We've started to get out and explore Provence over the past week. There's plenty of things to do, no matter which direction we go in! Provence is a very fertile, sun-filled, and hilly area of France. It also has a long history of human habitation -- even the Romans have left their mark here!
We recently took a trip to the hilltop village of
Les Baux (
baou is Provençal for "rocky spur.") It's the remains of a fortified city dating from the 10th century. Jim was looking forward to seeing the medieval weaponry and Hermes couldn't wait to pee on a historic ruin. I was just happy to get out and enjoy the beautiful day!
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| "Are you guys coming or what?" |
Les Baux is located in the foothills of the Alpilles mountain range, nestled between scraggly limestone hills and endless olive groves. The fortress sits atop a 650-ft bluff, which made for a great natural defense against any invaders. There's also a spectacular view of the surrounding plains. On a clear day, you can see as far as the Mediterranean Sea (about 30 miles away.)
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| View of olive groves and hills south of Les Baux. |
To the north, the white sandstone cliffs known as the Val d'Enfer ("Valley of Hell") were the inspiration for Dante's description of Hell in
Divine Comedy.
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| Valley of Hell? I don't see it. Come to Phoenix in August! |
A free audio guide was available with admission, but we found the descriptions to be a little long winded. Speaking of wind, it was also very difficult to hear anything atop the cliff, as the mistral wind was in full force on our visit!
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| Sporting our wind-blown hairdos. |
Onto the part you've been waiting for: the weapons! We found a catapult, battering ram, and trebuchet (which looks like a catapult but it's not). Sadly, there weren't any mock battles during our visit, leaving Jim a bit disappointed.
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| Can you say trebuchet? |
It was a lot of fun to wander around the ruins of the fortress. Most of the fortifications were carved directly into the rock.
It was also a great outing for Hermes, as he was able to explore the grounds with us. The French are very keen on bringing their dogs everywhere. There was even a special "bar" for chiens et pigeons (dogs and pigeons!)
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| Note the Cesar Millan-style collar. Hermes is in walk training! |
