A Weekend in Provence

The Skidmore group left Paris early on Friday morning and had settled happily into the Avignon sun by early afternoon. We spent the weekend busily visiting city after city and site after site, but everyone was most happy when we got to just stand (or sit!) in the sun and admire the stunning landscapes. It's amazing how quickly the world changes when leave Paris.

 Palais des Papes, Avignon

 the floor tiles in the papal palace are incredible!

 Palais des Papes

 Avignon, view from the Pont d'Avignon

(sur le pont d'Avignon...)

a beautiful park in Nîmes

(I'd already visited Nîmes in the fall, but saw some different parts of the city this time)

 incredibly picturesque village of Uzès

 Uzès

 Pont du Gard

this Roman-built aqueduct runs 50km from Uzès to Nîmes 

and was constructed in about 5 years around the year 50

 Pont du Gard

 a grove of olive trees painted by Van Gogh near a hospital 

where he was interned in Saint-Rémy de Provence

 central cloister of the hospital

the site had been temporarily taken over for the shooting of a film about Camille Claudel with Juliette Binoche in the lead role!

 the passageways of the arènes in Arles

 les arènes, Arles

another hospital where Van Gogh was interned, 

where he painted the multicolored flower garden

the daffodils and tulips were blooming and I was enchanted!