View from room in Hotel St. Louis Bastille
Grave marker for Abelard and Heloise in Pere Lachaise Cemetary where many famous people are buried
Pere Lachaise Cemetary, Marker for Abelard and Heloise
View in Pere Lachaise Cemetary
Frederick Chopin's Grave Marker
Another view of Chopin's Grave
Glass Pyramid at the Louvre, caught with an unknown person
The Louvre - part of the Richelieu wing
Small Triumphal Arch by the Louvre - Arc du Carrousel
First view of the Eiffel Tower from the Champ de Mars
Approaching the Eiffel Tower
Champ de Mars (Park by the Tower)-- lots of loving going on in Paris!
View of the Trocadero, from beneath the Eiffel Tower
View through the middle of the tower, towards the top
Mary and Rich, with Champ de Mars in the background
Another view of the Eiffel Tower from across the river
The Seine, from foot of the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero
View from the Trocadero
Arc de Triomphe
Unimpeded view from the Champs-Elysees
Sacre-Coeur in Montmartre
Sacre-Coeur
View from Sacre-Coeur looking down at the city scape
Another view down hill
A tree in flower on the hill in Montmartre
Fountains at the foot of Sacre-Couer
Fountain at the foot of Sacre Coeur
Final Stairs to Sacre Coeur
Looking down from second landing of Montmartre
The city of Paris from Montmartre
Rain threatening on Montmartre
Sacre Coeur, Mary in the foreground
Sacre Couer
The Streets of Montmartre
Another street in Montmartre
Montmartre, Mary and John in left corner
Sun Dial on a House
Finally -- walking downhill on Montmartre!
Statue of St. Denis, patron saint of Paris
St. Denis, holding his head
St. Denis, holding his head! He was beheaded for spreading Christianity, but walked 3 miles north afterwards. . .at least that is the legend.
Montmartre
“The Laundry Boat”, apartment of many famous painters, so named because it was the “scum of the scum”
We didn't go into this museum . . .
Moulin Rouge, the red light district of Montmartre
Moulin Rouge
Couldn't resist, this was near our Paris Hotel
The Paris “City Hall” Building - St. Louis, Mo. city hall was modeled after this building
Paris City Hall, St. Louis City Hall modelled after this building
Plaza, turned into ecological display of xeriscopic plants
Looking down the Seine
Sainte Chapelle in the background, being renovated
Entrance to the Metro, designed to entice people to “go underground”, a strange phenomena in late 1800's when the Metro was first opened.
Notre Dame
Kings of Israel on the frieze-- their heads were knocked off during 1790's revolution because they were thought to be kings of France
Kings' heads remade and replaced on the figures, then found buried in someone's yard years later -- actual heads now in a museum
Rose Window of Notre Dame
Flying Buttresses, holding many chapels, so many pilgrims can come to worship here
More flying butresses
Rich and the Eiffel Tower behind him
Montmartre home of Vincent Van Gogh
Windmills of Montmartre
Streets of Montmartre
Inside courtyard of homes in Montmartre
Model of the Paris Opera House circa 1850, in the Orsay Museum
Bateau on Pont Neuf, Departing at 9 PM
Pont Neuf Bridge, from deck of Bateau (Means "new bridge" but ironically it is the oldest standing bridge in Paris)
Sailing along the Seine
Musee d'Orsay, former train station for World Exposition in Paris -- now a museum for Impressionist Paintings
Orsay, taken from the boat
Palais de la Legion d'Honneur - just west of the Orsay
National Assembly Building
Edge of the Bridge connecting Place de la Concorde with the left bank
Eiffel Tower from the Boat, about 9:30 PM
Another boat view of the tower
Another boat view
World Exposition Building, from the Seine cruise
A dome within the Palais de Justice - once the original fortress of Paris
Ile de la Cite, from the Seine cruise, about 9:45 PM - Palais de Justice
More of the Palais de Justice
Notre Dame from the River
Rose Window of Notre Dame, from the River Cruise
Between islands - Ile de la Cite and Ile St. Louis
Notre Dame from the Seine, looking downriver to the West
Notre Dame, about 9:50 PM
Finally, the Eiffel Tower lights up! About 9:55 PM
Bus Tour of Paris, Sunday morning
View from Hotel St. Louis Bastille. The Plaza has been home to a food market, a flea market, and a summer solstice concert while we were there.
Back to the Louvre, Code of Hammurabi
Monolith with Code of Hammurabi
Front of Monolith with Code of Hammurabi
Monolith
Iranian sculptures
It's fun to be tall, even if it is upside down!
