Provence Day Tripping - Les Baux, St. Rémy

Les Baux is a picturesque medieval village with tons of charm. At the top of the village sits Chateau-Fortress des Baux, a fortified castle built in the 10th century.

It was a very hot day and we welcomed the breeze when it was kind enough to appear.

On the return trip to Avignon we drive through a lovely village of St Rémy. I would seriously think about making St Rémy the “homebase” over Avignon, if I did this over again. 

Provence Day tripping - Arles

It was market day in Arles. What a lively and colorful place to be! Vendors line up along Boulevard des Lices and display the best looking produce, fromage, sausages and bread (pain) I’ve ever seen. Patrons are either toting large woven bags or wheeling carts that resemble carry-on luggage. We weaved through the busy market, me wishing I was a local and could do my weekly shopping here. Then we headed out to explore.

What Arles is know for: Arles grew as an important port after helping Julius Caesar defeat Pompey at Marseille. The bridge in Arles was the first one over the Rhône river. In the 1800s Van Gogh settled in Arles. Sadly, American bombers destroyed much of Arles in WWII.

We wandered down Rue du Cloitre and found our way to Théâtre Antique, a first-century roman theater. For €9 we got dual tickets for the Roman theater and Roman arena (where  bullfights are still fought today). 

Onward to Rue Voltaire ... said to be the street Van Gogh first walked down in 1888. Easels are placed in spots where Van Gogh painted. Starry Night over the Rhône was painted here (the more well known Starry Night was painted in St. Rémy just about 20 minutes from Arles), and Café Terrace at Night in Forum Square (Café la Nuit). 

I was a trooper and visited the Cryptoporticos, a dark & drippy underworld (as Rick Steves describes it). Tom was a trooper and wandered Rue de la République, a shopping street, where I was overly excited to be at a L’occitane en Provence while in Provence!

A lunch (and dessert for Tom) in a small Café that boasted about its air conditioning fit the bill.

Avignon, turning the corner

There’s no other way to put it but my first impression was pas bon (not too good). Upon arrival was accosted by a smell that reminded me of the California Central Valley, a dry heat that induced a waterfall of sweat in places I didn’t realize had sweat glands, and the piece de resistance was our AirBNB turned out to be a 6th floor walkup whose advertised AC was on the fritz. 

After getting settled, we went out to have some cold drinks and walk the city. I found the city a bit grungy until we looped back around to Rue de la république. Lots of lovely (and probably very expensive) shops are here. We walked for 2 miles in that 97 degree heat, and even at 7pm when the temp was 95 we realized we needed to head in and wait it out. We stopped by the market and picked up provisions for a homemade dinner. Don’t tsk-tsk, we find trying to make a meal with local foods quite fun!

After dinner we decided that we must get crème glacée and ventured out into the now 85 degree heat. It was so good. I had chocolat orangé and something crème brûlée like (Tom
Got chocolat and raspberry cheese cake). So yum. Then we sat in the square outside popes palace and watched the night and the people.

Sleep wasn’t awful, but awoke at 8am! 

Avignon

It's too hot here. That is all

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Roadside picnic

En route to Avignon, we packed a lunch and ate at some picnic grounds amongst the locals.

Chalet du Charmant Som

Our host suggested this hike to what she calls a magical place. A steep climb in thin air gets the heart pumping fast. But at the summit, the views are extraordinary. We may have spotted Mount Blanc in the distance before the clouds hid it away. Talked with a local on the descent and she was kind enough to fill in details we are missing. Poked our head in the Fromagerie ... the last one that makes in the place were the cows are being milked.

Morning in Le-Sappey

A room with a view 

The breakfast table et une bebe 

Chien et her puppies 

Dinner in Le-Sappey

Le Fort de Saint Eynard

Chambery to Le Sappey-En-Chartreuse

Arriving in Chambery we have lunch (sorry forgot to take pics), and then pickup our rental car. We drive the slightly longer route through Parc naturel régional de Chartreuse. 

We are staying in the quiet little town of Le Sappey. Or at least I think that’s the name. Rural and off the beaten path, the B&B we are staying in has chicken, roosters, geese, rabbits, a cat and a dog that is in the process of birthing her litter. We can fast-track the letting go of work here for sure. I wish we had more time because this place is worth a multiple day stay!

