Avignon to Arles

September 28, 2018

along the Rhone

Last night we organized the panniers, leaving behind, along with our bike suitcases, anything that will not be essential for the next few weeks. Pat discovered that if she leaves her deodorant behind (we brought two) that her jean jacket is in! It's a bulky item to take on tour.

This morning we were up much earlier than we have been for the past few days. Mornings are cool here in Avignon with temperatures in the single digits!

Paul, our host, came by to wish us well as we officially began our late September tour. The skies were blue and temperatures climbing as we rode down Rue Joseph Vernet on our route back to the Palais des Papes to buy a last miute postcard. Do people really send these anymore? Pat's dad likes to receive them.

Our route took us over the same bridge that we rode over yesterday. We were starting to get a feel for Avignon but we still turned the wrong way and found ourselves cycling away from the bridge. We both caught this at the same time and made a U turn across the very busy four lane road at the next pedestrian crossing.

On the bridge Scott picked up our Garmin routing out of town and part way up the hill we turned off into what appeared to be just a random street. But our faith in GPS routings through the middle of nowhere was confirmed when we saw our first V17 cycle route sign. We tried to follow this bike route as much as possible to Arles. The route quickly took us back down to the Rhone and on to a crushed stone path. Not our favourite riding surface but it was rideable, albeit a bit slow and dusty. We wondered if it was an old abandoned rail line. It was a pleasant ride beside a dike along the big river. The route alternated between crushed rock, pavement and roads through small towns and fields of grape vines, spent sunflowers and farms. The farm roads were small and not busy-in fact rarely was a car seen until we bumped into the busy D2 highway now and again as we meandered along.

A V17 cycle route sign. We have ridden from Lyon to Orange along the V17 Via Rhona route. It is avery good route but I understand that south of Avignon it is still being developed.

At one point we ran out of options and decided we would need to join the traffic on the D2 trucking route for at least a kilometre - but not before we snacked on some cheese, olives, tomatoes and pain au chocholate on the banks of the Rhone. We got up our courage, pulled onto the highway and started to cycle seriously for the next 1.3 kilometres before Garmin informed us that there was a small country road on our right. We pulled off the highway back onto the V17 and another mix of back country roads and "fine asphalto" as we like to call it. It was really enjoyable riding.

We soon found ourselves in the sun dappled old square of Beaucaire and although a bit later in the day than normal, we decided that this would be a great place to have the daily cappuccino and espresso stop. After enjoying our short break Scott discovered that his rear tire was completely flat! A quick repair job later, we were back on our way and now less than 20kms of back country roads from Arles.

Dragon in the square at Beaucaire. I hope that it is not a bike eating beast!

Better late than never -an afternoon coffee break. We love these local outdoor coffee shops in France.

As we headed out of Beaucaire we noted that it was a much bigger town than the old square led us to believe. A long canal was chock-a-block full of boats and large river barges. After looking it up on the internet, the town dates back to Roman times and has 30k residents. It "takes the name of Beauclaire (which means "beautiful stone"), probably in reference to its many buildings, its quarries, or the fact that the hills of the triple rise form the first massif when we go up the Rhone."

Have not seen one of these before. A John Deere sunflower harvesting machine. Seeing many fields of dead sunflowers. Not nearly as beautiful a sight as when they are in full bloom.

Soon enough we crossed a couple of bridges and found ourselves at our Arles B&B and congratulated each other on a very successful maiden ride with a kiss. It appeared that our host was waiting patiently for our arrival. We stored the bikes in the garage, showered and headed out in the hot (26 degrees) late afternoon sun to explore the ancient Roman town of Arles. The pictures will tell the story here.

A bridge on the way to Arles. Single lane only and three cars maximum at one time.

The arena, called Les Arènes d’Arles, is about 2000 years old. With a capacity of 23,000 people, it is a smaller version of Rome’s Colosseum, which was completed about ten years earlier.

In the 8th century the amphitheater was converted into a fortress. Later it was converted into a fortified village with 200 apartments built within, but they were removed in the 1820s and the arena was restored to its original condition.

A bit of an optical illusion. This guy walking on the rail would only fall one metre to a ledge. Not the full five metres that it appears! Any takers?

The outdoor theater in Arles is a re-construction of the Roman building . Only a few broken columns are original but the design is based on authentic Roman plans from 2,000 years ago. There is little left of the original building because from the 5th century onwards it was used as a quarry for the building of churches.

A pile of 2000 year old building blocks makes a great place to sit and rest.

By six o'clock we were both starving but the late dining protocol here in France was killing us. We poked our heads into a couple of restaurants and were told that although drinks were available now - the kichen would start at eight. Eventually we found a wonderful restaurant that would take us at just after seven. Yum! we dined outdoors on a fancy named dish of duck in wine sauce and shared a vegetable plate, topping it all off with a lovely red Cote du Rhone.

Our home was just around the corner and we climbed up the narrow twisting staircase to our room. We fell exausted into bed feeling a bit sad as the city will come alive when the restaurants fill with diners! We will have to work out a better system that will include being able to see the sights and museums while they are open while still being able to stay up late enough to enjoy the vibrant nightlife!

Pat outside L'Atelier du Midi, our B&B in Arles.

Today's ride: 56 km (35 miles)
Total: 74 km (46 miles)

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