By Train and by Plane

Our last day in Provence and in France!

Our train was at 12noon so we just wandered around a bit around the area. We went to the cathedral, Notre Dame-des-Doms, which is next to the Pope's Palace. Architecturally, the main features of the church are the crucifix right in front, and the statue of Mary right on the top of the church, covered in gold. Set on top of a hill, the cathedral provides a good view of the square below, the rooftops of Avignon and of Villeneuf le Avignon across the river. Behind the church, the gardens. We did not explore there, however, but went inside the church itself.

In a little side chapel on the left of the church entrance, there was a mini-exhibition on the shroud of Turin - what must have been a life-size picture of the original, stretched across the altar. The "face" could be seen quite distinctly, as can be seen in this photo.

The church itself was a little sombre, but what I found interesting was the little "in memorium" plaques which were put up around the statues in the various side chapels of the church, of different dates, in different eras.

We left the church, did a spot of shopping and then went back to our B&B to pay the bill. Indeed, I was a little sad to leave this charming and restful little hotel, with the beams across its ceilings, its narrow staircases with the worn steps and the internal courtyards. I will miss the breakfasts too - the morning coffee and chocolate, the fluffy croissants and the cup of fruit.

It was going to be a long journey back to Singapore from Avignon. Because of the crowded trains, we left Avignon on an early train to connect to another train in Lyon. This resulted in us getting to the airport 7 hours before our flight (which was delayed another half an hour). But the train journey was fairly well used - we sorted out most of the accounts. At the airport itself, I did a little surfing, reading, and a fair amount of shopping. What we did not have very much of, was FOOD. The French pride in and passion for food stops at the airport. The main food court closes by 8pm (8PM!!!!) and there are only two small kiosks left, both pretty crowded. However they were at both ends of the terminal and I did not find them when I did my initial round. So, after a light baguette lunch, we had a light dinner. Sigh.

The flight home was not too bad. Because we checked in 7 hours early, we got our seats changed to the front row just next to the exit. That makes such a difference! Wonderful to stretch your legs! The other thing about Air France as opposed to SQ (and believe me, SQ is ahead in most other areas) is that there are more French movies. I'd watched "The Choir" on the way out, so this time round I watched "Two Days in Paris". This was written, directed, and starred Julie Delpy. It charted the deterioration of the relationship, between Delpy's character and her American boyfriend, on their way back to New York from Venice, via Paris. The plot is limited, and the emphasis clearly on the dialogue and the interaction between the characters. This is rather like "Before Sunset" and "Before Sunrise" which starred Delpy and Ethan Hawke, but whilst Sunset/Sunrise encapsulate the perfect brief encounter, "Two Days" in some way is its dark reflection. Some reviews here and here.

At last, our plane touched down. It was 6pm Singapore time, exactly 24 hours after we had left Avignon.

And so ends my visit to France, my first for many years. In particular, I enjoyed my visit to Provence, even though its legendary sunshine had temporarily deserted it. The charming little villages, the old towns and Roman ruins, the beautiful countryside make it a place I would definitely want to visit again.

Au Revoir!

Provence Pooch of the Day (3)

Dog walking his owner
Originally uploaded by Taking5

Dog walking his owner in the Place de Palais des Papes, Avignon.

He's got the slim head of a hunting dog. Somehow, Avignon has fewer dogs than Paris.

Sur la Pont, d'Avignon

Today, we set off at last to view the sights of Avignon. Although we had been here since Monday (three days ago now) we had been occupied elsewhere, visiting Orange, Chateauneuf-de-Pape and the pretty little Provencal villages on Tuesday, then Arles yesterday.

So it was only today that we had the opportunity to take in the sights of Avignon. We went first to the biggie, the Palais des Papes in Avignon. The Palace of the Popes has indeed a special place in Catholic history. The uncertainties of the times in the 1300's drove the papacy out of Rome. The popes Clement V and John XXII then decided to settle in Avignon, creating the Avignon Papacy. Altogether, 7 Popes and 2 Antipopes resided in Avignon. The building is stark and severe, a fortress rather than a palace. Again, I suppose this reflects the uncertain times.


Whilst the Papacy returned to Rome in 1378, the Vatican retained Avignon in its possession as a Papal State, until the French Revolution. The Palace was then turned into a barracks for many years. As such, today, the Palace retains very little of the former grandeur it must have had in the days of the Popes. No furniture or hangings, or paintings. What does remain are some frescoes in some chapels and also in the Pope's bedroom. Well, the Pope may have stayed there over 600 years ago but that is still the nearest I will ever get to his bedroom. We were not allowed to take any photos, though.



We went then to the nice little church near our B&B, Eglise St Pierre. It is apparently one of the older churches in Avignon, after the cathdral Notre Dame-des-Doms. It has beautiful wooden doors, and is really ornately decorated inside.


We had lunch thereafter, at one of those little restaurants on the Place d'Horloge - definitely a tourist trap. It was a set meal with soup, a main course and dessert and I really would not recommend it to anyone. It was quite pleasant, however, watching the people in the square - particularly a little boy who was running around the place, shadowed by his anxious mother.

