The Cabes in Paris

Friday afternoon, after Matthew and I got off work, we all took the train up to Paris for the weekend. After some drama the day before with the first hotel that I had booked, we booked at a great hotel right beside the Louvre. If you are headed to Paris anytime soon, check out the Grand Hotel du Palais Royal. They have the most comfortable hotel beds I have slept in while in France, and an incredible buffet breakfast that was included in our room rate. After figuring out which metro to take, we arrived at the hotel about 10pm. We decided to go for a walk since it was still light outside and we were all excited to be in Paris! We walked acrosss the street from our hotel, through a corridor at the Louvre that opened up to the big glass pyramid in the courtyard. From there we turned right and walked through the Jardin des Tuileries, crossed the insane 50 lane round-about (not really 50 lanes, but it seems that way!), and down Avenue des Champs Elysees. After a stop at Starbucks, we headed back to the hotel.

Saturday, we had a full day planned. The first stop was the Eiffel Tower. There was an insane line to go up the Eiffel Tower, so after some picture taking, we walked along the river and towards the Arc de Triomphe. We found a great market on our way, and were amazed at the different types of meat that were for sale. We even witnessed the unfortunate beheadings of some rabbits (already dead, although that didn't make it any better) that were being sold. I was amazed by all of the beautiful flowers. At the Arc, we climbed the spiral staircase to the top, where we had an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower and down the Champs Elysees. It was also quite amusing to look down and watch the cars drive in the round-about that goes around the Arc. There was one van, must have been a tourist, that got stuck in the middle and just sat there for several minutes, unable to move with the traffice rushing all around him. I was also able to find the name of my great-great-great grandfather- Louis-Nicolas Davout, one of Napolean's right hand men, known as the "Iron Marshal". Unfortunately, his name was spelled wrong in the engraving- Davoust. Just before an afternoon downpour, we ducked into a restaurant for lunch. After lunch, we did some shopping (mostly window shopping) along the Champs Elysees. The next stop was Notre Dame and Sainte Chappelle. Unfortunately there was a really long line for Sainte Chappelle, and they were stopping anyone else from getting in line. We then headed back to the hotel for a little R&R before going to dinner. We had asked the girl at the front desk for a restaurant recommendation and she had suggested a little brasserie just around the corner. Three waiters rotated taking care of us, each with a very different personality. We had a lot of fun joking with them, in French and in English. At the end of the meal (after some amazing creme brulee!!), our main waiter brought us all glasses of Champagne to thank us for being the best table of the night!

Matthew had to catch a flight to Canada right after breakfast on Sunday. After he left, Annette and Steven headed to the Louvre. Mike and I headed to the Montparnasse area for the Sunday art market. I was really hoping to find some starving artists with great deals on their artwork. We did find some amazing artists, but everything was much more than I wanted to spend. After a quick tour through the Montparnasse cemetary, we headed back to meet Steven and Annette for lunch. After lunch I headed to the train station to come back to Clermont. Steven, Annette, and Mike flew out the next day.

We had a great 2 weeks with the Cabe family. I don't think we could have squeezed anything else into our time together! Now Matthew and I have less than a week before Amy and Trey will be here! Keep checking back for blogs about their visit!

The Cabes at Puy de Sancy

One of the days I had to work, Matthew took the day off to show his parents what our region is famous for- volcanoes. Matthew planned a full day of sights for them to explore. They started off at a nearby chateau, Chateau Murol. The next stop was Lake Chambon. However, the main goal of the day was Puy de Sancy, the highest mountain in Central France (it is the highest in all of France except for the Alps and Pyrenees). It is part of a stratovolcano and has been dormant for 220,000 years. They first had to take a trip in a cable car to reach the starting point for the hike. There was a wooden staircase/trail in place to walk to the top of Sancy. They had hoped for an panoramic view of the surrounding volcanoes, however the weather had a different idea. Rain threatened all afternoon, which created amazing clouds and fog covering the mountains. The pictures Matthew and Mike took are really beautiful.

The Cabes at the Gorges du Tarn

About 2 hours from Clermont are the Gorges du Tarn. The Gorges du Tarn have been described as one of France's most spectacular natural landscapes. We took a boat ride through the gorges guided by a local boatman, Jean Luc. The cliffs towered 500 meters above us and the water was crystal clear.

The Cabes at Le Pont du Gard

Not far from Nimes is the Pont du Gard, an aquaduct built around 50 AD. It was built to bring water to the city of Nimes in order to support the Roman lifestyle of baths, parks, and fountains. It is 48 m high and 490 m high. The middle, and largest, arch straddles the Gardon River. The Pont du Gard is definitely impressive to look at, but when you read about the history and the sheer genius of the engineers, it becomes even more impressive. The size of the huge blocks of stones used (some weighing more than 6 tons!) meant that they could be put in place without the use of mortar. The Gardon River is known to flood, and for almost 2000 years, the Pont du Gard has withstood everything nature has thrown at her. As my french students would say, "trop cool!".

The Cabes in Montpellier and Nimes

During their visit, Matthew drove his parents and brother south, towards the Mediterranean and Montpellier. On the way, they stopped at the Viaduc de Garabit (designed by the same man who designed the Eiffel Tower). They spent the rest of the day walking around Montpellier and along the beach. The weather was hot, but beautiful. I took a train down after work and met them in Montpellier. Here are some pictures from their drive and Montpellier.

