Côtes du Rhône - Wine, Wine, Wine

France, the country of wine.  Why not do a blog about some famous wine?  Sure thing!  The only problem is that I don't know anything about wine, I mean nothing!  I can buy it, open a bottle, drink it and that's about it!  So off we go to the Côtes-du-Rhône region to taste wine.  I am the one driving the car so my "degustation" or tasting is limited.

http://www.coldbacon.com/wine/rhone.html

Côtes du Rhône (wine from the Rhone riverside) is AOC - Appellation d'Origine Controlée. This means that only the wine from this specific area can carry the name Côtes du Rhône.  

We visited the towns of Vacqueyras, Beaumes de Venise and Châteauneuf-du-Pape.  I chose these three for different reasons.  I chose Vacqueras because I have tasted this wine before and I liked it.  We went to Beaumes de Venise because they make a sweet wine, Muscat, which is my favorite.  Finally, I chose Châteauneuf- du-Pape because this is the most famous in the Côtes-du-Rhône region.

Awesome website click here!

Driving through this region is a feast for the eyes.  The sky is the blue you can only find in Provence; the plants smell wonderful in the hot sun; villages peek out from the tops of hills, rocks and mountains stretch up to touch the sky and the rolling vineyards undulate across the hills.  The Dentelles de Montmirail(the Montmirail Lace), located at the foot hills of Mount Ventoux, were formed by horizontal strata limestone. The jagged rocks that we see today have been eroded into ridges and spikes that can be seen from miles around. 

Dentelles de Montmirail

I think this is the village of Sablet

Our first stop was the village of Vacqueyras.  We stopped at this huge store that  has many different wines from the area as well as the wines from Vacqueyras.  I tasted a few, asked the guy lots of questions and I bought a bottle of red wine.  I don't really know if it is great wine, but it is the one I liked the most.

Our next stop was Beaumes de Venise.  Like I mentioned before, I chose this village because I love the Muscat-Beaumes de Venise wine.  It is a sweet wine often served as an aperitif before a meal. The village was very busy when we arrived. There was a soccer tournament going on at the local field, people were out in the streets and a wedding had just emptied out of the church.  

The wedding was special because an entire fire company was in attendance to celebrate one of its comrades.  In the picture the company made an arch out of their helmets and the bride and groom are entering the crowd.  I didn't get a picture of the bride and groom driving away in a decorated fire truck while sounding the sirens!


   
This church, Église Saint Nazaire, a Romanesque church constructed in the 12th century.  It was constructed on the ruins of a former temple dedicated to Apollo. I especially like the designs of vines and grapes on the tympanum of the church entrance, very appropriate for the area.

After a little exploration of the village, we stopped at two different "caves" and I tasted my favorite wine.  Of course I bought a bottle at each!

Our last stop was the village of Châteauneuf du Pape, "the Pope's new castle".  The first Pope in Avignon, Clement the V, had vines planted in the area in 1308. The tradition continued during the Avignon Papacy and "The wine of the Pope" and its vineyards were established.  After the Popes left Avignon, the area was managed by the bishops and archbishops of Avignon. Over the centuries, Châteauneuf-du-Pape has become well known in France, Italy, England, Germany and the United States.  The vineyards, grapes and wine are strictly controlled following the rules of the appellation.  Today, Châteauneuf-du-Pape is one of 10 greatest wines in France. 
http://www.domaine-mordoree.com/fe/e/history_chateauneuf_pape.htm

Before leaving we climbed up to the former castrum - fortified city and what is left of the château.  The castle was built in the 14th century for Pope John XXII, the second pope of Avignon. 

It was getting late but we were able to walk around and enjoy the beautiful views of vineyards, mountains and river.  I purchased a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape when we tasted with a very patient seller.  We were his last clients of the day before closing up on a Friday afternoon.  I'm sure he won't remember us, but we have wonderful memories of visiting the Côtes du Rhône villages and discovering its wine and culture.

Le château - Châteauneuf du Pape

Le Mont Ventoux

Views of the Rhône River

Vaison la Romain - Roman ruins and Medieval Cité

On a gorgeous Saturday Sophia and I took a road trip to see what we could see.  The first thing we did when we arrived in Vaison-la-Romaine was look for a parking spot.  As we parked the car we had a beautiful view of the old Roman bridge. The bridge which connects the lower city to the upper Medieval city spans the Ouvèze river. It was built by Romans in the 1st century and incredibly, having survived severe flooding over the centuries, it is still used today. 

http://www.vaison-ventoux-tourisme.com/semerveiller/les-villages/vaison-la-romaine.html

I wanted to go to Vaison-la-Romaine because of the Roman ruins.  I did not realize that not only are there two different Roman sites to visit but also a château and medieval city on the top of a hill. When we got out of the car, Sophia saw the château on the top of the very steep hill and with her pre-teen astuteness correctly guessed that we would be hiking up to the very top. 

