Friday (Carcassonne to Paradou)…

We awoke to a thick blanket of fog over the old city, swallowing up the sound of visitors and adding depth to its undeniable charm. 

We spent the morning wandering paths we had run through the drizzly evening before, discovering hidden passages and gardens that had escaped us. We returned to the Basilica in time to see the sun light up the impressive stained glass as it began to break through the fog. The four Muscovites chanted once again. 

We pointed our car to the south and left Carcassonne for the rolling countryside. Red-tinged grape vines filled the fields along our route, with dramatic cumulus clouds overhead. For a bit, we traced the low, winding route of the 17th century Canal du Midi (a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right). 

We made Nîmes our afternoon stopover, hoping to add a little ancient Roman flavor to our trip. With its iconic arched walls, Nîmes’ 2nd century A.D Roman arena sits smack-dab in the middle of the bustling city. It is one of 400 Roman arenas still in existence and the best preserved. The inside seating area has been fitted with a modern setting for concerts, but the sandy floor and stone-block structure takes you back centuries to the site of gladiator battles. The views from the upper seating rows provide sweeping vistas over the arena out to the city. We learned that the word arena is from the Latin word for sand…makes sense now. In it’s long storied history, this arena was used as a fortified city in the Middle Ages, part of a walled fortification for the town, site for bull fighting, and a tourist attraction and concert space. 

Next stop…a very well preserved temple dedicated to Augustus that formerly provided the central focus for the Roman forum. Since it has been in constant usage it’s entire history, it never became a stone quarry and remains virtually unspoiled. The interior showcases a quite well made video documenting the founding of the city of Nîmes up to it’s architectural hay day during the Roman period. The film was only 23 min long, so provided a short history and a nice little break. Leaving the temple, we wandered thru the old medieval city with its numerous cafes and stores towards our vehicle. Time to find our home for the next four nights in the countryside of Provence. 

A short distance from Avignon, in the olive groves that surround the tiny town of Paradou, sits the charming .B design hotel. Truly an oasis in an already magical region. A small hotel with low buildings amongst ripening olive trees and rosemary bushes.  

We dined in the hotel’s intimate Du Côté Des Olives, having met the delightful chef when we checked in. (She recalled storied of her visit to San Francisco…the cable cars stood out in her mind.) The meal was nothing short of amazing. A luscious squash soup drizzled with olive oil. Silky ravioli filled with local foie gras. Flavorful duck fillet with citrus-tinged vegetables. A tender rare beef fillet with the meatiest of mushrooms. All accompanied by a deep luscious red wine. Desert was a blend of flavors and textures: figs and cream and strawberries and meringues. We were able to thank the chef warmly as we left.