Les Grandes Sites de France

Today’s journey took us to the other side of the Rhone, an area we knew well from stays in Cavillargues. We have also done this itinerary with other company, so we knew there would be no disappointments.

First stop was L’Aven d’Orgnac, the first of our Grand Sites visited today. To be a Grand Site, you have to be one of most amazing attractions in all of France. These caves have been a hit with all previous company and today’s group were suitably impressed. Any photo I have taken here has never done the place justice, but I tried again. Dawn opted not to do the 700 stairs again, but Claude, Carole and I descended into the depths of this cave system open to the public which is only a fraction of the caves available here to certified spelunkers.

An always impressive point in the tour is what the guide called the organ - a formation of stalactites and stalagmites looking a lot like a pipe organ with an urn in the centre with the remains of Robert de Jolly, the explorer who found this cave in 1935.

We continued to descend to 121 metres below the surface where we were treated to a sound and light show - never boring.

We rejoined Dawn on the surface and headed to the Gorge of the Ardeche. The road is always fun to drive and has many memorable stops.

Then we made our way via Bagnols sur Ceze to the St. Sepulcher Chapel above the Mas de Viales where we stayed in Peter and Margaret’s previous place. I remembered a picnic table here and sure enough, it still existed and under the shade of the trees, we had a picnic lunch.

Then it was on the next Grand Site, Pont du Gard.

There is always pretty good tourist traffic here and today also had a bride and groom, using the backdrop for a spectacular photo shoot. The olive tree born in 908 is always a photo op.

It continues to amaze us that the Romans could pull off such incredible feats of engineering. We decided that there was always sufficient slave and prisoner labour to keep these projects going.

For dinner we walked down to the Tourne au Verre and had a great meal of everything from a shrimp cake and stuffed sweet pepper, to rabbit and tuna. We ate inside tonight, due to the wind I guess, because it didn’t get that cold. Then it was back to Chez Pigeon for cards and tea on the front terrace and maybe a bit more wine.