Frescoes in the Iranian antiquities section
Another Iranian fresco
Mary and Holly, out of focus -- probably improves the picture
Mesopotamian wall panels
Bottom part of the glass pyramid of the Louvre, underground
John and Mary in front of our hotel in Vaison la Romaine
Jay and Judy, Lauren and Susan at breakfast on the courtyard overlooking the newer city of Vaison la Romaine and countryside
I loved the flowers! Vaison la Romaine
The lower city of Vaison from our courtyard
The central garden of our courtyard - Vaison
The gathering area of the hotel in Vaison
The fireplace in the gathering area - Vaison
I love the flowers . . . Vaison
Entrance to the inner courtyard of the hotel
Part of the hotel - taken from the roadway leading down to the Roman bridge
Monument to those from Vaison who died in WW I
Lunch in our courtyard. Rich, John, and Mary
Excavations of a Roman home
The theater in Vaison from Roman times. Currently being restored.
Ruins of Roman times being excavated in the “new” city.
Church, built in 4th century - Vaison -
Another view of church - Vaison
More of the ruins
A decorative part of a wall
4th century church - Notre-Dame de Nazareth
Notre-Dame de Nazareth
Theater in Orange, being made ready for the Opera Season. Built by the Romans, and used continuously since then. One of only three complete walls in existence
Statue of the emperor, head changed periodically to match the current one - no recent change
More of the Theatre
Another view of the Wall
An unexpected testing of the evacuation system made for an interesting time
Perspective comes from this young woman cleaning the stage entrance
Outside of the theater, and an old church. The cross seems very much the wrong century . . .
A corner entrance way of the Theatre
The stones jutting out held long poles (through holes in the middle of the stones) that held a canopy over the stage on the other side. This protected the players, and made for wonderful sound carrying throughout the theater.
A winery in Rasteau -- learned about wine growth and production, and sampled three different ones.
Looking towards the fields of grapes - Rasteau winery
The home of the owners. I loved the flowers . . .winery
another view of the home at the winery
What was left after we ate lunch . . . Breads, Apricots, sausages, olives
Field of grape vines - winery
I can't find the grapes, but they are supposed to be here . . .
Gigondas -- small town where wine coop located (small wineries work together to bottle their wines) .
Church in Gigondas -- that's Rich with the backpack.
Bell tower of Gigondas church
View from church level - Gigondas
Gigondas - part of midieval fortification wall
Another view of fortification wall
The countryside from the church plaza - Gigondas
I love flowers . . .Gigondas
More countryside shots - Gigondas
Our bus, with Olivier the driver awaiting us - Gigondas
Old fortress walls - Gigondas
Flowers . .. Gigondas
More flowers - Gigondas
Rich, Mary, and John in front of the outer wall - Gigondas
The countryside - Gigondas
Modern town of Gigondas
View around Gigondas
Wes, Terin, Leesa, Lana at dinner in the inner courtyard in Vaison
Olivier, Susan, and Lauren
Joyce, Mimi, Jeanette, Sabine, Dana
Jim, Lori, Judy, Mary, Matt
John, Jay, Emily, Matt, Sabine
Rich and John
View of the garden in the inner courtyard
View from Mont Ventoux, “the rooftop of Provence”, one of the hardest parts of the Tour de France
Mont Ventoux, with its moonscape look
Towns below Mont Ventoux
Another view from Mont Ventoux
It was quite cold!
The Moon?
Mont Ventoux
Scraggly landscape on the Mont Ventoux
Beginning of the lavender fields - heading down towards Sault
Lavender fields heading down the mountain
Lavender, nearly ripe for harvesting. Two types of lavendar are grown - the one at higher altitude is more pungent and is used in expensive perfumes
More lavender fields
Rich and Holly
Lunch in Sault (promounced So) on the outdoor terrace
View from Roussillon
Provencal countryside - from Roussillon
The ochre mined for its various colors - Roussillon
Rocks, colored by the ochre - Rousillon
More ochre around Roussillon
Hills around Roussillon
Hills around Roussillon (the foothills of the Alps)
Making our way to the top of Roussillon, Mary on the right
The bell tower at Roussillon
Cafe overlooking the view beyond Roussillon
View of the area surrounding our farmhouse home for the evening - after we left Roussillon but still in the Provence countryside.