After lunch, we headed back to St Benezet's bridge. The bridge is only a half-bridge, with half of it destroyed by floods many years ago. Yet its fame has spread far and wide thanks to a simple little song:

"Sur le Pont d'Avignon,
on y danse,on y danse,
sur le pont d'Avignon,
on y danse tous en rond..."

St Benezet was a shepherd boy who heard voices telling him to build a bridge - he managed to convince people that he was divinely inspired when he was able to lift a huge stone that no one else could move. However, no one ever danced on the bridge because it was deemed too narrow. Rather, the people danced on the river islands on which the bridge had been built. Such is the power of song....




We wandered around the shops to buy some souvenirs after our visit to the bridge. Unfortunately, it had started to rain - an unpleasant, incessant drizzle which made it very irritating to shop. Avignon has a high street with many shops, no shopping centres per se. So in the end we made our way back to our B&B where I had some time to clear emails before going out for dinner. Dinner was at the Hotel de Palais - we ate at the restaurant hotel. It was a pleasant enough meal, but what I really liked was the fireplace in the middle of the room. It was one of those which looks like a log fire, until you notice that the logs aren't being consumed by the flames...

Looking back, it is indeed a pity that we did not have more time in Avignon. I'd have liked to have the opportunity to cross the river to visit Villeneuf le Avignon. Well, we had wanted to get to Avignon much earlier on the Monday but the trains did not allow. Likewise, we would be taking an extremely early train back to Paris the next day. So, our time in Avignon was curtailed a little more than we had initially hoped.


Here's photo link.

A Michelin Meal

Some people come to France just to collect Michelin stars, i.e. eat at Michelin-starred restaurants. I had only one such meal - at Christian Etienne in Avignon, a one-star Michelin restaurant. Probably that makes the meal all the more memorable for me.

By now, of course, we had eaten a number of good dinners in nice restaurants. But dining in a Michelin-starred restaurant is different. It is not just about the food - it is definitely about the service, too. The receptionist took my coat at the door, and we were given little stands to put our handbags on (we took some time to figure out why they had put these little iron things next to our chairs) and so on. And yes, they do take the time to explain the menu in English, and when dishes are brought to you they 'introduce' them to you. There were quite a number of service staff too - the maitre'd, his frenzied waiters and waitresses, all rushing around. The chef himself makes the rounds of the tables, greeting his guests. He definitely is not in the kitchen preparing your meal. But guess that is what being an executive chef is all about.

We started off with our aperitifs, bite-sized, tasty morsels. I had ordered tuna ceviche as a starter (essentially sashimi), lamb and asparagus as my main course and an orange and carrot macaron for dessert. I enjoyed the tuna sashimi - quite a substantial portion - but was less keen on the dried avocado which accompanied the dish as the rich, creamy texture of the avocado was completely lost. The lamb, on the other hand, was perfectly cooked, as were the asparagus accompanying the dish.


We had a little pineapple sorbet next, to cleanse the palate before dessert. I had a really interesting orange and carrot macaron with some almond sorbet. The carrot was raw, grated carrot sticking out of the middle of the macaron. Interesting, but somehow it worked. Our meal ended with coffee and a row of petit fours - we could not finish ours. It was definitely a very memorable meal. If you want to see all the food photos (not just the dishes) click here.


I've basically come to the conclusion that French food in general can be divided into a few categories:

a) traditional basic: your baguettes and pastries and the like, which are typically very good and tasty, likewise the patiesseries
b) fine dining: obviously very fine indeed (anything from 70Euros per person and up)
c) tourist food: generally not very good though quite cheap.
d) mid-price, good value meals: hard for tourists to find. (20-30Euros per person)

My sense is that unlike Italy, which does pretty good deals with their mid-range menus even in tourist joints (at least the tourist joints I haunted), the French tourist menu is just not that great. I recall having this lovely salad with beautiful fresh ingredients in Florence. But here in France, somehow if you go to a cafe by the Seine, for example, you know the quiche will be a little eggy and wet, the crepes will be covered with nutella and the salad will consist of a few soggy leaves and maybe a slice of tomato or two. But buy a baguette with some ham, or chicken, and you eat a good meal for about 4 Euros or so.

Sadly, I only discovered the website "Chocolate and Zucchini" nearer the end of my stay in Paris. The blogger, Clotilde Dusoulier, is a young Frenchwoman who went to the US to work and started cooking there. She came back to France, continued to cook and started a blog about her cooking, eating etc. She wrote in English, so as to keep on using the language and it became a big hit. One book deal followed, and then another. Clotilde is now a full time writer. Her latest book is "Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris" and it gives little tips on her favourite eateries in Paris. I managed to spot this on the shelves of "Shakespeare & Company", our last full day in Paris.

So for those intending to go to France in the near future, check out her site. And also, print out her French-English food glossary. I found that my little phrase book was most put to use in restaurants. Whilst I soon memorised "agneau" for lamb and "canard" for duck, there're a lot of of little phrases which I just can't remember.

