Provence - Part III

On our way to Toulouse the next morning, we stopped in Avignon. We figured, you can't be that close and not see the Palace of the Popes - the only building ever constructed as a papal dwelling outside of the Vatican. The kids, likewise, figured, you can't be that close and not see the bridge of Avignon, where, probably apocryphally, "we all danced" (it's a popular French children's song). The palace, though enormous, is a bit dull, as the furniture has been almost entirely removed and it's hard to get a sense of the grandeur that must have reigned there in the 14th century when the popes temporarily relocated. The most notable thing we saw in Avignon is that the bridge does not go all the way across the river.

We were happy to reach St Lys and see Serge, Lydia, Valentin, and Lucas again. They are so welcoming and really make us feel at home. Ella and Lucas ran right off to play - scarcely letting one another out of their sight for the next week. Jonah settled quickly into a pattern of teasing Serge and following Lydia or Valentin pretty much where ever they went - keeping up a steady flow of conversation in French (mostly on the topic of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, or some other Disney princess) the whole time.

The next morning, we all headed to Carcassone. We spent the whole day at this well-restored medieval fortified town. We started out walking past the knight in armor souvenier shops, and going to the castle. There were still tickets available for a late afternoon tour of the ramparts, so we picked those up for later and checked out the interior of the castle and the exhibit - which focused on Viollet-le-Duc, the architect who was in charge of the restoration of Carcassone in the mid 1800's. We ate a picnic lunch and then went for a walk in the moats around the city. Ella and Lucas did not stop running and climbing for one instant. They were clearly so delighted to be together. While waiting for the tour, we went back to the souvenir shops, where Lucas acquired a plastic chevalier (knight) costume (unfortunately, complete with sword).

Our little caravan of 2 left Carcassone and headed for a small town in the Corbieres called Douzens. Lydia and Serge had arranged for us all to spend a couple of days in the home of some friends, Michel and Giselle, 2 of the nicest people you could imagine. Michel is retired, and they have moved back to the home built by his great-great-grandfather, and taken over the vineyards that surround it. Before dinner, Michel took us on a tour of his vineyards - an absolutely perfect south of France scene, that my description won't begin to do justice. Imagine this, the vineyard is in a long valley. The sun was just starting to set over the hills to the west. Michel showed us several fields of vines - ranging from 4 years old to over 100 years old. He also showed us with pride the small grove of olive trees with their silver green leaves and the handful of almond trees that he had just planted recently. The green house was bursting with lettuce almost ready to pick, and seedlings of beans, tomatoes, carrots, and beets. Ella and Lucas ran along the path and around the flower beds planted with every imaginable variety of flower. Jonah was so happy when Michel cut an iris for him and let him take it home. Back at the house, Giselle had prepared a feast of a dinner. It started with the obligatory aperatifs (I sort of liked the Muscat, Abe was often pressed to drink something "manlier" like the licorice flavored Ricard). Then, a provencal tarte (a sort of pizza with olives). Next a delicious salad. Then something they called poultry, but I'm fairly sure was rabbit. Finally, a dessert of apple pie. But, this meal can't possibly be described without mentioning the wine. Michel, an incredibly generous host, wanted us to taste and compare several of the regions best wines. We started with a rosé, bottled by his friend Jean-Marie. We tasted several reds including 2 by the same friend, and one served in a carafe that was produced by the local cooperative to which Michel brings his grapes. We tasted a sparkling white wine (the "champagne" of this region), and a sweet red wine that michel made himself (through a process I didn't completely understand where the fermentation is stopped by adding sugar and then they add alcohol - okay, I might not have understood that completely, by that point it was late and I had had a lot to drink). Abe and Ella's allergies were considerably challenged by the cigarette smoke that permeated the room, not to mention the 6 dogs and 12 birds, but other than that we really enjoyed our introduction to rural life in southern France.