More Adventures in France

 ¿Qué tal? ... from the Wandering Berkmans!

Why the Spanish when this is a blog post about France?  Because we are deep into week 4 of our annual stay in Mexico City and loving every minute of this beautiful sun and 65 degree temps.  And, oh yeah, seeing our kids!  But first, Nîmes in the southeast of France.

The dedicated reader (we see you, Laura and Tyrone!) will no doubt remember that we did a quick overnight in Nîmes back in 2023 when we were staying in Lyon.  the verdict-- what a cool city.  History! Architecture! Parks! Bread!-- we vowed to return for a longer stay.  

This time, we spent a terrific 5 weeks under the watchful eye of our truly wonderful Airbnb hosts Michele and Bernard and their family.  Our apartment was atop their home and when we say we were cared for like family we are not exaggerating.  From the delicious baked goods left on our steps to a multi-course meal in their home with their daughter Elodie, her partner Olivier and their granddaughters Lilou and Noam (we missed you, Manon!), to giving us an early morning ride to the doctor when Don fell ill, we always felt we could come to them with any question or concern or even just a bright "Bonjour, petit poulet!" (Leave it to Don to walk away with a charming nickname!).  Merci pour tout! 

 

The home was on a busy road across the street from a school (pick up and drop off were a madhouse!) but once we entered through the huge gate we were greeted with this floral mediterranean view.  Bliss.

 In Roman times, the city of Nîmes was surrounded by 7 km of wall that featured 80 towers-- the Tour Magne shown here is what remains of the largest tower (it originally had a third segment.).  On our last visit we climbed the 144 steps to take in the view from the top.  This time we had the pleasure of sharing the view of the tower with a class of elementary schoolers during art class.  They all sat quietly murmuring to each other and sketching this Roman ruin from circa 1st century BC.  History and art at the same time-- the teacher in me loved the whole scene and couldn't resist sketching the view as well.  

 

We hung out and picnicked in the lovely Jardins de la Fontaine so often the swans began to recognize us.  

City center is just as beautiful as you would imagine.  We were glad to be just a 25 min walk away-- close enough to visit but far enough from the tourist traps.  

A self-guided walking tour of street art brought us to a residential part of town, the Richelieu and Gambetta districts, that prides itself on super creative works.   

According to the  Oxford dictionary, the word "denim" comes from "serge de Nîmes" because the city was a prime manufacturer and exporter of this fabric back in the late 17th century.   So of course we weren't surprised to see an extensive denim exhibit in the small and charming Musee de Vieux Nîmes.  Don was kinda meh on this but the sewing fiend in me loved seeing how the fabric was woven and the garments made from it.  

In this photo, you have your classic jean jacket, unchanged since the 1930's.  The one below is from the 18th century.  

And of course we couldn't resist going to the exhibit in an old church that showed all things all jeans.  Check out the two fashion models on the screen-- we killed it. 

Yes, yes, Nîmes has an amazing Roman arena right in the middle of the old city but we covered that in our last visit (not to say Don didn't visit it again!).  Check it out on a previous post.   But we never made it to the Musée de la Romanité during our first visit so we knew this was a must-do.  

You can't miss it-- it's an impressive metallic building right next to the Roman arena-- the juxtaposition is pretty cool. What's up with us that we never took a pic of them together even though we passed by the site a couple of times a week?  We were like the locals who pass by with a "Oh yeah, the arena."  Thank you, internet, for this shot even though it doesn't do it justice.

Inside, we were most struck by the amount of mosaic floors still in close-to-pristine shape.  This beaut was taken from a home they found when they were digging to make an underground parking garage.  (The farmers' market now sits above that garage. ). Note these designs are made with rocks each about 1/2 inch square.  Insane.   

I want to meet the artist from the first century AD who came up with this baby-- an olive crusher in the shape of a thumb.  The perfect gift!  Also from the first century, the glass receptacle behind it is fully intact.  Amazing.  

Staying 5 weeks in the city gave us 5 opportunities to visit the amazing farmers' market every Friday morning on the main esplanade.  We bought a roller shopping cart like all the grandmas and we were glad because we hauled back so many delectable goodies. It was a feast for the eyes and made for some exceptional lunches if we do say so ourselves.  

Escargot, anyone? We did not partake but I have been known to dabble. 

The presentation of the produce was phenomenal (we want that tablecloth!) and only in-season items were sold.  A cucumber in November?  Mais non!!

Between the many varieties of olives and the spreads (olivande noire a la figue - black olive and fig spread- would make an old boot taste magnifique!) we spent a small fortune at this stand.  The vender began to recognize us (must have been our rapier wit and not our 2nd grade French) and by the end was giving us free samples.  Oh la la! 

We didn't try les patés Nimois but aren't they cute?  These delightful looking mini pastries are filled with all manner of savory spreads, each type with its own identifying stamp on top.  

Snack food around the world is always interesting.  This one may not be as novel as the shrimp flavored crackers that Zach brought home from China or the preserved plum pits we used to snack on in Taiwan but black olive tapenade flavored Lays track for France.  

We knew nothing about the world of Women's Handball but apparently the team from Nîmes is the one to beat-- we found this out after striking up a convo with the table next to us at a restaurant.  Turns out the daughter of the owner is on the team--"Go see the game this Friday!"  Our expectations were just meh but in our new world of "Say yes!" we said "yes" and bought tickets.  What a great time we had!  Not only is it a fast moving game with some crazy good moves (try throwing a ball horizontally into a net while in the air!), the crowd is so into it, great music is played (my Shazaam music identifier was getting a workout!) and they even had a Breast Cancer Awareness Month timeout where we in the stands suspended a huge banner over our heads. I felt seen (:  Oh and did I mention they gave out French flags?  Super time.  

