Provence-Southern France

 We were blessed to have a little weekend getaway to the Southern part of France last weekend. Believe it or not, this was our first solo vacation since our April Tuscany trip. It was a great time for us to sleep in, relax, and travel without a schedule. Over the past year, we have really learned how to travel without an itinerary. We read up on the interesting things to see, talk about the things we each want to get out of the trip (I usually want to see everything and James wants to sleep in and relax), and then take each day as it comes. It is truly something we have had to learn over the past year. It is finding the balance between A) not coming home saying we wish we had done this or that and B) not planning each moment to miss out on spontaneous things.  Our time in France was a great mixture of relaxation and sightseeing/experiences.

We were amazed by the extensive amount of Roman history in the area, including the largest aqueduct bridge ever built by the Romans. There was also a vast marshland area called the Camargue that was a welcome change to the city touring we have done. It was open land for miles with wildlife, ocean, water, and minimal structures.

We started our adventure in the obscure town of Aigues Mortes. It is a medieval walled city translated to “Dead Water” because it sits in the middle of the Camargue marshland. It was fully of culture, music, shopping, and history.

The Camargue was our next stop. It is a vast marshland full of wild horses, Spanish bulls, flamingos, and many other birds. We enjoyed driving on the one-lane roads (running into a random bicycle race) seeing where river meets ocean and pulling over to watch the flamingos dominate the other birds. It was one of the most unique eco-systems we have ever seen.

We ended the day in Arles, a once important Roman city with many ruins to prove it.  There was a Roman arena (used for animal fighting, etc) and an amphitheater.  One of the coolest things about Arles is that Van Gogh spent a lot of time painting here. You can see some of the subjects of his work below with the original painting and the real-life subject.

Roman Amphitheater

Roman Arena

Our final stop was the beautiful city of Baux de Provence. It was originally a medieval castle carved into the white rock. It was a sleepy little town with cobble-stoned streets, medieval re-creations, and a down and dirty tour of the castle (they let you free to roam up and down the castle).

On our way to the airport we stopped at the Pont du Gard. This is another Roman structure built over 2,000 years ago (maybe during Jesus’ time!). It is a bridge over the valley that carries the 30 mile aqueduct to the town of Nimes. It has the largest ever Roman arch (over 80 feet wide I believe) and is still intact (other than a few arches missing at either end. Wow, those Romans sure knew how to build stuff to last!

Overall, this trip was relaxing, educational, and a great escape from the busy city tourism we are used to. God has created such an amazing world full of diverse landscapes, animals, and people. Thank you God for opening our eyes to more of your creation!