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We offer
biking vacations in several regions of France. The romantic corner
of southern France known as Provence is the focus of one route,
which we call The Provencal. After just a day here,
you'll understand why so many people say that biking in Provence
was "the best vacation I ever had."
Provence is so named because it
was the first of the outlying provinces established by the
Romans. On this trip we'll travel past many remnants of the old
empire: from the Pont du Gard aqueduct, towering 160 feet over our
heads, to a Roman arena still used for concerts and bullfights.
This is primarily a bike
vacation, but with many other activities available. You'll have
opportunities for hiking and swimming, for walking tours along
streets that date to the Middle Ages -- and, of course, for some
leisurely and memorable dinners.
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Our week begins in Avignon, a walled city
settled by the Romans. Avignon reached its height in the 14th
century, when much of Europe was in chaos. Pope Clement V fled the
anarchy of Rome and made his home here in Provence. For 68 years,
Avignon served as the papal seat of seven Popes, each adding new
embellishments to the palace. Today the enormous maze-like Papal
Palace, sitting high on a rock, is a fascinating attraction for
visitors.
Some in our group will
also recognize Avignon from the childhood song:
Sur le Pont, d'Avignon, l'on
y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le Pont, d'Avignon, l'on y danse tous en rond
The famous Pont d'Avignon, built
in 1177, still stands -- partly. Washed out by floods in the 17th
century, today the bridge goes only halfway across the river.
Our trip officially begins at
6:00 pm, with a reception, drinks, and orientation, followed by
dinner. If you're in town by 4:00, join us for a walking tour of
Avignon's cobblestoned streets, taking in the Papal Palace, the
terraced hilltop gardens adjacent to the palace, the Pont
d'Avignon, and the bustling town square.
Dinner is at a very special spot:
Bistrot Pierrat. Our friend Alain -- the owner, chef, waiter, and
dishwasher -- is delighted to have a friendly gay group come
visit. While you may wonder how one person could possibly prepare
a good meal for a group of fifteen people, our guests repeatedly
praise Alain's home-style Provencal dinner as one of the best
they've had.
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Avignon to Arles, via the Pont du Gard
Awake to the distant tolling of
a church bell, and the chirp of birds in the trees. Breakfast, and
then we're off!
As we cross the silvery Rhone,
glance back at Avignon's skyline: 14th-century church spires and
the turrets of the Papal Palace. A couple hours biking takes us to
the Pont du Gard, a 2000-year-old Roman aqueduct considered one of
the 7 surviving wonders of the ancient world. We'll spread out an
elegant picnic below this daunting structure as you climb to the
top -- or swim in the sparkling waters below it.
Now you'll discover
what's so special about biking in Provence. We've found some
wonderful backroads, winding through apricot orchards, past
fields redolent with wild rosemary and thyme, or polka-dotted
with cheery sunflowers. In May and June, watch for bright fields
of poppies. In autumn, enjoy the excitement of the grape
harvest. Some of these roads are so narrow, they feel like a
driveway -- except that you rarely see a car.
Next stop: Tarascon, where
you'll want to visit the crenellated castle on the Rhone, complete
with moat and drawbridge. The walls inside are hung with courtly
17th-century Flemish tapestries. From the parapets, you can see
castle walls across the river in Beaucaire, Tarascon's one-time
enemy. And you can sympathize with the victims of the French
Revolution, who were thrown from these parapets into the thrashing
waters of the Rhone.
Just another hour of biking,
past meadows alive with wildflowers, takes us to the
bustling city of Arles, founded in 600 B.C. The wall of our
hotel, right in the center of town, dates to the 13th century.
The plumbing, happily, is newer.
Relax from your ride with
a wine tasting. Then, after a leisurely dinner, stroll along the
river as moonlight dances on the water.
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The old Roman capital of Arles is today
home to a lively arts community. Yet every time you walk around a
corner, you find yourself face-to-face with the age of the
gladiators. Indeed, few places outside Rome offer as many relics
of that ancient empire as does Arles.
We spend two nights in Arles.
While biking options are available, most people enjoy spending the
day in town. Our guide will explore the narrow streets with you.
Start with a climb to the top of the glorious Roman arena, still
used for concerts and bullfights, and look out over the red-tiled
roofs of Arles to the river beyond.
Next visit the remains
of the once-elaborate Baths, and imagine what went on here, two
millennia ago! Sit amidst the broken columns of a crumbled Roman
theater. Walk past the hundreds of stone sarcophagi in the
Alyscamps, a burial ground since the time of Christ, and a
setting for paintings by Van Gogh and Gauguin. Study the
elaborate stone facade of the St. Trophime, one of southern
France's most famous churches, with Biblical stories illustrated
by carved stonework. Growl back at the gargoyle dragons of the
vast cemetery that Europe's vogue burial spot a mere millennium
ago.
There's plenty more in Arles to
fill your day. But in the afternoon, die-hard cyclists can pedal
into the Camargue, a vast alluvial plain and wildlife preserve.
The Camargue is famous for its cowboys, who ride the white horses
you'll spot in pastures; and for its distinct breed of small black
bulls.
Dinner tonight is on your
own. Join up with a few new friends and make a tough decision
about which restaurant to visit: The restaurant next door, whose
gay owners now display a rainbow flag (still a rare sight outside
Paris) on their window? The Medieval, in a vaulted stone dining
room that once housed an abbey? The family-run Vaccares,
overlooking the town square, where the tangy aromas of fresh basil
and goat cheese announce, the moment you walk in the door, that
you can expect a classic Provencal dinner? Or a simple table
outdoors, across from the imposing arena, with pizza and a beer?
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Arles to St. Remy-de-Provence
The ride to our next hotel
takes us over twenty miles of road -- and two millennia of
history.
An hour out of Arles comes
an intriguing stop: The remains of a unique double aqueduct. One
channel supplied water to the Arles of antiquity; the other
powered a mill that ground the Arlesian's flour. Most likely,
we'll be the only visitors at this unique but unheralded spot.
Nearby is Daudet's Windmill, where Alphonse Daudet wrote one of
France's best-loved books.
In contrast, we'll have
plenty of company at Les Baux, one of France's three most visited
historic sites. The fortress atop this spur of rock, surrounded by
limestone cliffs and thorny brushwood, claims a sordid history.
Originally built by warlords who boasted descendance from
Balthazar, one of the Three Wise Men, Les Baux later became a
"Court of Love" inhabited by wealthy families, visiting
princesses, and wandering troubadours.
Les Baux again grew bloody
in the 14th century. Raymond of Turenne based an army of
brigands here, invading the countryside regularly. No bake sales
for this crowd: They raised money by taking hostages, who were
thrown from the high cliffs at sunset if ransom was not
delivered. Cardinal Richelieu put an end to the nastiness and
had Les Baux ransacked, but the sturdy walls and towers that
remain offer a haunting reminder of its colorful past. Replicas
of medieval weaponry - a giant catapult and battering ram - make
it easier to envision that past.
Every day we offer extra
biking options for those up for it. Today's longest option is
a sweeping route along the base of the Alpilles ("little
Alps"), a dramatic and jagged range of peaks running eastward
from Les Baux. This route takes us through dappled-green oak
forests and shimmering olive groves to the enchanting town of
Eygalieres, whose sole barkeeper has become a good friend over the
years.
Van Gogh fans may
experience some deja vu while approaching St.-Remy-de-Provence.
After cutting off his ear in Arles, the famous painter spent his
last two years at an asylum here. Many of the landscapes and
sights he painted are largely unchanged; you can still see them on
our walking tour. Then, you can look forward to dinner at the Cafe
des Arts, always a favorite for the chef's hearty Provencal menus.
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St. Remy to L'Isle sur la Sorgue
A peaceful tree-lined road carries
us from St. Remy to the vineyards of Terre Blanche. Here you'll
see how wine is made in a typical small French winery; then enjoy
a wine tasting of recent vintages. Our picnic lunch is at the
nearby Chapel of St. Sixte, a 13th-century chapel in a panoramic
setting of olive trees set against the picturesque peaks of the
Alpilles (little Alps).
Missing your Stairmaster?
Then bike up to the Notre Dame de Beauregard, high on a hill over
the Durance River. This is a detour; nobody has to make the climb,
and perhaps nobody will. But those who do will be rewarded with
sweeping views from the peaceful grounds of this church.
