 |
| View from Sauve on a chilly morning, with woodsmoke in the air. |
We’ve
finally gotten out of the house! The strict French confinement has been replaced by a somewhat more lenient couvre-feu (curfew), requiring every one
to be inside by 6 PM, and while most businesses are open, restaurants and
cafes, museums and attractions, concerts and sporting events are still closed.
As we have discussed amongst ourselves over and over, while we can go places,
what can we do once we’re there?
We
decided to find out! Our friends Mark and Mary had returned from Paris (their
official residence in France; technically, they’ve just been visiting
Montpellier since the lockdown was imposed last spring), Mark had his
newly-minted French driver’s license, and Mary had—finally—gotten her Illinois
licensed exchanged for a French one. So they rented a car for 10 days (Rental
cars are pretty cheap right now, you need only brush aside the cobwebs at the
rental desk and they are very happy to have some business!)
M&M
had spent a week keeping to themselves (always a good idea after travel of any
kind in these pandemic days), got Covid tests, and felt confident that they
were ready for some travel. The three of us—Paula and I, plus our friend Kate—also
got tested. The testing, done as walk-ins at a local pharmacy, took less than a
half-hour, not including the 30 minutes we spent walking around waiting for the
results. Which, we were all glad to note, were negative.
While
at the pharmacy we picked up some new masks, tighter and more restrictive, and more
effective, for wear in the car.
Nine-thirty
the next morning we gathered at the parking area near our building and headed
out on our first adventure in a long time!
Sauve
 |
| Entering Sauve: view from the bridge |
Paula
and I had visited this village, about an hour north of Montpellier, a few years
ago and found it utterly charming. The town is still charming, even in the
winter, but the leafless landscape is a bit dreary. And, apart from the funeral
that was just ending, we found it empty. Plus, we were cold. Charmed, but cold,
and with but a single thought: let’s find a warm café, have a coffee and a
fresh croissant to nibble on, discuss what we’ve seen and head out again warmed and refreshed.
Except… oops, no cafés! And, perhaps more importantly, no rest rooms! We asked
the boulanger who was just closing
his stand at the market, and he confirmed: all the toilettes were closed due to Covid. But we persevered, wandering
the streets, finding many intriguing shop windows (and doors!).
 |
| A little alcove off a side street |
 |
| Mary and Paula walk through the potentially very lively and cute town square; very quiet this chill pandemic morning! |
I've always suspected that one of the reasons we really enjoyed visiting French towns
was having lunch: finding that special restaurant, distinct from the
restaurants near home—and everywhere else, for that matter—and sampling what the
local chef had to offer. Confirmed! Now, with no coffee, no lunch… these visits are just not the
same! Still, there are many artists and studios in the village, and we found the studio and ateliers (or, at least their locked doors and windows) endlessly interesting.
A bit of trivia: Sauve is the current home of Robert Crumb, famed for his contribution to the alternate “comix” of the 60s and 70s, and his character, Mr. Natural. We didn’t see him, though (not Mr. Crumb, nor Mr. Natural, nor, for that matter, much of anybody else!)
 |
| Surprising what one finds in these small towns! And yes, hanging from the balcony that is a Donald Trump doll with pins stuck in it...
| Does an artist live here?
(This may--or may not--be the front door of Mr. Crumb and his wife, Aline.)
|
|
 |
| Let's take a closer look at that door! In the center, images of The Sacred Heart of Elvis, flanked by boxed action figures of Kamala Harris and Joseph Biden. Hand of Fatima on the lower right, Hello Kitty on the lower left... |
 |
| Street art, on the road out of town. |
We
will definitely revisit this town in the spring, when it’s warmer, greener,
and there's a bit more happening!
 |
| The morning warmed a bit and the sun came out, leaving us with this view of the old bridge connecting Sauve to the highway. |
Saint-Jean-du-Gard
Our
next stop was in the slightly larger town of Saint-Jean-du-Gard, famous for
being the spot where Robert Lewis Stevenson ended his trip through the
mountains of the Cevennes. (You can read his full story in Travels
With a Donkey in the Cevennes, his 1879 book about…
well, traveling with a donkey in the Cevennes.) I was particularly pleased to
be here because I read this work, and thought it would be a fine thing to visit
the villages he mentioned (although I’d do it by car; certainly not by
donkey!).
 |
| Mary, in the deserted town center. |
 |
| A mosaic of R.L. Stevenson on the trail with his donkey, Modestine. |
Our
visit started simply enough with lunch in the parking lot: we sat in the sun
and ate the sandwiches we’d brought. Thus fortified—and warmed—we went forth to
find another quite charming and mostly empty town. It’s clear the town traffics
on the fame brought by Stevenson, and Modestine, his donkey. It’s also clear
it’s a center for hikes in the surrounding hills, part of the extensive
Cevennes range, with signs pointing the way and providing destinations,
distances, and trail numbers. (Wilderness hiking is very well organized in
Europe!)
