Périgueux and Angoulême (3/10-3/11)
March 11, 2013
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After a long day of exploring sights of the Dordogne, we headed to Perigueux, the capital of the region, and my home for 3 months in early 2001. It was strange to be there for the first time in 12 years, and memories flooded back as we passed by familiar streets and neighborhoods. I lived only a few blocks from the large Cathédrale St-Front in the...
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Les Cabanes de Breuil (3/10)
March 10, 2013
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We left Castelnaud and took a very rural route in the rain, stopping at Les Cabanes de Breuil. The rain magically stopped to let a warm sunlight through as we explored this working farm. Sheep, geese and ducks roamed the grounds as we walked around the stone huts.
The age and purpose of these stone huts is controversial and mysterious. Many hypo...
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Castelnaud (3/10)
March 10, 2013
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From Beynac we went to see the quaint and beautiful village La Roque Gageac, a tiny town nestled between limestone cliffs and the Dordogne river. Unfortunately the only road in town was completely torn up for remodeling so that idea was scrapped. It also ruined my plan for a great photo of the village. Oh well.
We moved on from there to Beynac's r...
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Beynac-et-Cazenac (3/10)
March 10, 2013
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We woke up in Sarlat and began our day exploring the Dordogne. I was probably most excited for this day, to show Lindsay some of the sights I had seen years before and share my fond memories of the area. We drove to Beynac, my favorite castle in all of France.
We stopped in the small town of Beynac-et-Cazenac, where we got a breakfast of cheezy...
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Sarlat (3/9)
March 09, 2013
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From Carcassonnes we continued westward to the Dordogne region. As soon as we arrived in the area, I felt a sense of familiarity from my time in the region 12 years earlier. The area was good to me then, and the fond memories came flooding back. The Dordogne (aka the Perigord region) is unknown to most foreigners but well known to the French for it...
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Carcassonnes (3/9)
March 09, 2013
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We woke up in Marseille the morning of 3/9, and drove with my folks eastward towards the Dordogne region. Along the way, we were very excited to stop at a place I had always wanted to visit, Carcassonnes.
Carcassonnes is a fortified citadel that originally dates back to Celtic tribes hundreds of years BC. It was fortified by the Romans and later h...
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Nîmes (3/8)
March 08, 2013
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From Les Baux and Glanum we headed to the nearby city of Nimes, a place rich in Roman history. Nîmes became a Roman colony sometime before 28 BC. It had become a glorious city of 60,000 at the time of Emperor Augustus, at which time a grand aqueduct was built to bring water to the city. This amphitheatre was first built sometime around 70 AD, and c...
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Les Baux-de-Provence and Glanum (3/8)
March 08, 2013
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Lindsay's favorite village that we visited was Les Baux-de-Provence. Les Baux is a village set atop a rocky outcrop with a ruined castle overlooking the plains to the south.
Owing to the defensive possibilities, the site was settled early on in human history, and traces of human habitation have been found dating back to 6000 BC. The site was used...
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Avignon (3/7)
March 07, 2013
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As it grew dark on the Pont du Gard, we drove the short distance to Avignon to explore the city at night. On the way, we stopped for a kebab at a place we randomly passed by on the road as the stomachs were grumbling. These things never get old.
In any case, Avignon is a magnificantly preserved city. The old ville is still completely surrounded by...
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Pont du Gard (3/7)
March 07, 2013
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From Gordes we headed west to Pont du Gard. This was really the one site in the south of France that I couldn't miss.
Pont du Gard is an ancient Roman aqueduct bridge built in the 1st century, that crosses the Gardon river. It was once part of the famous Nimes aqueduct, a 50 km long structure built by the Romans to carry water from a faraway sprin...
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Gordes (3/7)
March 07, 2013
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We left Aix-en-Provence and drove to Gordes with my folks at about noon.
Gordes is a beautiful Provencial village that sits on a hill overlooking the Calavon Valley.
It was likely founded in about the 8th century. The castle (at the top of the hill on the left) was built in the 11th century, the abbey (at the top of the hill on the right) in abou...
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Aix-en Provence (3/7)
March 07, 2013
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We drove from Marseille to Aix-en-Provence in the morning where Lindsay and I explored while my parents went to a meeting. Aix is a very old city that has changed hands many times over the centuries. It was once the capital of Provence. We were happy for some dry weather. We (especially Lindsay) thoroughly enjoyed the march ée.
And especially...
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Monte Carlo, Cannes, St. Tropez, and Cassis (3/6)
March 06, 2013
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This was to be the day we enjoyed the beautiful, warm, sunny French Riviera. We woke up in Nice, France, in a tiny little hotel room, a block from the Mediterranean, right in the center of the old town...in the pouring rain.
The elevator up to the hotel room is ancient and miniscule.
My parents drove from Marseille to pick us up in Nice, and then...
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Thun, Bern, Avenches, Geneva, Nice (3/5)
March 05, 2013
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We woke up in Interlaken and after a fantastic traditional swiss breakfast of charcuterie, swiss yogurt, bread, cheese, and hot chocolate, we headed out in the Volkswagon Up!.
We drove along the north shore of Lake Thun towards the city of Thun. When I drove this road 10 years ago in the spring I thought it was the most beautiful thing I'd ever...
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Luzern and the Road to Interlaken (3/4)
March 04, 2013
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We left Zurich in the morning via our tiny little rental car (a Volkswagon Up!), and made our way westward to Luzern (Lucerne). We found Luzern to be a beautiful city despite the hazy fog and cold.
Luzern straddles the Reuss river where it drains into Lake Luzern.
The town's most famous landmark is the Kapellbrucke (Chapel Bridge), a long, wooden...
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© Aaron Rutman Photography