Final Day in Nimes, drive and visit in Marseille, and fly to Windsor, England.

Wednesday, August 21st:  The WiFi at the Holiday Inn in Marseille did not work (it showed, but failed to function), so this post covers almost 3 days.

Monday, August 19th, we visited Les Baux de Provence (impressive limestone mine turned into a multimedia "luminaire," and a castle on top of an escarpment above the Valley of Hell), then a short visit to Arles where we had dinner, before returning to Nimes.

One of "The most beautiful Villages of France" - Les Baux

A typical eroded limestone outcropping that gives the valley its name, Val d'Enfer.   Dante supposedly based his version of hell on this location.

The next series of photos are inside a former limestone mine which has be turned in a huge, multimedia showplace.  There are probably a couple of hundred synchronized projectors that cast still images on the limestone walls (you can see the leftover mining tool marks), ceiling and floor.  We saw the two current shows, one entitled "Orientalists" and the other "Egyptians."  Each show lasted about 20 minutes.  The initial images dissolve and swirl while new ones emerge, giving the effect of a slow video (I think this is similar to the Ken Burns effect).  Visitors stand and gaze in all directions -- every wall is covered with images.  In this first photo, you can see a few of the projectors on the ceiling and some of the visitors.  The place is called the Carrières de Lumiéres.  There were probably a few hundred people inside at any one point, but the space is so big that everyone had a great view.

 

This is next door to the Lumieres, in part of the limestone mine.  It looks as if the blocks were tunneled out, but it is more likely that the miners worked downward from the top. leaving behind very thick roofs and broad columns.

We then walked a bit further and uphill through the village of Les Baux, to the castle or "Chateau des Baux." 

A trebuchet, a medieval seige weapon.

Les Baux was given to the Grimaldi family several centuries ago, by the King of France in gratitude for their support during wars with Spain.  The Grimaldi's are currently the royal family of Monaco.

A view of the castle, which was partially razed in the Middle Ages

The farm fields/orchards from the castle.

The main living quarters were in the center.

A reconstruction of what it might have looked like.

We next drove to Arles, and walked around the city, and had dinner there.

The Rhone River and riverside walk -- the wind was blowing stiffly off the water.

The Main Square of Arles.

And they have Roman ruins and an Arena, too - bigger than Nimes but less restored.

Back in Nimes, and our hotel.

Tuesday, August 20th:  We had to return the rental car early in the morning at the Marseille airport, which was near our hotel for the night.  After dropping off the car and storing our luggage at the Holiday Inn Express, we bussed into Marseille proper and walked (about 6.7 miles) around seeing some of its sites.

Marseille undulates like San Francisco and we are looking up the street to an arch.

The inner harbor.

First view of the distinctive Notre Dame de la Garde, atop a hill at elevation 400+ feet, and with 360 degree views of the city.  Built on the site of an ancient fort, it is atop the highest point in the city.   The church was constructed between 1853 and 1897, in a style called Byzantine-Revival.  The interior mosaics are spectacular and look ancient, but were recently restored (2001-2008).

Ilse d'If with its Chateau d'If, famous as the prison setting in The Count of Monte Cristo.

The inner harbor, view from the basilica.

View of the main city; the city is the second most-populated city in France at 870,000 people.

The Basilica tower with a statue of Mary and child, on top.

The soccer and rugby stadium, Stade de Marseille, in the eastern part of the city.

Inside Notre Dame.

One of many mobiles in the basilica.  Most were of ships, but the bottom segment often had a non-nautical vehicle.  There was one with a helicopter.

We are on the way down, looking back to the basilica.  After climbing the hill in the hot sun, we had lunch at a great Food Hall in the Old Town, with lots of options and nice facilities.

The inner harbor entrance -- Fort St. Jean.

Centre de Congres.

The Basilica looking up from the inner harbor.

Fort St. Nicolas.

We made our way back to the bus station and rode back to the airport.  We then caught the motel shuttle back the Holiday Inn Express.  We dined at the Holiday Inn across the street which had a restaurant, which the Express did not have.

Wednesday, August 21st:  This was a travel day for all of us.  Jan and Ron departed the hotel very early this morning (before 4 am).  We wished them well and a safe journey home to Denver/Conifer, CO after dinner last evening.  Betsy and I had a much more leisurely time, since our flight to London Heathrow was scheduled for 11 am.  We had breakfast in the hotel, and caught the shuttle to the airport.  We completed the gauntlet rather easily (check in, luggage check, security screening, and passport control) and had time to chill in the airport lounge for about an hour.  We flew to Heathrow (2-hour flight) and since we couldn't check in to the Sir Christopher Wren Hotel in Windsor until 3 pm, we checked out bus travel from the airport to Windsor.  The ride involved two buses and took less than an hour.  It was good to be back where we could understand the language.  And happily, the hotel has decent WiFi capacity.