 |
| The old bridge spanning the river that splits the town. Who knows, perhaps a century and a half ago Modestine's hooves trod it's roadway... |
 |
| A restaurant, very closed. Judging by the age of these shutters, Stevenson himself may have eaten here! |
| Mary and Kate admire a rather more modern façade. |
|
We arrived home well before dark, so we could rest up for our next day’s adventures. (And then, there's that 6PM curfew thing...) |
 |
| A house along the river, just out of town. I imagine the people lived upstairs due to flooding; quite a magnificent stairway they had! |
 |
| Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct spanning the river. |
The Pont du Gard
“Gard”
is the name of the Département (an administrative
district similar to a county); pont
means bridge. The simple name, Bridge of the Gard, obscures a truly remarkable
structure: a Roman
aqueduct built over 2000 years ago. This is another site
Paula and I had visited before: we’d been here almost two years ago with Paula’s
brother Mark and his wife Brenda. But this time there was an added twist: the
place was empty!
 |
| Cold, but sunny; and, we've got the place to ourselves! |
It
was a repeat of the previous morning; up early, the five of us meeting at the
car, masks tightly secured as we worked through the seating arrangements.
(French cars are quite good, but a bit tight for five people!) An hour later we
reached our destination to find… it was closed! Oh no! We’d checked, several
times! But that was definitely a lock on the gate… Ah, but there’s another
parking lot, across the river. So a short time later we were easing through
some definitely open gates into an empty parking lot.
 |
| What it was all about: the water channel, to supply the city of Nimes, 20km distant. |
 |
| Peering under a lower arch. |
Of
course, all the shops, cafés, and the video program explaining the construction
of this magnificent structure were closed up… as was the ticket office. So we
walked in and had the whole place to ourselves. Oh, there were the occasional
hikers and bikers, but we had no problem sharing! Once more, all the rest rooms
were closed, but with lots of trees and no people, that was less of a problem…
 |
| Mark and Mary contemplate what was. |
 |
| Looking downstream from the top of the Pont |
Beaucaire
This medieval city, surrounded by a prosperous new town, is located on the Rhône River
about an hour’s walk upstream from Arles. We arrived and immediately got lost,
driving through endless tiny one-way streets dead-ending into endless tiny one-way streets
heading the wrong way. Eventually, though, we came out at the river, and parked
along the canal right in front of an open (finally!) boulangerie
selling great sandwiches. So we sat in the sun eating our lunch while admiring
the boats along the canal.
I think my travel companions were less interested in the canal,
but I was thrilled to learn that this was the Canal du Rhône á Sète,
which runs just south of Montpellier; and Beaucaire is the point where it joins
the Rhône River. From here a boat can go south to Arles, or north to the
extensive canal systems in central and northern France. Or, follow the canal
back to the town of Sète, not far from Montpellier. The Port of Sète gives
access to the Mediterranean; or head west through the Étang de Thau (a
shallow lake) to continue on the Canal du Midi. This 16th century
engineering marvel runs 240 km (150 mi) to the city of Toulouse. (The Canal
Latéral de la Garonne carries on from there to Bordeaux, providing
access to the Atlantic Ocean.) We’ve covered parts of this route by boat, and
driven along and across much of it. I found it tremendously gratifying to be at
the far end of this extensive canal system crossing all of southern France!
 |
| Observation tower? Lighthouse? |
|
Ruins of the chateau-fort of Beaucaire|
 | | Wintertime view along the Rhone, from the ramparts of Beaucaire's castle. |
 | Old and the new: wind turbines behind the ancient roofs of Beaucaire.
|
|
|
'
Chapelle
Saint Laurent
We
had a special treat on the way home, the kind of surprise that you really need
a car to appreciate. We drove past a large empty field with a Romanesque
church, perfectly preserved, right off the road. Mark did a quick u-turn (well,
not so quick, it was safe!) and we spent some time investigating this find.
 |
| A special treat on the ride home: the 12th century Chapelle St Laurent (it's only open once a year, and today was not the day!) |
Rental cars are cheap right now, so Mark and Mary got one for 10 days. This has been the story of the first two of our five road trips, during this window when we can go out, but there's nothing to do when we get there. In our next blog we'll talk about the rest of our trips! And, Feb 8 is the day for my driving test, when I'll get (hopefully!) my French license. Stay tuned!
