Take Me for a Ride in Your Car Car--Part 1

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 The strict French confinement has been replaced by a somewhat more lenient couvre-feu (curfew), requiring every one to be inside by 6 PM, and while most businesses are open, restaurants and cafes, museums and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!