View from our terrace of the farmhouse
View of the farmhouse
Early morning walk, tried to get the hot air ballooon
Fields of hay
Snails in the farmhouse yard
Snails in the grass
The old bridge in Avignon - St. Benezet Bridge
On our way to the Palace of the Popes, when two Popes reigned -- one in Rome, one in France
Flowers on the buildings in Avignon
Palace of the Popes in Avignon -- used during the 15th century when two popes were elected, one in Rome and one in France. This lasted for about 100 years.
The cathedral attached to the Pope's Palace
Tower of the Pope's Palace
The pope's living area of the palace, seen from the outside
Avignon city building
Entrance to the Palace of the Popes
Inner Courtyard of the Palace of the Popes
Another view of the inner courtyard of the Palace of the Popes
The tower of the Pope's palace, from the inner courtyard
Through the walkway around the courtyard (No inside pictures of the palace were allowed)
The Tower (I was having fun playing with the camera for shots!)
Palace of the Popes
Private rooms of the Pope behind these walls
St. Peter's Cloister, square in Avignon, we ate lunch here
Old city of Avignon
Cloister area, now a thriving market square
Church in Avignon
Another view of the church in Avignon
Building on a narrow street, built so that each floor juts out more than the floor below it to retain stability and increase floor space inside
Waiting for our group to gather by the carrousel
Main Square in Avignon, outside the old city
Theater in Avignon
Theater on the square in Avignon
Leaving the old city to continue our tour
Part of the old bridge still standing in Avignon. Bridge was built about 1175, the only bridge to cross the Rhone during the Middle Ages. It was damaged several times and rebuilt until 1668 when it was not rebuilt. Only four arches remain today.
Another view of the bridge
Pont du Gard, map overview of the area. Part of a 30 mile aquaduct that supplied about 9 million gallons of water per day to Nimes, one of ancient Europe's oldest cities.
Looking up at the aquaduct area of the Pont du Gard
Unrestored area of the aquaduct, built in the first centuries by the Romans
The Gard ou Gardon River from the Pont du Gard
Another view of the Gard ou Gardon
The River here was a great place for swimmers!
More river
Pont du Gard
The arches are about twice the size of other Roman arches.
In later years, the lower set of arches and a roadway were built to accommodate visitors - this can be seen well in this view
Holly and Rich at Pont du Gard
The Roman Arena in Arles
Some of the restored area of the Roman arena in Arles, still in use today
Another view of the Roman arena in Arles
A highlight of the tour -- an unexpected festival, beginning with a night parade of local communities in their traditional dress
Night parade in Arles
More of the parade in Arles
We are in front of our hotel watching the parade.
Ordinary folk in the middle of the parade, heading for the arena where they parade will end.
Even visitors can join the parade!
My favorite picture of the parade is this one of the dancers
Hotel Calendal, our home in Arles
Theater in Arles
Another view of the theater in Arles
Streets of Arles
Theater entrance in Arles
Buildings in the old city of Arles. On right, the old Chappelle of the Gray Penitents
Interesting old roof tops
Poster for the Bull Races
Poster for the Festival
Van Gogh's picture of the Arena at Arles
Guide's explanation
Our city guide
Walking the old city - Arles
Ah, I love the flowers . . . even out of focus
Square on the main street, the fountain covers up the area Van Gogh lived in while in Arles.
Van Gogh lived in a yellow house in front of the awning on the other side of the grassy area. It has since been torn down. This was where he cut off his earlobe.
The Rhone River at Arles
Another view of the Rhone River at Arles
The Rhone River
"Starry Starry Night" picture painted by Van Gogh in Arles, along the River
I love the flowers . . .
I still love the flowers . . .
The old city of Arles
Ah, I miss our cat . . .
The Place de Forum
Flowers in the windows . . .along the Place de Forum
Statue in the City Hall
Doors to the Church
The Church on the Square in Arles
The hospital gardens where Van Gogh lived for awhile, and painted. Van Gogh suffered from manic depression (not named during his life-time), and after an argument with this friend Paul Gauguin, cut off his earlobe and presented it to his friend Rachel. He was cared for in this hospital for blood loss, hallucinations, and severe depression.
Outside the hospital
Van Gogh's painting of the inner courtyard of the hospital during his recovery here.
Picture of the Inside the gardens of the hospital today, which is now Espace Van Gogh. BTW, the French pronounce it "Van Gog" with a hard G.
Monument to Van Gogh in an Arles garden. He lived and worked here in Arles, but no paintings are left here and he is not buried here.
Garden in Arles
Our Arles hotel patio
Hotel patio in Arles
John, Lois, and Rich in the arena in Arles waiting for the bull races
A young girl sells hats to help with the sun. We were lucky enough to get shady seats.
