Big day out: Les Baux-de-Provence: Carrieres des Lumieres + Avignon
There is a lot to say about today and even more photos. It was a really memorable one, not to be forgotten, but just in case I am putting it all in here so in years to come I can get it out to jog my memory. It was a day of two halves.
Glass half full
Was the last night in our wonderful little cottage of which I will dedicate a blog to in its entirety when I get the time. It rained overnight and in the morning everything looked fresh and sparkly. I decided to take a morning dip in the pool, just because I could. We pack up slowly and with the joy of having our own place means we leave with no dirty washing, which I love.
We are heading to Les-Baux-de Provence which is just down the road as I really want to go to Carrieres des Lumieres. We saw starry night by Van Gogh in Wellington as an exhibition and to see it in the caves at Les Baux-de-Provence where it was first envisaged was to good an opportunity to miss.
We miss the parking for the caves so carry on to the village where we park at the bottom and meander our way to the top. It is yet another gorgeous spot of alleys and cobbles and doors and rooftops and flowers and door handles and flags. The day is dull so my photographs lack the lustre that the village deserves.
We make our way back down to the car and the sky opens, we shelter under a plane tree hoping it will pass. It doesn’t so we move anyway and once back to the car we are grateful to be able to change our soaking shirts as it is the first time we have felt cold since we have arrived. We arrive at the caves and buy our tickets for the exhibition which does not disappoint. It is full of light and sound and movement and colour and the effort taken to get here is already a distant memory.
After lunch we head to the Avignon TGV station where we have decided to park the car so we don’t have to drive into the city and do the whole parking thing, when our hotel is based in a pedestrian only area. The TGV station is on the outskirts of the city and we can catch a regional train into Avignon, leaving our luggage in the car and just taking an overnight bag.
We arrive at the hotel and Avignon looks amazing and as the day is wearing on we dump our bag and head out with the intention of getting on the last sightseeing bus at 4pm. We miss the bus and sit in the square with a G&T and beer and wait for the little sight seeing train which is more than welcome on the worn out legs. There is so much to take in. Once on the bus we wobble around the inner township and I wish my body was up to wandering some more as there is so much to see.
With a bit of a rest and a couple of Panadol we hop off the train and keep wandering. The evening wears on and we walk until I can’t walk anymore and and find a lovely bistro for dinner where we sit in the warm evening sun at 8pm at night and enjoy the food and the sounds and the ambience.
It was a beautiful day, a day to remember.
Glass half empty
The night was stormy which made for a restless sleep as the thunder seemed to rattle the cottage and the lightning lit it up from the outside in. We had arrived home previous to no water which meant the washing that I had put on before we left was not yet done. We called the host and between WH and the hosts husband they found a leaking tap which meant the well was dry.(or so they thought) Wait they said and we did.The water came back on. The water went back off .
The morning after the storm we have no wifi but at least we have water so we pack up and head to the caves to see an art exhibition in the caves at Les Baux-de-provence. We miss the turn off so decide to visit the village which is delightful yet again but the legs and back ache with another climb and multiple flights of stairs.
WE make our way back down to the car and the heavens open with a deluge that doesn’t want to quit. We shelter under a tree which works ok for a few minutes but as the wind picks up the heavy drops make there way through the canopy and then with the loud rolling thunder and lighting in the sky I decide I will take my chances with the rain rather than what has now become in my head the lighting tree.
When we reach the car the sky is beginning to lighten and we change our tops and head to the Caves. There are yet again no parks so I say to WH we just wait it out and someone will leave, and they eventually they do. In all the excitement of finally getting a park however we forget to buy a parking ticket. We have done so religiously at every other space.
We make our way inside and the exhibition does not disappoint. We have lunch in the cafe and then head towards o Avignon TGV carpark. We have decided to park here rather than drive into the city as our hotel is right by the popes palace which is all pedestrian lanes. I feel smug with my cleverness at having devised such a plan.
On arrival at the station we find enter the carpark and see only red lights above full spaces so when we finally see a green one we take it. We then walk and walk and walk, past numerous other carparks with plenty of spaces I might add, until we reach the station for regional.
On arriving at Avignon central we are glad of our small bag as we walk the kilometre to out hotel. We pass the tourist bus just past the rail station and as the legs feel like they have very few steps left in them decide that is the best way to get around late this afternoon. We ditch the bags and with ten minutes to spare buy a ticket and race back down to where the bus leaves from ready to get on the last bus at 4pm. We wait, and we wait, and we wait. Eventually I go and ask and I am told “not today”. There is usually a 4pm but “not today”. “maybe take the tourist train as it is gong until 5.30”, where does it leave from?, The popes palace of course right next to the hotel. So off we go again back up the street we have now already done twice.
We get to the train and yes its still there but no it is full and we can’t get on. There is only one and it willl be back in 45 minutes. We sit at a table in the square and I see the most delicious looking mojito coming out, full of ice and mint and lime. I’ll have one of those please. “sorry we have no mint or lime left so no Mojito.” I order a G&T whilst WH orders a beer and we sip for 45 minutes until the train comes back. “Its been a funny sort of day” I say and we laugh as we run together all the moments that have just not gone our way. I finish my drink and line up, first in the queue but even that does not work as there is a group of 25 booked who must get on first. We get on the train and wobble and bump around the city and give each other a nudge as we come back around and see a huge hotel car park with perfect access just off the ring road around the back.
It is a day of two halves lucky we chose full.
