Sunshine once again welcomed us when we landed in Marsielle, France and began our tour of five cities in southern Provence. First we drove through the Alpilles mountains to the hillside village of Les Baux de Provence. The landscape is dominated by the bauxite hills, vineyards and olive fields with the 10th century fortress of the feudal Lords of Baux sitting high atop the village and afforded them control of 79 villages of for nearly four centuries.
Leaving Les Baux and driving toward our accommodations in St. Remy we passed through the ancient Roman ruins of Glanum where we explored the Triumphal Arch and Mausoleum, named the best preserved Mausoleum of the Roman World. Directly across the road just out of site is hospital where Van Gogh lived from 1889-90 and painted the famous Starry Night and Self-Portrait. Our afternoon and evening was spent exploring the 14th century village of St. Remy; known as the birthplace of Nostrodamus.
Day two of our tour took us to Arles, one of the richest cities of the Roman Empire. The Arena, built around 1 B.C., is well preserved and currently used for bullfights, concerts, operas, and theatre performances. The Eglise St. Trophime, constructed in the 12th Century, is considered a masterpiece of the Romanesque style and is now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Much of Arles is reminiscent of Van Gogh who painted nearly 200 paintings while living here from February 1888 - May 1889.
From Arles, we explored Pont du Gard, the 50 kilometer Roman aqueduct spanning the Gardon River. Further on we arrived in Avignon famous for having served as the seat of the papacy from 1309-1377 when the popes fled Rome and built the Palais des Papes. Our final stop was in the town of Aix en-Provence, the city of fountains.
Please enjoy our photos: https://picasaweb.google.com/alysehirsekorn/Provence?authkey=Gv1sRgCOmN1arNgrakOQ&feat=directlink
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