The Roman sites are located in the center of town, dark green in the map.  We walked up into town through the streets, busy with the Saturday bustle. Puymin is the larger area, where the theater and museum are located.  We decided not to visit the museum but rather to concentrate on walking through the different houses reading the history signs.  The theater has been completely renovated and it is used for many concerts and the Vaison-la-Romaine Dance Festival. A true fusion of new and old!  The columns and the view are original. 

Theater

Maison d'Apollon

Sanctuary

Piano man - a bit random but there he was in the square near the tourist office

View of the shops and road

La Villasse, the second Roman antiquity site is located just a short walk across the street from Puymin.  The ruins here are fascinating as well.  I particularly liked the street and shops.  

"This commercial thoroughfare consisted of a wide road for traffic with a pedestrian walkway on either side running directly in front of the shops.  The pavement on the west side ran beneath the first floor of the buildings which were supported by columns." - from the sign at the site

The baths were quite extensive. We got a kick out of the latrines!

The baths were constucted 10-20AD.  There were cold and hot baths, a pool and communal latrines!

The Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth cathedral, built in the 11th century, is a majestic stone building on its own, and has the added feature of a very lovely Cloister walled in at the side.

We visited the Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth cathedral.  It was built in the 11th century but there are chapels that date back to the Merovingian period.  

They were getting ready for a wedding

I really enjoyed walking in the cloisters. The walls were lined with many different ruins and stones.  

The Upper City

We crossed the old Roman bridge to begin our hike up into the upper city.  These two panels were on the wall at the foot of the hill. On the left is the WWI war memorial.  The plaque below is a memorial to the victims during the flood of 1992 when the river Ouvèze flooded.

The bell tower and entrance into the upper city.

Place du Vieux Marché is dappled with shade and you can sit and enjoy the sounds of the fountain.  The water in the fountain is especially clear.

The plaque on the arch indicates that it is the entrance to "la Juiverie" or Jewish quarter. 

We continued our stroll through the narrow streets.  Of course we stopped for ice cream because I promised Sophia that she could have some if she hiked the hill!  We followed the signs up to the château and the last part of the trail is on the rocky outcropping at the top of the hill.  What is left of the château is pretty impressive! Unfortunately it was not open to visitors when but we walked around to see the views of the valley.

The château is made up of three main sections with the square keep surrounding an interior courtyard. The additions and reconfigurations date from the 15th century.  The château had military uses as well as residence for the Lord or Master.  The structure saw its last residents in 1791 and it was eventually was sold to the community of Vaison.  http://www.vaison-la-romaine.com/spip.php?article395

Le Mont Ventoux

View of the church bell tower

La Cathedrale Sainte Marie de l'Assomption or "The High Cathedral" was built in 1464 on top of an older chapel.  This church is dedicated to "la Bienheurese Vierge Marie" The Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Quenin, the patron saint of Vaison. It is located on the edge of a cliff and the terrace in front of the church has a beautiful view of the lower city.  The church was being used as an art gallery when we visited.   

Inside the church 

The church was not used during twenty five years.  It was restored in 2015 and is now used as a cultural site open to the public.

Selfie from the church terrace

Vaison-la-Romaine was a cool place to visit.  From Roman to Medieval times in the span of a few hours, you can really see it all in one day.  

Carpentras

Being a tourist, I like to investigate what there is to see in a village before I actually visit. I usually look at the website of the town's tourist office and then I scan through other regional sites and the blogs of people who have visited the town of interest.  Recently, when I was preparing to visit Carpentras, I noticed a remark that someone had said about the town.  The site said something about how Carpentras wasn't a big tourist destination.  This did not deter my decision to visit, and in fact, it made me want to see the city even more. 

Our first stop in Carpentras was the tourist office where we were able to obtain a map of the town and see two interesting exhibits. The first exhibit was about architecture in comic books.  Wow! The rooms were filled with large images of different types of architecture featured in comic books.  

 Click here to see the press release

While I explored the other exhibit, Sophia was busy building a structure with lots of little pieces of wood. 

Tarascon

Vaison-la-Romain

The second exhibit focused on the history of Carpentras.  The history was from pre-historic times up to the present time.  There was an interesting time-line in the shape of an arch that visitors walk under to continue with the exhibit.  I won't go into all the details, but what really interested me was the fact that there was a rather large Jewish community in Carpentras.  It seems that in several villages we have visited there have been signs indicating Jewish streets or neighborhoods, but there usually is no explanation.  

