As we leave Italy we immediately enter the Provence region of France which extends all the way to the banks of the Rhone to the East. Amongst many other things, this region is well known for its stunning coastline and Uber-chic beach resorts. Our drive takes us past the micro state of Monaco, but alas we cannot visit as motorhomes have been deemed not chic enough to even enter its boundaries! No matter, our first destination for the next few nights is a campsite near the town of Frejus. We really just need somewhere warm with a swimming pool to hold up for a couple of days and get some schooling done. While we are in the area however, we decide to take a trip to the fabulous port town of Saint Tropez.
This town is a small erstwhile fishing village which, after the Second World War, saw an influx of artists and musicians which began its transformation into the glamorous go-to destination we know today. Brigitte Bardot played a huge part in this image shift as she was seen to holiday in Saint Tropez as a girl, and subsequently filmed “And God Created Woman” here, forever cementing the town’s image of sensuality and unattainability. Bardot is also still a resident of the area, residing in La Madrague which she bought following filming in 1958.
Today, Saint Tropez wears several different hats. It is still the playground of the rich and famous, as international rap stars rub shoulders with local residents such as Mohamed Al Fayed and Lakshmi Mittel in the exclusive private beach clubs. It is also a Mecca for international yachting enthusiasts as it hosts the annual Saint Tropez Regatta, one of the most significant events in the yachting world. It is also nowadays a true tourist hotspot as people such as ourselves flock here to witness firsthand this mix of classic French charm and chic modern living.
We park our camper van in the town of Sainte Maxime on the other side of the Golfe de Daint Tropez, in order to catch the ferry for the 15 minute transfer into town. This seems a far better idea than attempting to park our decidedly unglamorous 22 foot campervan amongst the Bentleys and Ferraris on the other side of the bay. The car park we were originally heading for already has a queue forming on the main road, but a good tip is that if you head back out of town to the east, all the side roads that run parallel to the coast road are pretty empty and free to park on, and you just need to walk 10 minutes to the ferry stop. As we arrive in Saint Tropez, the regatta is in full swing and the harbour is lined with people catching a distant view of the action. The more enthusiastic visitor can book a space on a boat to follow the action from the water, while the truly well-heeled are already on board their private super yachts with a ring-side seat. Not being particularly interested in this world, we quickly lose interest and instead head into the old town for a walk around. Before long we find ourselves in the town square where the weekly market is underway. Local food suppliers and artisans are set up next to clothing stalls and antique traders. We decided to grab a bit to eat in one of the restaurants first. In hindsight this was a mistake, as it turns out the market rapidly closes up at about 2 o’clock just as we finish lunch. We quickly scan whatever stalls are left, but it’s slim pickings by this point. Amazingly I manage to bag myself a vintage pair of Ray-Ban Aviators from 1980 in perfect condition and for a surprisingly good price.
On we ramble through the maze of streets lined with exclusive designer brands and local ateliers. The antique shop sporting vintage Ferrari parts in the window is my favourite, although five grand for an old cylinder head seems a tad much, even in thIs affluent neighbourhood.
Eventually we tire of wandering the alleyways of the old town, and decide to head for the beach for a few hours. Despite the well known image of private beach clubs, it’s possible to find your own free patch of sand without the 100 euro sunlounger rental fee, as long as you’re willing to walk a little. 15 minutes west past the main car park brings you to Bouillabaisse Beach. There are only a few locals here, so there’s plenty of space to spread out your beach towels and grab a few zeds in the afternoon sun, or have a dip in the crystal clear water. I can’t emphasise enough how beautiful the water is here, it is as clear and turquoise as I have ever seen, and I happily spend a good hour floating up and down ferreting about in the sand with my goggles on looking for treasure (I didn’t find any obviously).
Well rested we wander back into town to grab a cool drink, and before we leave we have to head back down one of those alleyways to a small cake shop called La Tarte Tropezienne. This shop is named after the dessert created by the owner Alexandre Micka in 1955 and was named by Brigitte Bardot as she was there filming, and it is still sold in the same store today. We of course had to buy one of these cream and raspberry stuffed brioche creations to eat later, among a few other bits! The ferry takes us back to Sainte Maxime, and after a quick supplies run at a local supermarket we are back on our pitch just as the light disappears for the day.
The next day we head off for our second stop in Provence, Avignon. This really is as far west as you can go in Provence as the river Rhone which runs through it forms the border with Languedoc. Our campsite is on the Barthelasse island in the middle of the river, and our drive to it amazingly takes us straight under one of the sites we have come here to see, the Pont d’Avignon. Luckily the middle lane through the arch of the bridge is just tall enough for our van, and even luckier that we actually noticed the sign saying that the right-hand lane we had previously been in was not tall enough. I don’t fancy being the idiot who destroyed one of the remaining arches of this ancient bridge, I guess motorhomes were shorter in the 12th century.
