series
of stone arches across the river. But,
repeated flooding destroyed more than half the span. And, since the 17th century, it has stood un-rebuilt, not as a means of transport, but as an iconic symbol of Avignon. In fact, the bridge inspired an old French
nursery rhyme that sings of dancing on this, the original bridge to nowhere.
Back at the
apartment that evening, I spent our last evening in Uzès studying the map of
this region and wondering how soon we could plan our return. More directions and lots more destinations
await. In the meantime, we were getting
excited about the next stop on our holiday: the gorgeous capital of Cataluña
that is Barcelona.
