The Road to Provence

Who knew the modern part of Carcassonne could be such a wild town? Apparently, there are drag races on the main rue all night long, as witnessed by Emily, whose earplugs kept falling out. Anyway, after a restless night of sleep, we had a lovely breakfast at our bed and breakfast and scooted our way out of the Languedoc region and into gorgeous Provence. We made Arles our stop for today, and spent a great afternoon in 100+ degree temps to see the Roman ruins of the old city. We shade-hopped our way through the city, starting with a delicious lunch of beautifully presented (and equally delicious) salads at a bistro. Evidently in Provence, everything comes sprinkled with a bit of paprika—who knew? We meandered past the Café Nuit, the very one Van Gogh painted, which is now crammed with Japanese tourists and overpriced menus. After that, we went back to ancient Roman times, visiting the ruins of a classical theater (which, at 4pm daily, still hosts ‘gladiator battles’), the underground cryptoporticos that used to house shops in the forum, an enormous amphitheater used today for the French version of bullfighting (ribbons are used, if that gives you any clues), St. Trophime church and its cloisters-of-much-decay and the adorable Musee Arlaten, devoted to telling the story of old-timey Provencal life, its clothing, traditions, myths and superstitions, and foods. Those of you from Wisconsin, think the Streets of Old Milwaukee-the French house.

After spending several hours in Arles, and losing copious amounts of body weight through sweat, we drove on to Maillane, destination for our next bed and breakfast. In case you didn’t know, Maillane is famous for being the birthplace of poet Frederic Mistral…and that’s about it. Seriously, even people we spoke to in Provence didn’t know where Maillane was! We’re staying in a gorgeous old home (built in the 1750s), and our hostess, Nadine, is helping Mark with his French (mainly because she doesn’t speak English). We’re all set with a/c and a pool, both of which we used to the fullest extent on our first night. Since Maillane has one restaurant, we traveled a few kilometers to Saint-Remy-de-Provence, otherwise known as “the city where Van Gogh spent his last months in a hospital before shooting himself.” Seriously, it’s on the sign as you drive in to the town! We had a delicious dinner with lots of herbes de Provence on everything. Let me take a quick second for my “Ode to Goat Cheese.” For breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert, the goat cheese we’ve eaten here has been amazing. We’ve had it creamy, rolled in pepper or herbs, and-the best-fried in a flaky pastry. Some is strong and musty, while others are almost sweet, but always it’s been a treat. Stay tuned for my “Ode to Toilets with Toilet Seats.”

After dinner, we drove to Les Baux, a hilltop town that has two levels; the lower level is the current town, inhabited by mainly residents catering to the tourist trade for the upper level, a deserted medieval town. We wandered around the ‘new’ part of town (new in France = 1700s) and found our way to the entrance gates for the ‘old’ part of Les Baux. Voila, the gate was left open, and no ticket takers were in sight! So, we walked in to the ghost town, barely illuminated by lights mounted in the stone walls, and luckily we had a tiny penlight that helped us through the areas without lights. It was completely empty that night, and all we could hear were the occasional bat fluttering overhead and the winds blowing through the stone structures. A few times, Mark ventured into darkened passageways while I waited outside, reliving the first time I saw “The Blair Witch Project.” Needless to say, it was totally creepy, but at the same time, a once in a lifetime experience for us. We drove back to Maillane through some hairpin rocky roads, just the slightest bit relieved that we weren’t part of some ritual sacrifice on top of the mountains.