France 2022 – Day trips from Avignon – Pont du Gard, Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and Fontaine-de-Vaucluse

March 27, 2022

Pont du Gard

Avignon is a good central location from which to plan day trips to several nearby towns and sites of interest. The transport options by rail or bus are excellent and I was impressed that my 35 km coach bus trip to visit the Pont du Gard cost less than two euro in each direction! Far cheaper than taxis, and without the stress of renting a car, riding the bus or train gives one the opportunity to just sit back and enjoy the passing scenery while someone else does the driving. On this trip, the scenery encompassed vineyards, olive groves, and many orchards of cherry trees, all in bloom with their bright white blossoms.

The Pont du Gard is a Roman aqueduct bridge which crosses the Gardon River. Part of a 50 kilometer long aqueduct that ran from Uzes to Nimes, it is the highest of all the Roman aqueduct bridges, one of the best preserved, and the only one built with three levels. A short 15 minute walk from the bus stop led me to the site entrance with its museum and recommended introductory film, but I was anxious to get to the aqueduct right away as it is a popular site for visits by large organized tours. Here is my first glimpse of the aqueduct as I made the approach on the path from the museum area.

The path brings you to the top of the first level of the bridge where a road was added in 1745 to enable people to cross from one end to the other.

On either side of the bridge there is easy access to the river where you can walk both downstream and upstream. There are several small gravel and sand beaches tucked into the mostly rocky shore which makes this a popular place for families to come and swim on hot summer days. I crossed over to the far shore for this view,

and then walked a distance downstream and to the river’s edge to take this photo, zoomed in, of the beautiful arches. The main arch above the river is the widest arch in the Roman world.

I spent some time walking along the river and then returned to the bridge to climb many stairs up to the top of the third level where one can view the small space where the water actually flowed. The passage is six feet tall and four feet wide and was created with waterproof mortar. Entry onto the third level for an amazing view is possible when on a guided tour offered by the museum.

I explored a trail on the forested hillside for a distance and then retraced my steps and descended the stairs back down to the river level. Then I walked upstream in order to view the bridge from the other side and I saw three snowy-white egrets on the shore. They are very shy birds though and flew swiftly away the moment I began to approach.

I walked farther upstream to where all three levels of the bridge were nicely reflected in the river.

I sat here for a while and then a loud splash caught my attention. ”That was a big fish,” I thought, but then a few minutes later I heard it again and turned in time to see a river otter surface and then curve back down into the water. I saw the otter rise three more times as it travelled upstream, likely hunting for fish. It was quite a bit bigger that the river otters I have seen in B.C. and I found out later that the European otter has only recently been reintroduced to this river.

The view of the river upstream and all around was serene and very beautiful!

After sitting for quite a while in the peace and quiet of this place, I made my way back under the arches and up the stairs to the first level. The largest blocks of stone weigh between one and two tons each, and the entire bridge (except for the water passage) was constructed without mortar!

The people on the walkway help give a good idea of the scale of this UNESCO designated World Heritage monument.

As well as the opportunity to spend time at the bridge and the riverside, the site offers several interpretive paths available for walking. I chose to walk the 1.5 kilometer “Memories of the Garrigue” path which highlighted some of the native plants and agrarian uses of this landscape. I started out trying to read the French-language information boards, but on this warm and sunny afternoon I soon gave that up and just enjoyed the plants and scenery around me, including yellow broom, a pink giant orchid, still-dormant grape vines, and olive trees.

Back at the museum I had a little bit of time left before I had to catch my bus so I watched the brief but very informative video of the bridge. The Romans continue to amaze. Built in only five years in the 1st century, from rock quarried 600 metres downstream, the bridge and aqueduct enabled water to be transported to the 20,000 inhabitants of Nimes for almost five centuries!

March 28, 2022

My second day trip out from Avignon was to the town of Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, about 30 kilometres away. Again I travelled easily and comfortably by coach bus at a cost of less that two euro each way. Isle-sur-la-Sorgue is sometimes called the ”Venice of Provence” because of the canals that run through the town. I don’t think it quite deserves that grand name, but it was definitely a pleasant and unique town to visit.

