Old Bridge and Red Earth

Old Bridge - Le Pont Julien

It is amazing how in a short drive one can traverse centuries in a blink of an eye.  One minute you can be driving down the road looking at a modern structures or a church from the 12th century and the next thing you know is your are crossing a bridge dating from 3 BC.  Le Pont Julien - The Julien Bridge is a perfect example of a Roman bridge about 10 minutes outside of the city of Apt. The bridge crosses the Calavon, a small river that is usually dry but at times can swell up and flood.  For over 2000 years, this bridge has withstood floods, armies, horses, cars and buses.  I am amazed that this bridge was in use until 2005 when a replacement bridge was built.

Can you cross without getting wet?

The construction of the bridge was ordered by Julius Caesar. There are three arches, the highest one is 14 meters.  The bridge is 4,25 meters wide it is 68 meters long. It was originally part of the Via Domitia, the first Roman road built in Gaul and leading to Rome. The bridge was named after the local town, Colonia Apta Julia, Apt of today.  Today, the bicycle path crosses the bridge and there is a parking lot where people can come to enjoy the bridge, the views and the history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Domitia

Roussillon - Land of red earth

Roussillon is located about 20 minutes west of Apt.  It is famous for its ocher mines and beautiful colors.  We visited the village on a weekday afternoon when there were no tourists around.  We had the whole village to ourselves.  The colors are fantastic!

From the village you can visit the old ochre mines, but they were closed when we arrived.  We'll have to come back.

We decided to take a walk into the village.  At the highest point there is a belvedere overlooking red hills and the valley.  In the 1800's there were many mines that produced ocher that was used throughout the world.  The ocher is no longer mined in and around the village for geological preservation purposes but you can walk on the Ocher Path - Sentier des Ocres.  

When walking through the village you get a clear sense of the variations of ocher colors.  It can be mustard yellow, orange, red and so many other colors in between!  

The bell tower was once part of the doors to the fortified outer wall

L'Église Saint-Michel dates back to the 11th century and is located inside the fortifications.

Sunset from the overlook, Roussillon

Sophia and I have decided that we will return to Roussillon when the Ocher path is open.  I know she will enjoy looking at all the different colors and I am almost absolutely sure she will get some on her clothes that will never come out.  That's the part she will remember for a long time!  

Roussillon Tourist Office Link