Wandering again, this time in France (2 Viewers)

[Jane And Rog]

We were up with the lark this morning, well 8am after a cup of tea in bed. The day brought beautiful blue skies and it was going to get hot. In the end we decided to catch the bus into Arles because the guy in reception battled with my French to explain a route he wanted us to take that would not be "dangeroux", the only problem was it added about 10 miles. The bus worked well, we had to cross a busy road but the stop was not far. It also had a number of surprising features, it was on time, air conditioned and very comfortable all for €1 each, but cash only.

History is my thing but I'm not sure how to describe Arles. It is very old (there's a top historian for you) and looks like the pictures you see of France with quant streets and restaurants. The first stop for us is always tourist information to get a map and find out the best sites and a walking route then we find a cafe and discuss what to do.

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Apart from being one of the places where Vincent Van Gogh worked, Arles is best known for its Roman buildings. Today we decided to visit the amphitheatre first. Built around 90CE only the top floor is missing and it is still used for concerts. Until the 1800s it was lived in as a small town, which probably saved it. Today it is surrounded by honey coloured shops, restaurants and houses.

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We decided to give the Roman theatre a miss, it looked good but for those who have been to Plovdiv in Bulgaria or Merida in Spain, it is not as well preserved. Instead we decided to head to Les Alyscamps which was once one of the largest and 'most famous' cemeteries in the world apparently. Today there is just one avenue lined with sarcophagi dating back to the Roman era with an abandoned necropolis at the end.

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Then it was time for lunch, moules provincial for Claire and a piece of beef for me. Followed by strawberry tarte.

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In the afternoon we headed for the Cryptoportiques, essentially the subterranean foundations built to support the buildings in the forum. Nice and cool after the heat of the day.

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Finally we went to the cloisters for the Eglise St. Trophime built around the C12th. Much restored they were still impressive.

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After all that it was time to go back and sit by the pool for a few hours before a 'picky tea'. A phrase I have never heard of but my wife assures me everyone knows. You can be the judge.

Reddit used

We were up with the lark this morning, well 8am after a cup of tea in bed. The day brought beautiful blue skies and it was going to get hot. In the end we decided to catch the bus into Arles because the guy in reception battled with my French to explain a route he wanted us to take that would not be "dangeroux", the only problem was it added about 10 miles. The bus worked well, we had to cross a busy road but the stop was not far. It also had a number of surprising features, it was on time, air conditioned and very comfortable all for €1 each, but cash only.

History is my thing but I'm not sure how to describe Arles. It is very old (there's a top historian for you) and looks like the pictures you see of France with quant streets and restaurants. The first stop for us is always tourist information to get a map and find out the best sites and a walking route then we find a cafe and discuss what to do.

View attachment 914546View attachment 914554

Apart from being one of the places where Vincent Van Gogh worked, Arles is best known for its Roman buildings. Today we decided to visit the amphitheatre first. Built around 90CE only the top floor is missing and it is still used for concerts. Until the 1800s it was lived in as a small town, which probably saved it. Today it is surrounded by honey coloured shops, restaurants and houses.

View attachment 914533View attachment 914534View attachment 914535View attachment 914536

We decided to give the Roman theatre a miss, it looked good but for those who have been to Plovdiv in Bulgaria or Merida in Spain, it is not as well preserved. Instead we decided to head to Les Alyscamps which was once one of the largest and 'most famous' cemeteries in the world apparently. Today there is just one avenue lined with sarcophagi dating back to the Roman era with an abandoned necropolis at the end.

View attachment 914537View attachment 914538

Then it was time for lunch, moules provincial for Claire and a piece of beef for me. Followed by strawberry tarte.

View attachment 914541

In the afternoon we headed for the Cryptoportiques, essentially the subterranean foundations built to support the buildings in the forum. Nice and cool after the heat of the day.

View attachment 914542

Finally we went to the cloisters for the Eglise St. Trophime built around the C12th. Much restored they were still impressive.

View attachment 914544View attachment 914545

After all that it was time to go back and sit by the pool for a few hours before a 'picky tea'. A phrase I have never heard of but my wife assures me everyone knows. You can be the judge.

Fantastic photos as ever, thanks. Must visit those cloisters.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

We have had a more relaxed day today and got a few jobs done around the van. In between jobs, reading and swimming we cycled to the nearby town of Tarascon. It seemed much more of a working town, unremarkable in many ways apart from a huge castle.

Tarascon is situated at the point the River Gard meets the Rhone. On the other side of these two is the town of Beaucaire accessed by a bridge crossing both rivers. Beaucaire is still walled and curiously has its own bullring. There is also a castle, this time partly in ruins. The day has been very hot but at this point clouds gathered so we headed back.

Back at the camp site the clouds came to nothing and the sun snuck back out. So off for a swim and then a bit of frustration watching England play football.

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Started heading north to meet up with friends today. We are now in the small village of Conjux on the banks of Lac du Bourget. Still very hot, 38C at one point. This is the most beautiful spot with a simple site run by the local community. The scenery is stunning.

It’s been a day of mishaps first I managed to get confused at the toll because there were two barriers in the lane, both up. So I started to drive past the first one and it came down on us. By good fortune as it hit the mirror the blip went and it lifted again. In hindsight the light was red but by then I was confused. We just had to stop and adjust the mirror. Very lucky.

The camp site is quite tight and the envelope with our pitch details wasn’t there. A lot of faffing ensued trying to decide where to go so we could be next to our friends. As I was reversing in a tight spot Claire said ‘don’t worry it’s just foliage at the back’. True but hidden in the middle was a no entry sign which I duly bent over. We also bent the bike rack. Bit of grunting and hammering later the sign it almost straight and the rack is a bit happier. No long term harm done and all part of travelling.

This is a small and immaculately kept village with a restaurant, a few houses and a small harbour for sailing boats. Soon after setting up we went down to the lake for a swim and cool down. Then steak hache on the bbq and catching up on our friends with each other’s travel stories.

 

[Jane And Rog]

What a lovely spot!

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Not much to report today, it has been very hot until the last hour when clouds came over and it has started to rain, hopefully taking some of the heat out of the air. Around Lac du Bourget is a beautiful and we would thoroughly recommend a visit here. It is much quieter than nearby Annoy and so more restful.

This morning we cycled to nearby Chanaz for bread and coffee. A delightful town on the banks of a short canal cut out of the Rhone. We plan to come back tomorrow evening after more friends messaged to say they are passing through and did we want to meet up. It seems half the people we know are in France. Anyway pictures of Chanaz....

After a lunch eaten under the awning to avoid the sun - unusual for us - we cycled to the Abbaye Hautecombe where many of the kings and counts of Savoie are buried. While there the skies went very dark and so I cycled off ahead to make sure the awning is pinned down properly... it is now.

As I type blue skies are appearing and it feels little cooler.

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[bellabee]

Chanaz look beautiful .
Thanks for posting your trip.
We're always on the lookout for new places to visit

 

[Wanders from Glos]

Chanaz look beautiful .
Thanks for posting your trip.
We're always on the lookout for new places to visit

Thanks, we are the same and done other people’s trips interesting. There is a campsite at Chanaz, no idea what it’s like but it looked okay.