Who said that?! It was one of the Roosevelts,wasn’t it?……Franklin D, I think……
Whomever it was, I am thankful to have been able to call on his words of inspiration this past weekend when I was evaluating the wisdom of renting a vehicle here in France and driving it to Les Baux by myself. I have to say that, bold as I am, the thought of being in a foreign country alone in a car was daunting to me. So much so, that I almost didn’t do it. But, I wanted to see Les Baux and the only way to do it is by car. And, I was scheduled to pick up my friends in Avignon on Monday to do some more touring. So, I kept moving forward.
Nevertheless, on Saturday morning, when I was on my way to Hertz, I was still thinking about canceling. What if I get lost, what if something happens to the car, what if I am abducted by aliens……. Hey, it could happen! There is no proof that aliens don’t exist. I could be swept into “never never land”…lost forever…… OK. Perhaps this was, once again, an overreaction……one of my only faults! HA! So as I was walking, I had a stern talk with myself, convinced myself that I would be OK (it turns out that I can be very persuasive when I want to be), rented the car, visited Les Baux and the surrounding area…..and……lived to tell about it! I’m glad I took the chance. Thanks FDR. I will be forever grateful! Here’s why….
Les Baux is considered a “commune” in Provence, here in the south of France. The town gives its name to bauxite, which was first discovered there. Now, Les Baux is a tourist town….population 22…..with a reputation of being one of the most picturesque villages in France. It is positioned in the Alpilles Mountains on the top of a grouping of huge rocks. The steep and winding streets of the old village lead up to the ruins of an old castle that faces south to provence. When I was at the top of the castle (of course, I climbed to the top) I could see Aix en Provence in the distance (about 70 kilometers away) nestled in between the peaks of Mount St. Victoire. The views were breathtaking!
I spent Saturday and Sunday in the area of Les Baux. On Saturday, after renting the car and successfully maneuvering the hairpin turns on the roads leading to Les Baux, I decided I would check into my hotel and then tour the old village. (I only got lost one time….drove down a dirt road in the middle of just about nowhere into a herd of grazing sheep, a group of reindeer and some burrows, I think. We were all surprised!) After climbing about 1,000 steps on the side of the mountain, I reached the old village (WHEW!). I spent part of the afternoon wandering and climbing the tiny winding streets to the top of the town where the castle was located. I, of course, stopped in at the two churches in town to get my “fix” (love the old churches)….beautiful and inspiring!
Then, I spied the castle and went in. I spent the rest of the day wandering around the grounds of the castle, looking at the views and climbing to the top of the ramparts. I thought the stairs on the path to the little church in Moustiers Sainte Marie were challenging, but these were even more so. Really, most of them were just rocks piled up unevenly making the rise on the steps quite variable….and, they were slippery! Very challenging for those of us with vision issues. And, again, coming down was much more difficult than going up! YIKES! But, I made it, and it was well worth the effort. The views were stunning. And, again, with the changing colors of the fall leaves, there were splashes of yellow and orange here and there that added some color to the landscape.
I was also relieved to find a display of all types of medieval weapons in the middle of the castle grounds….things like catapults, battering rams, etc. Since I was by myself, I felt this sort of protection could come in handy!
When I was checking into the hotel earlier in the day, the lovely young woman at the front desk told me about an art show that was being held at a place called the “Carrières de Lumières”. It sounded interesting, but wasn’t at the top of my list for viewing. ( I really wanted to spend my second day doing some wine tasting.) Thought I would check out the Lumières if I had time. However, as a result of a miscommunication (en français…OOPS….), I ended up buying a ticket to view this as well as the castle. So, on Sunday, I decided to take a look. I paid for it, after all! And, it was raining and this was an indoor activity. The show was titled “Klimt and Vienna A Century of Gold and Colour”. I thought it would be a stationary display of Klimpt paintings. I would go in and spend a half hour and then go on.
Not so, my friends!
I walked through the front doors into a darkened room. Great, I thought. I have night vision issues. I’m going to trip over a baby or a small person. (I’ve done it before!) So as to minimize the chances of this, I just stood in place for a few minutes to get my bearings. Just as I was thinking that this visit was not a good idea, I looked up and I was surrounded by lights, colors and designs that were moving and changing. I heard classical music playing in the background. As I watched, I realized that the music was following the pattern and mood of the art. The works of art were projected everywhere…on the ceiling, on the floor and on every wall. It was all encompassing. Then, I could see where I was. I was in something like a “grotto” that was built into the side of the mountain. In the middle were rough columns. Every possible bit of wall and column space was covered with the projected works of art. I don’t think I have ever seen anything like it. I was blown away!
There were continuous shows…..all different. I spent about two hours totally mesmerized by the art of Klimpt and his contemporaries and the music. It was so moving it actually brought me to tears. I am welling up right now just thinking about it.
After I could take no more, I went out for a hot chocolate and read about the history of the venue and the art. As it turns out, this was an old limestone quarry that was dug out in part to build the walls of Les Baux. They now use this venue to do these shows on a regular basis.
After I gathered myself, I left the quarry and spent the rest of the day wine tasting. I needed some wine after all of that! There are two wineries in the area of Les Baux. I went to both. I will tell you about them along with my other wine tasting escapades to date in my next post. Good stuff!
I also had some excellent food in the small towns surrounding Les Baux. My meal on Sunday was one of the best of the trip so far…carrot soup to start and then a main course of some very tender veal medallions with a roquefort cheese sauce. YUM!
I will also report that I was able to communicate very well with the hotel staff and the wait staff in the restaurants, en français. The woman on the first day even complimented me on my use of the language. It was very satisfying for me to hear that! It wasn’t perfect, but understandable. Success!
So, as I end my post for today I will leave you with this. It seems that meeting your fears straight on can have some very successful and satisfying outcomes! It pays to take some chances every now and again. Anyway, it worked for me! What a great weekend!
As I drift off to sleep, I am still thinking about the amazing light, art and music and views….nice way to end the day…..
bonne nuit!
Travel With Betsy 
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