The medieval center of the city is compact and easily walkable and I set out to photograph some of the waterways and waterwheels that are to be found throughout the town. In medieval times through to the 1800s, waterwheels (of which at one point there were more than 70) powered the town’s silk and wool cloth-dyeing industries.

The canals were shallow and the water was crystal clear. The source of the water is the Sorgue River which is spring-fed and which maintains a constant flow and temperature in all seasons. In many places, the water was a bright green colour because of the aquatic plants growing from the base of the canal. It was very exciting when I saw two beautiful trout swimming against the current in one of the canals.

The buildings of the medieval town centre are quite picturesque and there are many shops, galleries, cafés, canal-side restaurants, and antique and bric-a-brac stores.

I next visited the town’s 12th century church, Notre-Dame des Anges. Here is the relatively modest and sober exterior.

But inside…, so much gilt! (And, possibly, guilt?) The church interior decoration dates from the time of Louis XIV and is loaded with Baroque excess.

One could not help but be impressed at how over-the-top it was, but there was definitely beauty to be found in the details.

I was quite taken by the statue of Jeanne d’Arc and have seen her represented in two other churches.

Next, I visited the Tourist Information office and they provided me with a map of cycling routes in the area because I was interested in visiting the town of Fontaine de Vaucluse where the source of the Sorgue River is found. Buses only run to Fontaine in the summer, and a taxi was too expensive, so I rented a bicycle nearby at KVelo from the very charming and helpful owner who generously let me rent a bicycle for the day at the half day price of only ten euros.

After getting used to the bike on some side streets, and then negotiating a bit of traffic on the way out of town, I was able to easily find the first of several quiet country roads which would take me to Fontaine de Vaucluse. The route was relatively flat and easy and the scenery was lovely: farmhouses, fields, vineyards, olive groves, and many cherry orchards with the trees in full bloom.

Many of the fields were planted with lavender for which Provence is famous. In July, this field will be stunning with all of the plants in dark purple bloom.

Before too long, I reached the very picturesque town of Fontaine de Vaucluse. Wow! The River Sorgue here is stunningly clear and vividly green from all of the plants growing in the water. Here is a view upstream from the bridge over the Sorgue. The source of the river, a very special spring, is about one kilometre upstream at the base of limestone cliffs.

Here is the view downstream from the bridge. The town boasts many restaurants with riverside terraces and I passed one that has a Micheline star.

And this is the view looking straight down into the water from the bridge! The fronds wave beautifully in the current.

I crossed the bridge and turned in the upstream direction to begin the climb to the spring. On my left, the narrow lane was lined with cafés, snack shops, souvenir stands and ice cream parlours, but their attractions and enticements could in no way compare with the view of the river and that bright green water.

Across the river, though, there was some competition for my attention from the craggy limestone cliffs with a ruined castle perched on the edge!

Soon, the path narrowed and became steeper and the river rushed by below the trail.

The path leads towards what is essentially a dead-end, with the sheer face of a mountain of limestone rising 750 feet directly in front of you and curving around on both sides. At the base of the cliff there is a wide hole about 90 feet deep and within that hole lies the surface of the spring that feeds the river. During times of high rainfall and snow melt, the level of the water in the hole rises and gushes in a fast torrent down into the channel of the river. This spring is the largest in France by volume and the fifth largest in the world.

In 1954, Jacques Costeau, one of my childhood heroes, dove to a depth of 243 feet but could not reach the bottom. Attempts were made by others and in 1985 a submersible robot finally touched bottom at a depth of 1001 feet!

I made my way slowly back down the path and stopped several times to sit for a while by the river, reluctant to leave. The colour, clarity, and flow of the water were mesmerizing.

But, as they say, all good things must come to an end. Luckily, there are almost always more good things on the way such as apple blossoms, deep purple-blue flowers, and a French farmhouse surrounded by a lawn of buttercups. I greatly enjoyed my bicycle ride back to Isle-sur-la-Sorge on this wonderful day trip from Avignon.