We get tomorrows schooling done as soon as we have set up, so that tomorrow we can have a proper wander around this ancient walled city.
For a fairly long period in the Middle Ages, Avignon was essentially the centre of the Christian world. It was the seat of seven successive popes from 1309 to 1377, and this legacy is apparent in the jaw dropping Palais des Papes which we have come to see. This building is actually two separate popes palaces joined together, and together they form the largest gothic building of the Middle Ages. After the papacy returned to Rome in 1377, the building had a variety of uses, including being the seat of two anti-popes, which sounds like an evil comic-book style antihero to me, but is actually just an unelected opposer to the real pope – disappointing! The building was also used as a napoleonic barracks and fell into disrepair under the ensuing Third Republic. It was finally declared a national monument in 1906 and has been in a state of constant renovation ever since. When you undertake a tour of this building, you are given a tablet which automatically tracks your movements through the site and displays the relevant information on the screen. Upon scanning the medieval barcodes in each room, the tablet displays an augmented reality view of how it would have looked in its original state. This is an awesome way of guiding visitors, and especially kids, around historic monuments. Hunter and Bam were enthralled with this technology and consequently took more interest than they might otherwise have done. If only every historic site employed this kit.
At the end of the tour we have an added bonus, there is currently an exhibition by renowned photographer Sebastiao Salgado entitled Amazonia. Several rooms in the palace display hundreds of images taken during the artists seven year stint living in the rainforests of Brazil, all set to a stirring symphony created for the exhibition by none other than Jean-Michel Jarre.
After we exit the exhibition, we make our way over to the Pont Saint-Benezet, more commonly know as the Pont d’Avignon. This bridge was built in 1234 and originally consisted of 22 stone arches spanning nearly a kilometre over the mighty Rhone. Today only 4 arches and the gatehouse survive as it was eventually abandoned during the 17th century when it proved too costly to maintain due to regular flooding of the river washing parts of it away. The small chapel of Saint Nicholas still sits on top of the second arch and was once the resting place for the remains of Saint Benezet the original architect (according to one version of events anyway), until he was moved in 1670 for fear he could be washed away during one of the common floods. Supposedly today the flood defences in Avignon have been much improved, and there hasn’t been a catastrophic flood in some time.
The following day we are off to the nearby town of L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue, but it’s been a few days since we’ve had a swim so we decide to first head off in the opposite direction for a few hours and visit the Pont-du-Gard. Now this is a blog post about Provence, and technically we have vacated Provence and hopped the border over to Languedoc for this one, but it’s only for a few hours so I’m leaving it in here! This Roman aqueduct was the largest ever built, and miraculously is now the best preserved as well. The three tiers of this impressive structure stand at almost 50 metres tall and spans 275 metres across the river Gardon below. This river is easily accessible from its rocky banks below as it forms small rocky shores for the many school trips to paddle in. The water is perfectly clear and, should the mood take you as it does us, it is perfect for swimming. It quickly drops off to a good 8 feet in depth in one direction and stays very shallow if you instead head downstream. Avoid the underwater forests of weed and the occasional kayak and it’s perfect for an hour of snorkelling and exploring (once you get used to the initially rather chilly water: it is October after all). I also grab another chance to give the drone a quick airing and catch some views of the aquaduct from above.
After our swim we head off for our final stop in Provence, L’Isle-Sur-La-Sorgue. Our main reason for visiting this quaint little town is that it apparently has the highest density of antique dealers of any town in Europe. Indeed it’s streets are home to around 300 purveyors of antiques and bric-a-brac. It’s reputation is however very well established these days, so don’t be expecting a bargain hunters paradise, but rather a very well curated assortment of beautiful antiques and French curios at antique dealer prices.
We spend a good few hours just perusing the beautiful shops, and partaking in lunch and cakes in a fantastic local shop, La Maison Jouvaud, where they have been making their own fantastic cakes and chocolate since 1948. There is also a Sunday antiques market tomorrow morning which supposedly attracts more dealers, and we are hoping for a good turnout despite the slightly drizzly weather.
Just time tonight for a spot of fishing along the banks of the Sorgue, and despite the fact the weather has been fairly miserable all day, the kids enjoy an hour messing around on the river bank while I fail (miserably) to catch any poissons for dinner.
The following morning we wake up and make the 20 minute walk back into town despite the persistent drizzle, eager to experience this epic market. The rumours of a huge market are indeed true, it is sprawling and covers most of the town, but it is not what we were expecting. There are a grand total of around 10 stalls selling antiques and bric-a-brac, and the remaining several hundred traders were all selling the usual fayre you can find at literally any other market. Disappointedly we wander through the multitude of stalls all selling variations on the same old themes of fruit and veg, cheese, clothing and “artisan” olive wood bowls. Ah well, it’s a pretty town to wander around at least, just don’t expect anything out of the ordinary. Luckily the rain has finally decided to give us a break, and we can dry out slightly on the walk back along the river before we leave Provence and head west.