Weekend in the South of France

The first weekend, we took Mom and Dad to the south of France. We headed out Saturday and started in the Provence region at Avignon, the city of the Papal Palace and the reknown Pont d'Avignon or Bridge of Avignon. We parked down by the bridge, so began our tour of the city there.

The boys were kept entertained with the audio tours.

It's much easier when the adults outnumber the children! Grandpa with Piper.

In front of the (massive) Papal palace. Since we have already been through it several times, Kevin and Mom and Dad did the tour of the Papal Palace while I took the boys to a playground in the gardens.

View of the Pont d'Avignon and the Rhône River from the gardens.

After Avignon, we headed to the Pont du Gard, an ancient Roman aqueduct that crosses the Gard River in southern France. It was originally part of a 50 km span that connected a natural spring near Uzès to Nimes.

Piper laying around.

CJ posing by the bridge.

Dad in front of the span of the Pont du Gard.

Tired boys getting a ride!

We drove down to the Mediterranean Sea to spend the night, then on Sunday, we headed out for more sight-seeing. Unfortunately, our first stop in Fréjus, an ancient port for the Roman empire, was disappointing. The amphitheater there is under construction and so we were unable to go in and tour it. This was the best picture I could get that didn't have too much scaffolding, etc. in it!

So, we made the best of it, found a nice sandy beach and let the boys play in the sea! They had a great time and Grandpa and Grandma enjoyed some sand between their toes as well :)

After a few hours of sun and sand, we packed up our tired boys and headed north into the Provence region again, to our favorite perched city, Gordes.

View of the fields below (many lavender) from Gordes.

Enjoying the view from the city walls.

Walking along the cobblestone streets.

After Gordes, we made our way to the drive along the Ardèche River, enjoying the beauty of the deep gorges and cliffs (as high as 600m). Map of the river valley.

View along the upper road of the Ardèche River winding through the gorges.

Some friends along the way.

Kevin was popular with this bunch (feeding them snacks).

And our final stop at the Pont d'Arc, a natural bridge which spans 60m high across the Ardèche River.

Group shot.

Family pose.

And then a little time down on the river next to the arch.

It was a fun weekend, and we ended it with a great dinner at a restaurant across from the arch, and Mom and Kevin had a flaming rendition of crème brûlée.

It was a great weekend and we were so happy to be able to share the beauty and history of southern France with Mom and Dad! More of the trip to come...