 

We always try to look for volunteer opportunities whenever we're in a city for a spell.  Don did his due diligence and found an amazing organization run by the Red Cross called Su Casa, located just 15 min walking from our place.  Su Casa is a restaurant that serves meals 2x/day, 6 days a week for the unhoused or for those just needing a meal.  All free, donations accepted.  One of the full-time chefs, Simon, is a Brit so the language barrier was less of a barrier (my French is rusty but I spent the month taking lessons online) and there were some volunteers who spoke English.  We helped set the tables, serve the meals and clean up between the 3 shifts of meal service each day. Many days upwards of 150 diners were served per meal.  No plastic or styrofoam here-- the organization wants the diners to feel as if they are home.  Afterwards, the volunteers and chefs  shared the same delicious meal together.   We were able to help out on 5 three-hour shifts during our stay and we met some wonderful people, both diners and staff.  Merci beaucoup to Simon, Alex and the rest of the group for welcoming us into your well run organization-- it was our pleasure!

 
As always, we rented a car for a week of our stay to visit cities and towns otherwise difficult to get to via mass transit.  On the docket-- the beautiful Arles on the Rhône River.    Its tranquility and beauty inspired Van Gogh to paint not the infamous Starry Night but the less known but equally stunning sister Starry Night Over the Rhône.  And because Arles boasts being the first Roman colony outside of Italy, it's not surprising that it houses a fully circular amphitheater.    We didn't do that tour but we did explore this modern marvel/monstrosity, depending on your POV.  And it was controversial with the locals back in the day to be sure.  Designed in part by the US architect Gehry, the phenomenal LUMA Arles looks like the crumpled aluminum foil tower I made in 5th grade art class.  

It's a museum/workshop space and a kinda  playground too-- you could take the elevator from the 3rd floor down to the lobby but why do that when, for those inclined (see what I did there), you can slide down the double twirly slide?? 

We hadn't planned on staying late in the seaside resort of  Grau du Roi but we were rewarded with this delightful sunset.  

We stopped for lunch in the tiny town of Caveirac on the way to see the Oppidum de Nages (more on that in a bit).  Based on the reaction of our server ("Are you lost?") we figured they don't get too many tourists.  But Don couldn't get enough of this find-- in garden behind the Caveirac Castle (now city hall) we found a Roman mile marker inscribed with the name Auguste, the founder of the Roman Empire.  To be able to touch this antiquity with his modern day hands-- a dream.  I left him there for a bit to feel all the feels.   

This is a replica of a dwelling from the Oppidum de Nages , a settlement from the Neolithic era less than 2 hours from Nîmes.   I appreciated the feeling of being just a bit too tall for once!

Other memorable sights during our day trips included--

this amazing trompe d'oeil on a building in Montpellier.  The white and red buildings are flat! Really!!

We also caught an art exhibit in the Eglise Sainte-Anne by the French street artist JR.  The leaves of this impressive tree and the "rain" are made of photocopied hands-  look closely!  

Worth a stop-- a stroll along  the impressive Roman aqueduct Pont-du-Gard from the 1st century AD.

Through a mutual acquaintance we met up in Nîmes with Sandy and Honey, originally from Texas, but as of that day they had just received their French residency!  We connected as if we'd known each other for years and talked of all things travel and politics.  

When we met up with them a week later in their "hometown" of Uzes, they took us to a restaurant that served up this loveliness-- anchovies and caramelized onions on grilled bread.  Yes, please!

We can't be in France without visiting our French families, the Saunier and Rossini,  in the suburbs of Marseilles.  "Our" family continues to grow with the arrival of little Charlie, the 4th Saunier grandchild.  Aren't we lucky that so much of the family was able to get together to see us!! 

Sylvie and Chris brought us into Marseille proper to check out the inventive exhibition of Marcoville Lumiere Celestes in the Cathedrale de la Major.  Two exhibits that caught my eye-- a 20 foot tower of glass fish...

 

.. and an exhibit of the Virgin Mary interpreted in various nationalities.  

But it wasn't all Roman antiquities and baguettes-- just a week into our stay Don fell ill with who knows what  (negative for Covid) and spent the next week and a half in bed.   All in, he was 3 weeks with low energy, a cough and some nasty pink eye.  Multiple pharmacy visits and finally a visit to our hosts' local doctor got him the meds he needed -- oh wait, maybe the acidic eye wash was a wee bit too strong for his baby blues mon dieu!  Our pharmacist switched him to the eye wash for infants lol and he was golden.  The poor guy missed a beloved Friday market and a volunteer shift or two at Su Casa.  We rescheduled some other outings and carried on.  C'est la vie!

Looking back on this stay, we agree that the sense of community we normally miss when we travel was wholly present here in Nîmes.  From our newest French host family to our dear to our hearts Marseille family, to the new friends we made in Sandy and Honey and the sense of belonging the staff at Su Casa showed us, we have many reasons to want to return to the south of France.   That's a nice feeling to have.  

Thank you to all who sent their love and support at the passing of my dad -- we feel blessed to have had the foresight (premonition?) to cut our France stay short to ultimately arrive in time to be with him in his final days.  He would have been mad at us for changing our plans though lol-- we had to lie about it.  Give those you love a hug-- life is fleeting!   

This post's SOL-- as seen in Nîmes.  Leave it to the French to put the oh la la in compression socks.

With 3 more weeks in Mexico City, we're already looking back and saying what a great visit this has been.  Next, we'll be breaking out my new Spanish passport to spend 2 months in Cádiz, Spain-- more on that next time!  Until then, be well and thanks for following along!  

Don and Monica