Pont du Gare, Cathédral d'Images et Les Baux

This was one of my favorite excursions of my trip so far. It was a super incredibly windy day here. They call the very strong wind mistrel. I couldn't believe how strong it was, it was very much the wind that Chicago is famous for!

So we started the day by driving to Les Baux de Provence. It has very rocky hillside which has quite the unique shape.

First we went to the Cathedral of Images. This is a big building carved into the stone with huge flat walls onto which they project images and movies while playing music. While in the caves we were surrounded  with images on all sides and on the floor too. The images have different themes which they change every few months and while we were there it was Australia. We saw images of the aboriginals, kangaroos, jellyfish, flowers, mosaic art, nature life in Australia and much more, it was overwhelming and hard to take in all at once!

The entrance

Paola and I

Australian mosaic art!

Next we walked up the hill to tour Les Baux which is a city mostly comprised of stone. It is built near the ruins of an old castle which we were also able to tour. We even climbed to the top of the lookout tour which was a little scary on such a windy day, but the view made it very much worth it! It was so cool to see the stone steps and to imagine people living there. I wish I could have seen it in its peak shape.

Check out that hair, it shows the wind!

Top of the lookout tower

One of the many beautiful views

The castle

The stone streets of Les Baux

Once we were finished with touring the city, we all needed a nap from all the climbing. Then our last stop for the day was Pont du Gare which is an old roman aqueduct/ bridge which is over 2000 years old. It was beautiful!!! It was amazing to think about how they had constructed it without all our modern technology and also to see that it has lasted so long! The monstrosity of it is amazing!

My favorite picture of the trip so far!!!

Like I said, Amazing!

On a cultural note I'd like to mention a few things about the roads here that I have noticed. There are lots of roundabouts and random speed bumps of all shapes and sizes that will come upon you unexpectedly. I have rarely seen construction on the roads here and they usually have metal posts lining the road which can be very narrow. However, I have also noticed that drivers are very considerate of pedestrians and of giving other cars the right-of-way.