Excellent adventures in travel
On Friday we traveled from Avignon to Paris by train – after a bit of train-ticket-bouncing to ensure that the train we booked was actually going to run. The journey north took us past tidy vineyards, orderly orchards and well-groomed countryside. The French do like to ensure that nature is managed. I’m sure it’s another … Read more
On Thursday – our last day in Provence – we took the local train from Avignon to Nimes. En route to the Avignon train station, we passed what was either a dedication or a protest (hard to tell in France, since everyone is so cheerful at these things) having something to do with trees. The … Read more
Our route back to Avignon from the Camargue took us right through Arles, so we decided to spend a few hours visiting sites we’d missed on our first flying visit. Our first stop was the Musee Departemental Arles Antique, which has a superb collection of Roman artifacts – and a unique survivor from that ancient … Read more
On Wednesday we headed south to French cowboy country. The Camargue is located in a marshy delta between the Grande and Petite Rhone rivers. It is an enormous area (346,000 acres) of flat land: salt marshes, pastures, rice paddies and sandy beaches. The Camargue is known for sleek white (native) horses, feisty little black bulls, and … Read more
After all that time in the car on Monday, we decided to spend Tuesday afoot, doing a more leisurely exploration of Avignon. We started at Les Halles, Avignon’s food market. There was a rummage sale underway in the square next door. And then we wandered, through narrow streets. Shopping districts. Past ornamental architecture. Found a … Read more