Bon Appetit!

Provence Pooch of the Day (2)

Just me and my dogs
Originally uploaded by Taking5

Not one but 3 dogs in this photo (plus one gentleman). He was sitting on the steps of the Eglise St-Trophime in the Place de la Republique in Arles.

The church itself is known for its beautiful, ornate portal with columns and niches, with statues of saints, apostles, etc. It was only open after lunch...

Mistral reigns in Arles

Today, we went to Arles, taking a quick train from Avignon. Arles is a charming, eminently walkable town with all its key attractions in a relatively small area.


Our first stop was the farmers' market, just outside the city walls. We had decided to visit Arles on the Wednesday because this was the day the farmers' market was on and we would not be able to catch the farmer's market in Avignon (only on weekends). The market is indeed an entertaining place, full of shops selling olives, herbs, meat, fish and vegetables, cheese, honey and so on. We wandered through the food shops, and went through a few clothing and fabric shops. But at that point we reached our turning for one of the big attractions of Arles - its Roman arena.


Like Orange, and other towns in Provence, Arles is a former Roman town and has the arena, the theatre, and the baths to prove it. The arena is pretty big (there is a sign in the arena indicating the relative sizes of a number of the remaining Roman arenas) at 136 x 107m (I suppose this excludes the surrounding walls?). There were also a few signs here and there indicating where to go, and a nice view of Arles from the tower on top. But unlike the Orange Roman theatre, there was no autoguide and so it was less interesting a visit than it might have been.

We left the arena and found ourselves in the little row of fabric shops just outside the arena. I must admit we spent some time here looking at the fabrics and making little purchases.

The next stop was the Roman theatre. However, we took a quick look and decided not to go in. There was a fair amount of restoration work going on, in the first place - probably preparing the place for the summer rush. But, more importantly, the theatre was very much in ruins, with only two columns remaining of what must have been an impressive building. A very far cry from the well preserved theatre at Orange. Having seen that one, we were disinclined to go in.

We moved on, but since it was the lunch hour all the shops were shutting (except the eateries). We walked into the Cafe Des Arts opposite the Museum Arlaten (also shut) and found that that apparently, it was formerly a residence and Van Gogh used to stay there. Unwittingly, we were following a Van Gogh trail! Provence is associated with so many great painters and writers. Van Gogh spent a year in Arles, and apparently this was a very productive period for him. Guidebooks describe the "Van Gogh" trail and show the different spots he painted. Later in the day, we would walk through the Espace Van Gogh, which used to be a mental hospital, where Van Gogh was treated and is now a cultural centre. In the central courtyard is a sign with a reproduction of a Van Gogh painting of the hospital. The buildings are painted and the courtyard laid out in the manner depicted in the painting, a nice little tribute to Van Gogh. Of course, it is a little too late considering Van Gogh's talents were never appreciated in his time. Incidentally, there is only one single Van Gogh painting in the whole of Provence - I think in a museum in Avignon. Of course we did not go there and so the only Van Gogh I did see in my time in France was the one in the Rodin Museum in Paris - that of La Pere Tanguy.

But Van Gogh was only a visitor. Arles' favourite son is indubitably Frederic Mistral, Nobel Laureate (Literature, 1904). His statue is in the town square, and his legacy lives on in the Museum Arlatan, which was set up with the Nobel prize money, and which we visited when it opened after the lunch hour. The museum is focused on Provencal dress, traditions, culture etc. It didn't allow photos though. Hence, no photos of its exhibits. I did see, however, a small little figure of the "Tarasque", a legendary monster of Provence. We had first about the Tarasque the previous day from our guide as she drove us through the town of Tarascon. The story is that the Tarasque was terrorising a town in France and was only defeated by St Martha. The town was thereafter renamed Tarascon. Other exhibits included large, lifesize models of family events, eg visitors to a mother and her new baby.

I walked next to the Roman baths, described in the guidebook as "well preserved". Well, it is all relative. Again, a lot of restoration work was going on, but most of the building had gone. On the other hand, it seemed in better condition than the ruins of the Roman bath I recall in Fiesole.

In general, I enjoyed our little visit to Arles. However, Arles' tourism body has some work to do. Overall, the presentation and the information provided at the Roman sites were far behind the very comprehensive audio guide provided in Orange's roman theatre. I saw my second French feline here, though (at the baths). Such a rare sight is indeed worth mentioning :-)

Photos of Arles.

Provence Pooch of the Day (1)

Provence Pooch
Originally uploaded by Taking5

So I was wandering the streets of Les Baux Provence when I spotted this large animal looking rather woebegone in a corner.

There were many, many dogs in Les Baux Provence. As I mentioned earlier, I suspect a certain amount of domestic tourism with the pets brought on holiday as well.

It was a challenge to choose my Pooch of the Day. He gets it because he was one of the bigger dogs I've met so far. You don't see it from this photo, but that was a pretty big pot.