The honored guests at the bull races, in traditional dress.
The bull, with some team members in the ring and others just outside of it waiting for a safe moment to return to the ring.
The bull still has ribbons to be claimed by someone!
One team member makes a try for a ribbon!
Uh, oh, he better jump the fence, the bull is not happy!
It looks like the bull is winning . . .
He's pawing the ground . . .
Action!
Breakfast at the hotel, we are preparing to leave, and these French people agreed to let us take their picture.
A posed picture
Missed the picture I wanted, but still got the little one.
Graphic depiction of the Chateau at Les Baux, on an impenetrable hill. The lord who lived here was the protector of the serfs who lived below, but the cost for them was very high.
Walking up towards the old chateau
The old buildings
Our guide, Sabine, explains the history of this town
Some of the old walls
Roman inscriptions
The old church in Les Baux
Replicas of old weapons
Don't step off the edge, it's 600 feet down
Looking at the countryside -- no one could approach without being seen.
Another view of the countryside
Surrounding area from the fortress area
Ah . . .
The Old Chateau, or what is left of it.
We are getting closer to the chateau
Some of the ruins near the chateau
Artist's rendition of what the chateau looked like
What is left of it now . . .
Jay in the stocks, Lois protecting him!
Emily and Matt coming down from the highest point -- the stairs were slanted and concave, not easy to traverse. Rich went up - the rest of us stayed safe.
The old fortress walls in Les Baux
Back to the lower parts of the city. Flowers. Rich and Mary on the left.
Lunch in Les Baux
View from our hotel room in Villefranche-sur-Mer. We didn't have the good view - we were on the backside (or the hillside), not the portside.
The gardens below our hotel room.
Another view of Villefranche from our window.
View from Judy and Jay's room of the harbor (portside view). Notice the large cruise ships - two did visit at the same time. This a deep, natural port.
Another view from their balcony. (They had a great view!)
The harbor in Villefranche
I love flowers . . . the street along the harbor front.
Flowers, water, boats, mountains -- what more could you want? Villefranche is a small town on the Mediterranean coast, part of the Riviera. It lies east of Nice and west of Monaco.
Erin, Leesa, Mimi, Lana at our happy hour.
Jay, Gwen, Dale
Gwen, Lois, Lauren, Susan
Jeanette, Erin
Chris, Joyce, Gwen, John
Mary, Terin, Lois, John
Sabine - our tour guide
Walking along the harbor walk in Villefranche
The hillside by the harbor - Villefranche
Small boats
The hillside, flowers, water -- this is the real riviera
More flowers, pink buildings
Dinner in Villefranche -- Rich tried bouillabaisse, Mary, John, and I opted for comfort food of pasta with shrimp and clams
John, Holly, Mary
Rich, John, Holly, Mary -- and the always present bottle of wine!
Nice - Market Day
Nice
Yellow House, Home of Matisse in Nice (Did they all have something about yellow houses?)
Chapel of Saint Rita, Patron Saint of Lost Causes! In Nice
A church in Nice
A gorgeous facade to the church
Doors to the church
A picture of the front of the church
We think this was Cathedral of St. Reparate in Nice. Memories start to blurr after two weeks of sightseeing!
Picture of one of the saints on the side of the Cathedral of St. Reparate.
The church in the background as we walked down a narrow side street in old Nice.
Sabine leading the group through the narrow streets of Nice
Ceiling in house turned into museum. We could not take pictures inside, but saw many old instruments on display.
Old Nice - the front of the building housing the ancient musical instruments
The dome of Cathedral of St. Reparate
Bell tower on a the Russian Palace in Nice.
Russian Palace in Nice
Russian Palace
Nice, Riviera - a stoney beach
Nice beach with harbor around the bend
Another view of the stoney beach and its sunbathers
The promontory of the old chateau of Nice
Painting in Marc Chagall museum
Stain glass windows done by Marc Chagall
A Marc Chagall painting
Nice's Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
Garden in Villefranche
Gardens near the Monaco Casino
Monaco
Monaco Downtown Area
Monaco Gardens
Clouds Coming over the Alps
Hotel De Paris in Monaco
Casino Monte Carlo
Monaco - Casino Monte Carlo
Side doors to the casino
Monte-Carlo Casino
Monaco Harbor
Casino from the water
Casino
Mountains behind Monaco
Clouds coming from the Alps
Monaco from the waterfront
Harbor at Monaco
Rich and Holly on Monaco waterfront
Water gardens at Monaco
