Travels with Brian Sands
Brian Sands
Monday, January 01, 1900
Bon Jour/Bon Soir
Remember that song you used to sing in kindergarten "Sur la pont d'Avignon, on y dance..."? Well, tonight it was more like "Pres de ici [near] la pont d'Avignon, on y dance, on y dance..." as, by the time I got there after dinner, it was closed to tourists. So I just did a happy dance by the side of the nearby road before returning to my hotel. Wonder what the people in the cars zooming by thought--"Mon dieu, another crazy American"?
In any case, I've just finished a bicycle tour of Provence covering about 150 miles in the past six days. Starting and ending in Avignon, we (a group of four plus two wonderful guides) went to Arles, St. Remy and L'Isle sur la Sorgue passing through mile after mile of gorgeous scenery along the way. Picture endless golden fields, vineyards of plump grapes, mountains in the distance (some of which we had to drive over), apple orchards, towns that have been around for hundreds of years, flowing streams, white horses ("chevals de la mer"), pumpkin patches and, of course, the Rhone River we saw from various angles.
Among the highlights:
-Eating Syrah (or possibly Grenache) grapes fresh off the vine by the side of the road.
-Visiting the ancient Amphitheater and Arena/Colisseum (now used for bullfights) in Arles; not quite the same as the ones in Athens and Rome, respectively, but very impressive nonetheless.
-Getting separated from one of the other guys on the tour and kinda lost whilst biking through the Camargue, France's delta region (this was an optional jaunt so twasn't the guides' fault); and then, with perfect timing, reconnecting with him in time to have a yummy Salade Carmaguise, similar to a salade nicoise but less oily and using rice grown nearby. This was in Mejanes, a little compound featuring a restaurant, a nature preserve with views of the delta (I think I saw a flock of flamingos in the distance), horse stables for riding and a bull ring.
-Going to the asylum in St. Remy where Van Gogh stayed for a year (1889-90) and buying a painting by a current patient there who takes part in their art therapy program. Perhaps it will be worth millions some day?!
-The food.
-The food.
-The food (have I made my point?), especially the foie gras at this kicky restaurant in St. Remy--when was the last time you saw a full merry-go-round inside a restaurant?
-Saying "Bon jour" to a guy picking apples by the side of the road who then preceded to give me a dozen of the sweet fruit that I shared with the group.
-Perfect weather (it rained only once and that was after dinner).
-The imposing Cistercian Abbey outside of Gordes with its rows and rows of lavender that the brothers harvest for sachets as well as get honey from.
-The 10 or so waterwheels (down from 70+ many, many years ago) that dot the old section of L'Isle sur la Sorgue; they used to power the cloth factories there and if they're now just for show, they are wonderfully evocative of another time with their moss-covered paddles dripping water as the Sorgue River keeps them going around and around--even more so at night when lit up and underneath a half moon.
-The Saturday marketplace in the village of Le Thor, half clothing/jewelry/leather goods like you'd find at any street fair; half produce (fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, jams, ect.) that was locally harvested as has been done for centuries.
-The magnificent 14th century Palais du Papes in Avignon, one of the most incredible building complexes I have ever seen; and the story of the Popes who ruled there instead of in Rome for a century is worthy of an opera libretto...or an HBO mini-series.
-and when I went to the Cathedral of Notre Dame du Doms next to the Palais du Papes tonight, I happened to be there in time to hear the Vespers service in the Chappelle du Saint Sacrament; three nuns and two priests were taking part, and even with a small electric organ, the sounds were so heavenly as to bring tears to my eyes. Add in the votive candles flickering in red and white glass holders and the gold-leafed statues above the altar and it was like something out of a movies.
No so highlights?
-Banging my knee when getting off the bike one time. Painful. (Also, some slight charley horse in my thighs but otherwise no problems--Lance Armstrong watch out!)
-Bicycling up the mountain to Les Beaux. Against the wind. Really not fun. (Okay, maybe the Tour de France bikers don't have to watch out. But, hey, I wasn't using any steroids.)
-A little 36 hour stomach bug that kept me from having frog legs that smelled delicious. REALLY NOT FUN! (Remember those grapes I had by the side of the road? I'm not sure they caused it but whereas everyone else had the apples, only one of the guides had the same grapes and he had some problems too. I was more or less fine when I ordered the appetizer but by the time it arrived I thought it wiser to pass on it and the rest of dinner. Ugh! I stuck to rice and Coca-Cola for 24 hours and consoled myself with the thought of how much money I saved what with the dollar in the basement.)
-More importantly, the only real disappointment was that my friend Justin wasn't able to be part of the trip as planned as he had emergency gall bladder surgery the week before. Fortunately, he's on the mend and the guy who wound up as my roommate was very nice and turned out to have the same birthday as moi!
So off to Marseille tomorrow and a couple days of exploring that old port city before heading back to les Etats Unis. There are more highlights from the week before the tour when I was in London for five days and Paris for two-if you're interested, give me a holler.
Avoir et bises,
Brian
PS Am now in Marseille; wrote the above two days ago but didn't have a chance to send it out. Suffice to say, I can now understand why Marseille has never been a tourist destination (and that's not including the kid who tried to pick my pocket.) That said, I had a grand time last night when I kinda wandered into the beautiful opera house to discover that an singing competition was going on with young singers from all over the world participating by each singing an aria. Gorgeous voices, all for free! I'm going back for the semi-finals tonight.
This morning went to Notre Dame de la Garde a huge basilica on a hilltop that towers over the city. It's topped by a 30 foot tall gold-leafed statue of the Virgin Mary hold the baby Jesus which, as you can imagine, can be seen from everywhere in the city. It's quite a sight when illuminated at night. When I got there, they were just taking down some tauplins they had been using as part of a 16 month restoration program. This is the first time in N.D. de la Garde's 140+ year history that its incredible mosaics have been properly restored. It is now once again spectacularly gleaming from the walls and ceiling. They're still working on the outside but I believe they'll leave the pockmarks caused by mortar during WWII as the recapturing of the Basilica from the Nazis was an important part of the liberation of Marseille.
And, btw, yesterday before leaving Avignon, I finally got to do the Happy Dance on the Pont d'Avignon. If you ask nicely, I might even show you the photos. Oo-la-la!