The next day we all drove to Nimes. The French get insulted when people say they are going to Rome to see the Roman ruins, because some of the best preserved Roman architecture is located in France. Our first stop was the Maison Carree. It is the purest and best preserved of all Roman temples. It was built during the reign of Augustus (in 16 BC!!!!!). The temple owes its preservation to the fact that it was rededicated as a Christian church in the fourth century, saving it from the widespread destruction of temples that followed the adoption of Christianity as Rome's official state religion. Inside the Maison Carree we watched a 3D movie about the "Heroes de Nimes". From the Gladiators battling on the sand floor of the arena during the 1st century AD to the bullfighters who still perform a few times a year.

After lunch at a restaurant in the Place d'Assas, we headed to the Jardin de la Fontaine ("the fountain gardens"), that in Roman times was occupied by a spring, a theatre, a temple, and baths. Today, it is a huge garden that still contains a lot of Roman architecture and statues. We wound our way through the gardens and up, up, up the hill to the Tour Magne ("the great tower"). There is a lot of controversy over the intended use of the Tour Magne. Some believe that it was meant to be a watch tower, while others believe it was a gigantic mausoleum or a temple to Isis. Matthew, Mike, and I climbed the spiral staircase to the top where we had an amazing view of the city.
We checked into our hotel and rested for about an hour, then we headed back into the city for
dinner. We found a restaurant at the top of a museum beside the Maison Carree. The view of the Maison Carree was incredible, and we also had a view of the amazing sunset over the city.

The next morning was spent exploring the Arenes de Nimes. It is one of the best preserved amphitheatres of the Roman world. It was built around 90 AD. The amphitheatre could hold about 24,000 spectators. The terraced rows were divided into four 'moeniana' (levels). Each moeniana was reserved for a particular class of society. It was most often used for gladiatorial combats. After buying tickets, we were given little radios to carry through the tour that gave information or told stories about the arena. We also were able to go down to the gladiator quarters, as well as an area set up to honor the bullfighters. There are still bullfights a few times a year, and the arena is host to lots of other events, including concerts. After lunch we walked around Nimes to some of the churches and fountains. We also found one of three "doors" that were once part of the wall that surrounded the city. The doors date from 16-15 BC!

MORE Cabes in France: Days 1 and 2

Day 1: Tuesday
Clermont-Ferrand welcomed 3 more Cabes on Tuesday. Matthew's parents and brother arrived after 20 hours of travel. They started in Atlanta, flew to Paris, took a shuttle bus to the train station, missed their first train, got on the second train, arrived in Clermont where I greeted them and took them on a bus to our apartment. Needless to say, they were tired but excited to be here. After dinner, we drove to Parc Montjuzet to let them stretch their legs and to help keep them awake so that they could get used to the new time zone as soon as possible.

Day 2: Wednesday
Matthew had to work today, so the Cabes were able to sleep in this morning. We walked into Place de Jaude to meet Matthew and the Pages for lunch. Jen's mom is visiting from Georgia this week, so we all met for lunch at a restaurant that has a great view of Jaude.
After lunch, Matthew had to head back to work, so the Cabes and I walked to the big, black Cathedral that is in the middle of downtown. We walked around the church for a while and then found the "guardian" of the church, paid 1.50 euros to climb the stairs to the top. To get to the top, we had to climb a spiral staircase that seemed to have no end! We kept climbing and climbing and climbing! Finally (after several stops to catch our breath) we reached the top, and the view that was waiting for us made the stairs worth it!

After a much easier trip back down the stairs, we walked to my favorite church in Clermont, Notre Dame du Port. It is a classic example of a Romanesque church, and I think it is beautiful. Here are some pictures of our day. I can take credit for only a few of these pictures, Michael has become addicted to my camera...and he took some really great shots!

Allez l'ASM!

The local rugby team, ASM (Association Sportive Michelin), played in the French National Championship Game Saturday night. This was the 10th time the team has made it to the finals, and the 3rd year in a row. The city set up a huge screen in Place de Jaude, as well a stage for a band to entertain the crowds all afternoon. Rain threatened all day, but luckily it held off for the massive crowds gathered in Jaude. Matthew and I put together blue and yellow outfits, packed our small Clemson cooler, and starting walking to Jaude about 7pm. If I closed my eyes, to shut out all of the blue and yellow, I could almost imagine we were walking to a Clemson tailgate, about to meet up at Clint's tailgate spot, with a pig smoking on the grill. However, we were not in Clemson, we were in France, but we still were enjoying all of the excitement. Stores all over town had been decorated all week with blue and yellow balloons, banners, and signs in the windows. Even the plethera of lingerie stores and fancy boutique stores got into the spirit of things, with blue and yellow negligees displayed on the mannequins. As we walked, there were lots of decorated cars and mopeds, and just as many decorated people. When we got to Place de Jaude, we were greeted by a mob of blue and yellow. There was a "marching" band playing on the stage, and way too many people had these little plastic horns that even a child could blow and make it sound as loud as a car horn! Here is a link to a video on YouTub:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zb4dJiUYMVY
In the middle of all of the chaos and drunkeness, there was this little French man, dressed to the nines, sitting and looking like he was at the Kentucky Derby, not a gigantic, drunk, rugby party! I thought he was so cute!
Miracle of Miracles, we ran into the Gray family, and set out to find a place to watch the game. After about 10 minutes of looking at the back of 5000 people's heads, we decided to walk to another family's house to watch the game. Unfortunately, for the 3rd year in a row, ASM lost. It was still great to see the city come together, unified by a sport's team. It reminded me so much of living in Clemson.