But Where’s the Crème Brûlée?

With our trip now completed, here are a few random observations on our experience in Provence and the French Riviera.

--There seem to be many more chiens (dogs) in France than chats (cats). People bring their dogs with them everywhere, including to restaurants. We did have a “shop cat” in our hotel at Avignon; it often slept on one of the sofas across from the registration desk. It was jet-black and so was the sofa, so it was always a good idea to look before you sat down.

--People wondered if we’d get to see Provence’s famous lavender fields in bloom. As it turns out, that doesn’t happen until late June. We did see some pretty impressive fields of poppies, though.

--Our trip director from Alumni Holidays, Fred Burke, was endlessly helpful to the travelers, and a fascinating guy to boot. Born in the U.S., he has worked all over the world, and now lives in Normandy with his French-born wife. He taught himself French and is now fluent in it. He also worked on the production of the movie Winged Migration, helping to raise and train some of the birds used in the film.

--A good expression to know in France is a simple one: “C’est bon,” meaning “It’s good.” Whenever we’d re-board the bus after a photo stop, for example, Fred would count heads and then call up to the driver, “C’est bon!” -- and off we’d go.

--For those of us who remember almost none of their high school French, another useful expression is “Où est…” -- pronounced “oo-ay” -- which means “Where is…?” We also quickly caught onto the fact that a “boulangerie” is a bakery, of which there are many in France. And if you need a beer, that’s “bière.”

--The phrase I said more than any other on the trip was, “Un verre de Coca Light avec des glaçons, s’il vous plait”: A glass of Coke Light with ice cubes, please.

--Fred would post the meal menus for the day on an easel near the hotel’s front desk, and a hobby for many of us was trying to decipher the French so we could figure out what’s for dinner. The main course one night, for example, was “joue de loup et son tajine de legumes au miel.” Anybody? Anybody?

--We ate many of the foods you might expect on a trip to France: Croissants were omnipresent at the breakfast buffet, and French bread was served at every single meal. Main courses featured fish, poultry, or occasionally lamb or veal. Wine was served not only at dinner, but at lunch too.

--We had French fries once.

--Several of the travelers had a hankering for bouillabaisse, which apparently has its origins in Marseille. As for me, I kept waiting for the crème brûlée. Alas, no bouillabaisse or crème brûlée ever materialized. Next trip!

--The French presidential election was a common topic of conversation on the tour bus. Fred told us that if you ask his daughter, who is 3, who won the election, she will declare, “Nicolas Sarkozy is the President of the Republic!”

--A piece of trivia: Pablo Picasso often gambled at the casino at Monte Carlo.

--Everyone got home safe and sound, albeit a little tired from our 12 days of adventures. We all have pictures to show off, stories to tell, and dreams of going back there someday. C’est bon.

Photos

In France, lots of people bring their dog to lunch or dinner with them.

With the French presidential election taking place on May 6, political signs for the two candidates could be found everywhere.

Fred Burke, our travel director from Alumni Holidays, handled all of the trip logistics and was on top of every detail.

Our meals and desserts were always artfully presented.

Exploring Avignon

On our second day in Provence, our group of Penn State travelers learned about the time when the popes were based in Avignon, not Rome. There was a period starting in the early 14th century when the Catholic church, wanting to escape the unrest in Italy and set up camp here in Avignon. As a result, there were seven straight French-born popes, with names like Gregoire XI, Clement V, Jean XXII, Benoit XII (the French version of the name Benedict), and Urbain V.

Actually, some would say there were actually nine French popes. In the late 14th century, the Vatican moved its base of operations back to Rome and an Italian-born pope was elected, but the French were still electing French popes, so they had had dueling popes for a while. That’s what you call a schism. So the last two French popes are sometimes called "anti-popes" or "schismatic popes."

The result of the popes’ presence in Avignon is a massive and wondrous palace called “Palais des Papes, or Palace of the Popes, which is a five-minute walk from our hotel. We toured it yesterday, checking out its immense rooms, its original 14th-century wall paintings, and beautiful tiles.

We also learned more about the famed Pont d’Avignon bridge, which got its start in 1177. Legend has it that the idea started with a shepherd boy named Bénézet: Supposedly an angel came to him and told him to build the bridge, which spans the Rhône River. There’s a two-story chapel on the bridge; St-Bénézet is buried in the lower chapel. The upper chapel is named for Saint Nicholas, the patron saint of Rhône river bargemen. (Who knew that bargemen had a patron saint?)

We took a tram tour of old-town Avignon, through the grounds of the palace, through the main square—called the Place de l’Horlogue after the clock tower above the town hall, and through the narrow streets that are lined with upscale boutiques. A very charismatic town. It would be even more picturesque if the sun would only come out! We’ve been experiencing all-day rains, but we’re told that the weather is expected to improve on the day that we leave.

Today’s cool French phrase is the word for appetizers or finger food: amuse-bouches. Literally translated, it means “fun for your mouth.”

Tomorrow we’re off to the town of Arles, where Van Gogh spent two years and did many of his paintings, as well as the “perched village” of Les Baux.

Photos

The 14th-century Palais des Papes served as the home for nine French-born popes during the time that Avignon served as the world headquarters of the Catholic Church.

Many buildings in Provence are colorfully decorated, including this one, whose painted windows advertise a festival in Avignon.

This fanciful balcony sculpture features a man and a woman who seem to be heckling the tourists on the street below. It’s in Place de l’Horloge, the town center of Avignon.

Most of the cars in France are on the small side—in part because Europeans tend to make gas mileage a higher priority than we do, and in part because the streets are too narrow to accommodate larger cars. This Smart Car is common in Europe and will be introduced to the U.S. in 2008.

The best view of the famed bridge Pont d'Avignon is from a windy overlook on the grounds of the Palace of the Popes. The bridge once had 22 arches, extending over the Rhône River, over the island on the right-hand side of the photo, and over another branch of the Rhone not shown here. Today just four arches remain.

Visitors can stroll on the Pont d’Avignon and walk right up to the point where the bridge abruptly ends.