We explored the tiny town and almost missed the grocery store because it’s smaller than a 7-11!  Later, we drove out to Le Fort de Saint Eynard and I’ll post those pics in another post.Tonight we will walk to a nearby restaurant.

Milan to Chambery (the logistics)

Today we traveled into France, taking the TGV at 8:44am from Milano Porto Garibaldi to Chambery, arriving 12:52pm. It’s interesting that we didn’t scan or show or ticket anywhere and sat in our assigned seat in a first class coach...no questions asked (yet). The announcements are in French and Italian. As far as I can determine, it’s mostly about food. After a stop in Turin, we are asked for our tickets. A stop in Oulx and then one in Bardonecchia where we wait outside “Entrée tunnel du Frejus coté Italien” an 8.1 mile tunnel running under Col du Fréjus in the Cottian Alps. Walla! We pop out and into France picking up more passengers in Modane (and where we wait again as French police to walk through the coaches).


Purchased these tickets from the OUI.sncf app/website and conveniently downloaded into Apple wallet. First class tickets were $60 each and allowed you to select the seat type (we chose dual side by side). See picture of interior.

1st Update

A little boring update as this first day was a travel day. Left San Diego at 8:30pm Tuesday and arrived Milan 9pm Wednesday after a standard layover in London.

Only get a few waking hours in Milan so we went straight for pizza! Then bed and up again to catch a commuter train to Milano Porta Garbaldi where we switch to the TGV into Chambery France.

It seems all we’ve done is sit & eat. Here’s a food pic.

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Planning Itinerary - 2019 France & Spain Trip

Trip Overview

The main portion of this trip is an 8-day hiking adventure via Spanish Steps in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France (starting in Carcassonne, green/#3 pin on the map). 

During the segment before the hiking, we had planned to drive from Milan to Chamonix through the Mount Blanc tunnel but after booking our flight, we discovered the hefty surcharge ($1000+) for returning the car in another country. Trains are a longer journey because they cannot go through the tunnel, and the option of going up and over the French Alps by Gondola faded away. We decided to save Chamonix for #nexttrip and keep to the south route heading into Provence for a couple of days.

Then we arrive in Carcassonne the day before our hiking trip so we have time to explore.

After our hiking adventure, we plan to work our way toward Barcelona, perhaps by train over the Pyrenees or perhaps coastal. That part of the trip is being actively planned. I very much want to go to Figueres, Roses, Begur and too many other places.

Day 1 - Arrive in Milan

Late evening arrival, sleeping near the airport.

Day 2 - Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse, France

Leave Milan by train to Chambery, then rent a car and drive to a farm stay north of Grenoble. We are staying in what was an old barn, typical of the agricultural building of Chartreuse. Bed and Breakfast "Chant de l'Eau" located in the mountains, Sappey in Chartreuse, 15 minutes from Grenoble. Home on the farm, animals: sheep, poultry, rabbits, bees, horses, vegetable gardens and orchard, organic or local products.

Day 3 & 4 - Avignon, France

Two days exploring the western part of Provence.We will be staying in an apartment in a 19th century building, in the pedestrian area of the old town. View on the Popes' Palace, the roofs of the old city and le Mont Ventoux.

Day 5 - Carcassonne, France

In Carcassonne, we will be staying in an apartment 5 minutes walk from the Medieval City and 10 minutes from downtown.

Day 6 - 12 - Languedoc and Cathar country

Tiny towns, villages and hamlets such as Montlaur, Ribaute, Lagrasse, Saint-Pierre-de-Champs, Villerouge-Termenès, Palairac, Maisons, Cucugnan, Rennes-le-Chateau, Montsegur, Bélesta,

Seeing abbeys, castles including the twin castles of Quéribus and Peyrepetuese

Finishing our tour in the town of Foix, we plan to train into Spain.

Day 13 Travel to Vic, Spain

Taking the train from Foix, changing at Latour-de-Carol to continue to Vic, Spain.  Once there, we will be staying in a guest quarters at Seminari de Vic.

Day 14 & 15 Roses, Spain

Continuing by car through the hilltowns enroute to Figueres and to Roses for two nights.

Day 16 Barcelona, Spain

Then finally into Barcelona where will conclude our trip. In Barcelona, we will stay in a small studio close to the Picasso museum. Then we travel back to San Diego via London the following day.