Mary Magdalene, Nostradamus and Lavender

Saturday, August 22, 2015
Aix-en-Provence, Provence, France
We were up early on Saturday morning and on our way to see some sights. First things first, we needed breakfast. We walked to a Patisserie and got a couple of sweet rolls and a Coke Light (not called Diet Coke over here), and sat on a park bench near the grand fountain in Aix-in-Provence. Reminded me of 41 years ago when we were living on a budget in Europe, and trying to conserve funds. This time it was just because that's what we wanted.  

Made our way to the office of tourism in Aix-in-Provence (from now on just called Aix), and asked the woman how to get to the Cave of Sainte Baume . She was taken aback. Then I said, "We have a car." She said, "Oh good." She showed me the way. It was not far. Maybe 45 km. She also showed us the way to Salon-de-Provence (home of Nostradamus!). She gave us four maps!

We went to get our car out of the parking lot (the hotel didn't have enough spaces for the night, but guaranteed I'd have one for the rest of our stay...OK). We headed to our parking lot, and tried to get the machine to work using our credit cards....yes, that was plural. It didn't like any of them. Now I have to tell you that Europeans are way ahead of us with regard to credit card safety. They all have computer chips embedded in them (rather than magnetic strips) making them more difficult to steal. I have two cards with chips...SF and Chase. Neither one of them worked. OK, how about cash. We had stopped by a bank and gotten some Euros yesterday. Wouldn't take my money either. Fortunately there was an attendant. He tried both cards ...nope. Then I gave him the cash...nope, it won't take 50 Euro bills...only 20 or less. He gave me change, I got my card validated and headed out for Sainte Baume. That was easy! NOT!

Have I mentioned that there are things they call roundabouts in Provence? Well, it appears the French are just crazy about them. Makes sense. Instead of having stop signs at intersections, they have roundabouts. The roads all merge and we all go in a "merry-go-round" until you peel off at one of the roads. Apparently they save time and petrol, which is expensive in France. Just to get out of town, we must have experienced half a dozen. Knowing when to go and when not to go is the key....told you I was getting all the insurance Hertz could offer!!! Negotiated them well and on to a highway toward Sainte Baume. Then we hit a toll road. Provence is filthy with them. And if we are behind in credit cards, they are behind in toll roads. Everyone has to stop and get a ticket. Then later on, everyone has to stop and pay the toll. You can use cash or credit card. I was hoping my credit cards would work, and they did....at least this time. God bless my I-Pass and open road tolling in the United States.  

Soon we were in Saint-Maximin-la-Sainte-Baume. This little town was transformed in 1279 in a crypt in the church of Saint Maximin where a sarcophagus (burial vault) was discovered and proclaimed to be the tomb of Mary Magdalene . A little Biblical history may be in order here. It was believed that Mary along with her brother Lazarus (you remember, Jesus raised him from the dead) and a number of early Christians including a dark-skinned servant named Sarah landed in the south of France in 42 CE and converted much of southern France to Christianity. Later in life, the legend has it that she retired to a cave in the Sainte-Baume Mountains. If you read DaVinci Code, you know they say that dark-skinned may have been the child of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Not sure I buy that, but it is certainly possible that Mary made her way to the South of France.   Anyway, the alter in the church is beautiful and in grotto is an erie statue-like skeleton said to be the bones of Mary Magdalene. The church paints a convincing picture. I've wanted to see this place for a long time and I'm glad it was one of our first stops. Very rewarding.

We had lunch...Sandy called it croque monsier and fries. It was a ham and cheese sandwich, with cheese not only on the inside, but warmed and melted on the outside. Excellent! Chase Card worked with a little coaxing this time.  

 Had a few minor toll problems on the way to our next stop when neither of our credit cards worked...used cash. We were headed to a place called Salon-de-Provence. What a great little town. It was the home of the famous Nostradamus. You remember him, the guy who predicted the future . We parked the car in a parking garage...more to that story later...and headed toward the center of town. On the way we passed by a church which was setting up for a wedding. We'll see that church again as well.  

We found the museum after finding a giant mural of Nostradamus on the side of a building. We went into his house/museum the nice lady said they have tours, but the English one would not begin for another 20 minutes. Time enough for a Coke Light and a beer. The tour was fascinating. It took us through all of the the rooms of his house including the one where he supposedly wrote his famous quatrains. Not sure I believe in all of his writings but I think HE believed them. He's an interesting historical figure and seeing his house was a treat!  

We asked where we could find Nostradamus' grave. Turns out it was in the church we passed as we entered town. Unfortunately, it was closed. The wedding was over and the place was all locked up...oh well. 

 So we headed back to our car in the parking garage. The wedding party was just leaving the lot and they were honking and carrying on. There was a long line to exit. Put the card in, put your credit card it and the gate opens....well, that's how it's supposed to work. Wouldn't take any of my credit cards. If you wanted to pay cash, you did so before you got to your car at a different place near the entrance . This nice lady from the wedding tried to help. Nope. We had to make two cars back up so we could get out of the way and to the front of the parking lot to try to pay with cash. That accomplished I realized...I no longer had a ticket! I'm sure you would need a ticket to pay...even cash. Have I told you there was no live person at the parking garage????? We're trapped. I finally found a button on the entrance where you pick your ticket where you can talk to a real person. Boy did I need one right now! That conversation went something like this:
 
Attendant: Oui?
Me: I need to get out of the garage and I don't have a ticket.
Attendant: J'nai compron pas? (I don't understand you. I'll get someone else.)
Attendant 2: What is your problem?
Me: I have no ticket and I need to get out.
A2: You are at the entrance. You need to go to the exit and put your ticket in there.
Me: I have no ticket.  
A2: Where is your ticket?
Me: The machines at the exit took my ticket when my credit cards wouldn't' work.
A2: You need a ticket.
Me: I know, I don't have one .

  This went on for five minutes or so before he said, "Go back to your car and talk to me at the exit. I did so. And he said, "Are you the one with no ticket?" I said, "Yes."    He said, "I raise the gate, you go." I said, "I feel like I owe you money." He said, "Just go!" (I feel it was implied stupid American, just go and leave me alone!)   Now that was a fun experience! NOT!

Couple more stops before leaving for AIX. There is a beautiful town just north of Salon-de-Provence called Gordes. It's actually called the hanging village of Gordes. And they are right. It hangs right off the side of a mountain which creates some beautiful views overlooking a lush green valley where you feel you can see for a hundred miles. We stopped and took many pictures before deciding to try to make it to a place called Senaque Abbey before dark. If you've never heard of it, I am sure you have seen it in pictures . Many rows of lavender in front of this beautiful peaceful abbey. The abbey was founded in 1148. And they grow the most beautiful lavender plants there.  

We headed out to where we thought it was....15 km away. Nope, had to retrace our steps and we were racing daylight to get there before dark. The roads were narrow and winding, but we made it just as the sun set. As we walked the path from the parking lot to the abbey we marveled at the quiet. Couldn't have picked a better time to come. Now, I should say that the lavender was not in bloom. They harvest it in July, but the rows of gray lavender are still there and the smell...well, it's just heavenly. Our visit was later interrupted by a few more late visitors like us, but there for a while we had the abbey and the lavender all to ourselves. What a great ending to our great day!  

We got our SF card to work on the tolls back to AIX...thank goodness! And I needed to fill up with gas tomorrow...hope the card works then. We got home late and ate pizza about 10:30 pm. Again, neither credit card worked. I paid in Euros. I called both credit card companies when we got back to the hotel and they said everything is OK with the accounts. We'll see how they work tomorrow.                

      

Comments

2025-02-15

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank