Our final day of exploring in Provence took us first to a village called Chateauneuf du Pape which is apparently famous for its wines. Th streets are lined with wine shops and tasting rooms. We made our way again up a narrow street to a wine cave near the top of the hill. Here we had a mid morning tasting. Bottles in the cave were marked from from about 25 euros to well over 100. I think they offered us the cheap stuff to ta
ste. It certainly didn’t appeal to me. And though they are supposedly famous for their reds, I found the white considerably more palatable. Needless to say, I didn’t buy any wine that morning.
Back down the hill to lunch we were served a tomato stuffed with tuna salad and were commenting on what a lovely light lunch we had had for a change when the waiter came out with a plate of pork and pot
atoes. As much as I enjoyed the cooking in France it was nice to come home to my 1200 calorie a day diet after so many heavy meals. On the plus side, not a day went by when I didn’t get well over 10,000 steps!
Our next and final stop on the tour was Avignon. We started with a guided tour of the Palais du Papes. I have to admit by this time I was so jaded and tired that it didn’t really make much of an impression on me. Just big 
and old. Of course, the fact that I was forbidden to take pictures of anything painted (i.e. the most interesting rooms) did not help.
After the Palais we wandered some around the streets of the town. I would have like to have had more time to explore and shop, not to mention more energy. In the end I collapsed in a chair at a sidewalk cafe near our meeting point at the carousel and wished that I had more energy to get up and photograph the pretty horses.
And that mes amis is the end of my quick and dirty telling of my adventures in France. Next I start working on my scrapbook which will be more detailed and include more photographs which have been more carefully processed. I’ll add a link to the PDF when it’s done…check back in about a month.
Our last stop was in Arles in Provence, possibly the most charming of all the charming towns we visited in France. It features a fairly well preserved Roman Amphitheater which has done service as a housing complex during the middle ages and is currently being used for bull fights and bull races. 
ed to be very photogenic. It is no wonder that Arles is home to France’s national school of photography. 
d was destroyed by bombing during World War II. All around town there are signs showing Van Gogh’s paintings at the locales featured. It was in Arles that he cut off his ear and landed in an asylum. We also had a pleasant stroll along the Rhone River. Unfortunately I can’t share all the pictures here but I did like these blue shutters and awnings near the arena.
at a creperie we boarded the bus for a trip to another charming village called Les Baux-de-Provence. Built on a hillside in and area which features houses built into the cliffs called troglodytes, our clime to the top of the village street was rewarded by an amazing view of the Povencal countryside.
ere we were treated to tastes of their olives, some tapenade, and even some of the neighbor’s wine.
On leaving Carcasonne we did not have too far to travel to our next stop in Narbonne, a pleasant village with Roman roots, an unfinished Cathedral, and a thriving indoor marketplace.
Next we made our way across the street to a Cathedral which was begun in 1272 and never completed so that it is lacking the impressive facade of most such structures but still sports flying buttresses and turrets, not to mention some 
newly cleaned and restored gargoyles. An organ dating from the 18th century is also an impressive feature.
We arrived in Bordeaux by high speed train and had to scurry to quickly find lunch on our own because the chef at the restaurant where we were supposed to eat had decided not to come back from holiday. 
informative but grueling. Bordeaux has an interesting history as a port city which has been around since Roman times and spent much of it’s life under English rule. Many of it’s 17th century structures feature arched windows which have faces on the keystones representing the diverse population of the city.
After a brief rest in our new hotel it was time to proceed back to the streets to make our way to dinner which didn’t end until close to 10pm. Not an unusual event in France.
wine making followed by a walking tour of the town and the Monolithic Cathedral. After lunch it was back on the bus and back to Bordeaux for some free time exploring the streets of the city on our own.
modernization of the city in the late 1800s. Some buildings are more ornate than others and some have the flatiron style of angled intersections. But for the most part they have a similar look. It must have been an interesting time of building and redevelopment. It was explained to us that before elevators the choices apartments were on the ground and 1st floors. Widows lived on the 3rd and 4th floors and the cheap seats were near the top of the stairs. After elevators came along the higher floors became the realm of the rich.
Besides the Eiffel Tower we buzzed by the Louve, the Arc de Triumph, the Place de la Concorde, Notre Dame, the Musee Orsy and a few other landmark buildings and institutions located along the banks of the Seine.
as a light meal but it seemed like a full dinner to me. We had the most delicious fish I have ever eaten, spinach and a lovely sauce, no doubt loaded with butter. For dessert they brought out cream puffs loaded with ice cream and swimming in chocolate sauce. I don’t know how I am going to be able to start turning these deserts away.
Bottom line, I saw enough of Paris to be intrigued and want to come back. Someone suggested visiting in the winter to find the museums less overcrowded. Might have to give that a try.