Jura to Provence

We left the Jura on a high note, after a gloriously sunny final day at the mediaeval village of Baumes-les-Meissures, tucked away in a box canyon. We were so taken that we stayed at the small municipal campsite nearby and were treated to the sight of a golden eagle, perched high on the cliff behind us. Breathtaking stuff!

Then we were off along the banks of the Rhone towards Provence, all tweeness and traffic, interspersed with the heavy industry common along this stretch of the Rhone. Night one was spent at the Aire de Camping Cars at Aubignas, with far reaching views across the valley and the little village perched picturesquely beside us. Rain had set in plus concern over a faulty clutch pedal. 

Paying for the aire at Aubugny

Next day we headed to the small village of St Gabriel, not far from Tarascon and north of Arles and a nice little campsite set around an old Mas, or farmhouse. So far so good, apart from the weather; storm clouds were gathering! The next day brought an orage, or storm, and we were battered with 24 hours solid of rain. The van was booked into a local Iveco franchise to be repaired next day (the hydraulic mechanism on the clutch, so thankfully not too serious) and we spent the rest of the day exploring the famous Camargue and feeling every sympathy for the famous white horses, looking very forlorn in the mud. A bonus of the drive was seeing masses of pink flamingoes en route. Once the storm had blown itself out we were treated to two clear dry days and crammed in as much as we could, and after the van was very efficiently and speedily fixed, we headed off to spend an afternoon wandering through Arles to glimpse its Roman heritage at the amphitheatre and arena.

Arena at Arles

Streetview, Arles

This was followed by a day in St Remy-de-Provence, visiting the Wednesday Provençal market, complete with straw baskets of every shape and size, olives, the famous violet garlic, lavender and herbs and some eye wateringly high prices!  Such a contrast to dear old Spain and Oliva market where we've shopped regularly for the past 12 years. There's a polish and an eye to detail here that is both engaging and amusing in the way that it plays to the tourist market and especially the many visitors from across the pond.  Of course, we probably bought more than we should, including delicious preserved lemon paste and picholine olives to cook a chicken tagine. The sights and smells here are just too seductive to resist!  After lunch, we visited the remains of the ancient Roman city of Glanum, and walked the Van Gogh trail along the routes he took whilst spending a year at St Paul's sanatorium and painting a staggering 150 canvasses, many inspired by the stunning scenery here, often with the Alpilles mountains in the background. Other paintings were more sombre, with the greens tinged by the melancholy of grey.  We drove back via Baux, a dramatic village built into the rock formations of the Alpilles, home to 500, host to some 1.5 million visitors a year!  Then that evening said our goodbyes to St Gabriel over a fine bottle of organic red, made a short walk away from the campsite at Les Fontanelles.

Van Gogh Trail

St. Paul's Sanatorium, Remy

Triumphal Arch, Glanum

There's much more to do and see here, but after a morning soaking up the atmosphere back in St Remy and at St Paul's, discovering more about Van Gogh's time here, the coast was calling and we headed off in search of the sea.


J.