Bonjour mes amis! What a fun few days we've had with our friends, Jill and Craig Crabtree. They arrived from Atlanta Friday, February 25 and Sunday, the 27th, we left Chambéry to explore Provence. Our first stop was Pont du Gard, a spectacular well-preserved three-tiered Roman aqueduct built over the River Gard (or Gardon). It is a bridge as well as an aqueduct, located 25 kilometers north-east of Nîmes in the direction of Avignon. It is almost 50 meters in height and it is the tallest the Romans ever constructed. It is a part of the aqueduct built in 20 B.C. to transport water 50 kilometers to the city of Nîmes. The construction of this aqueduct has been credited to Augustus' son-in-law. After exploring the aqueduct, we continued our drive to Châteauneuf du Pape. This is a charming village in the Vaucluse départment in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It has an interesting history with the popes of the region. In 1308, the papacy was relocated to the city of Avignon. The "Avignon Popes" were said to be great lovers of wine and did much to promote wine during the 75-year duration of the Avignon papacy. The papacy in Avignon promoted viticulture in the surrounding area, close to the banks of the Rhône River. Under Pope John XXII, the wines of this area came to be known as "Vin du Pape", this term later became Châteauneuf-du-Pape. John XXII is also responsible for construction of the castle that stands as a symbol of the appellation.
Mme. Wallace
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