Finally, a ribbon of road
too small to appear on most maps offers yet another example of
biking in Provence at its best. We pass orchards, forest, old
farmhouses, and a field of horses. Soon we reach the Sorgue
river, where crystal-clear waters offer respite from the hot
day.
Refreshed, we continue on to
L'Isle sur la Sorgue, where we spend two nights in a village on
an island in the rushing River Sorgue. The village is full of
canals, including one with a rope swing conveniently situated
over the water.
The old waterwheels of
L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue once powered grain and paper mills. Now the
industry has moved out, moss has taken over the old mill wheels,
and the town is known as an antiques center, with over 30
dealers and shops.
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The Luberon
We'll spend two nights in
l'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. You don't have to get on a bike at all
today; if you'd like to stay in town, there's plenty to do.
For those heading out on your
bikes, the first village we come to is the history-filled
Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. Here, in a small cirque below a towering
cliff, the Sorgue river gushes up from an underground source that
remains mysterious. Since the days of Petrarch, poets and artists
have been inspired by this magical spot. You can pause at a café
beside the river, overlooking a moss-covered waterwheel from a
long-forgotten mill.
If you want to spend the day here
instead of riding on to the Luberon hill towns, visit the new
Museum of the Resistance (this region was a strong pocket of the
Resistance movement during World War II). You can also take a
kayaking lesson on the Sorgue, or hike along one of France's
national hiking routes.
But the Luberon beckons
strongly. This magical region of dark forests, meandering
streams, and stone hilltop villages is already familiar to readers
of A Year in Provence. We've mapped out a full-day circuit
taking in six villages, each with a distinct personality. If
that's too much, you can easily turn back earlier.
We begin with Gordes, a
village of golden stone spilling down a hillside. Get an energy
boost at the small gay-owned cafe.
Next is Roussillon, source
of the ochre used in brown dyes. There are 17 shades of ochre,
boast townspeople, ranging from orange to gold, from tan to rust,
and every nuance can be found amongst the homes of this handsome
town. A trail winds through the golden glow of the cliffs, past
towering evergreens, to such spots as the vivid orange spires
known as "Needles of Fairy Glen".
A picnic spot overlooks the
cliffs, and a nearby shop offers a tempting selections of foods.
A chunk of goat cheese, a baguette, and a ripe pear ... and
you're ready to bike on.
As we meander south, we
cross a simple stone bridge. It seems like a solid but
unremarkable structure, until you learn that it has a name (Pont
Julien) and a history -- it was built by the Romans and served as
a vital link on the ancient Domitian Way, for pilgrims traveling
between Italy and Spain. The bridge leads us to Bonnieux, once a
papal fief, now better known as the site of a memorable goat race
in A Year in Provence. Clinging to the hill, this charming
village feels more vertical than horizontal. Fortunately, it's
just big enough to have a well-stocked pastry shop.
Then forgotten Lacoste, known
not for its alligator shirts (wrong Lacoste) but as home of the
Marquis de Sade. His chateau still perches atop the hill. Who
could resist a photo op? In nearby Menerbes, we've got two
friends: the barkeeper, and a potter whose studio in the woods
produces some of the most beautiful handcrafts we've seen in
France.
A peaceful bike route leads
us through sun-drenched fields to the ruins of Oppede-le-Vieux.
A short path takes us to the hilltop chapel (remodeled in the
16th century -- when it was already 300 years old!) and castle
walls that mark the site of an ancient feudal stronghold.
Chances are, many cyclists
in our group will not get to every city. But whether you turn
around after lingering over lunch in Gordes, or cover the full
circuit, we're sure of one thing: You'll understand the magical
pull of the Luberon.
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L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to Avignon
It's time to return to Avignon.
This is a short biking day, so you can relax in the morning
and explore the village before hitting the road.
Today's ride takes us past
fields of red poppies, and soon we're in Avignon. You may want
to arrive early so you can tour the inside of the Papal Palace, or
visit 14th-century Fort St. Andre across the river. Then get ready
for a special dinner at one of Avignon's many friendly
restaurants. |
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The hardest thing about our trips is
saying goodbye to a wonderful group of new friends, and a charming
region of France.
If you've got extra vacation
time to spend in Europe, we suggest you save it for after the
trip, rather than before: Chances are, others from this week's
adventure will be looking for some company for a weekend in Paris
or perhaps Nice, on the Mediterranean coast.
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