Bonnieux

Bonnieux

I learned that there was an active Jewish community and neighborhood in Carpentras until the French Revolution.  Why Carpentras? Carpentras is located in a region called the Comptat Venaissin and in 1274 it was controlled by the Popes of Avignon who allowed the the Jewish community to live in Carpentras and in the Papal Territories.  The Jews were  subject to many restrictions; they had to live in ghettos or carrières, their jobs were limited to only certain professions and even their dress was dictated by the Papacy.  Unfortunately it was not permanent and during the next few centuries their rights were revoked and reinstated by different members of the Papacy.

https://structurae.info/ouvrages/synagogue-carpentras

The sign said not to take pictures and I didn't.  Most of the pictures that I have included are from other sites.  The guided tour of the active synagogue was interesting.  We started in the basement of the building in the parts dating from the 14th century. We visited the bakeries and saw the tools used to make matzoh. We were able to see the ancient mikva baths (ritual purification baths) and the place where animals were butchered following kosher laws.  Our guide explained that the oldest parts of the synagogue were accessed from the carrière or ghetto.  

https://structurae.info/ouvrages/synagogue-carpentras
"This house of prayers was built in 1367
It was reconstructed from 1741 to 1743
It was reestablished in 1929"

http://www.carpentras-ventoux.com/fr/synagogue-communautes-juives-festival-musiques-juives/
Mikvah 

http://www.carpentras-ventoux.com/fr/synagogue-communautes-juives-festival-musiques-juives/
Matzoh machines

http://www.provence-ventoux-comtat.com/photoAlbum.html?webfolder=289

After visiting the oldest part of the synagogue, we went up the 

grand staircase to visit the sanctuary that is still in use today.  This part of the synagogue was built before the French Revolution.  The upper and newer sanctuary was built in two phases 1741-1746 and 1774-1776.  This room is decorated in the Rococo style with ornate pillars, wainscoting and chandeliers.  We were told that the chandeliers were gifted by different families to the temple.  The guide told us that the synagogue was in various stages of disuse from the French Revolution until around 1929.  During the Revolution it was used as a club for revolutionaries.  In the 1800's it was once again used as a temple. I asked the guide about the synagogue during WWII.  She said that many items in the temple were saved because congregants told the authorities that they were to have a funeral in the sanctuary.  While in the sanctuary the men filled the coffin with as many items as they could in order to save the temple's possessions from destruction.  Today the synagogue of Carpentras is the oldest active temple in France.  It was a pleasure to visit such a beautiful example of history.

 After our visit to the synagogue, we continued our stroll through town.  We walked by the Passage Boyer, a glass covered street. Jean Boyer had the idea to build a glass and iron structure over the existing alley in 1848 bringing a Paris like feel to Carpentras. 

Nearby, the Roman Arch dating from the 1st century stands next to the Church and the courthouse.  The Arch was constructed under the Emperor Augustus to commemorate the Roman victory over the Barbarians. The bas-relief on the left is the depiction is of chained prisoners.

The Church of Saint  Siffrein is located in Place Charles de Gaulle in the historic center of Carpentras.  It is a beautiful example of Gothic architecture in a recently renovated square. The church has origins going as far back as the 12th century but the original Romanesque church was destroyed to make way for the new Gothic structure. 

On further exploration, we ventured to the side of the church and looked at the "porte des juifs".  This is the door nearest the baptismal and Jews who were to convert used this door to enter the church.  At the synagogue, the guide told us that all Jews who converted were made to use that door even after their conversion.  

"God the Father and Christ sitting on the dove of the Holy Ghost appear in the clouds surrounded by angles of which the faces were cut away in 1793."  

The rat ball and the relique of Saint Mors (Holy Bit)

Inside the church you can visit the relique of Saint Mors.   It is said that the Holy Bit was made from the "nail of the Passion" - the nail that pierced the right hand of Jesus on the cross.

The Rat ball

The southern door is decorated with the "rat ball" which has several interpretations. The rats might represent the world being gnawed away by sins and sacrilege or perhaps it symbolizes the plague that took so many victims from the Comtat Venaissin.

The last thing that we visited before leaving Carpentras was the fortified gate.  La Porte d'Orange is the only remaining gate from the 14th century. At one time, Carpentras was surrounded by 32 towers and 4 gates.                                                                                                          

World War I monument - Place de Verdun

Le Mont Ventoux - view from downtown Carpentras

I can't believe that someone would say that Carpentras is not a big tourist destination.  The city is full of history, charm and tradition.