Our first walking
trip in Europe was in the year 2000 and my account of it was later
published in the Vancouver Sun. It was an experience that forever
changed our lives...
A Walk Around the Dentelles Mountains
By
Sam Frederick
It may sound like a
romantic notion: walking village to village, through the French countryside,
picnicking along the way in fields or orchards, strolling along the cobblestone
streets of picturesque villages, and spending the nights in charming, quaint
little hotels. Although it may sound
like a romantic dream, it is entirely do-able.
Four of us, two couples, had come to France practically on a lark. We had heard that you could walk the French
trail system – a network of trails and walkways (90,000 kilometre of them) that
extend all over France. Rather than
joining an organized tour group, we decided to try and find our own way.
After three wonderful days in Paris, we
boarded the TGV (high speed train) and hurtled down to Avignon in the south of
France.
A short distance from the train station
we found the bus depot and, as luck would have it, the bus to our destination
village was leaving in just ten minutes.
Clearly, some holidays seem to work better without too much planning.
We arrived in Vaison-la-Romaine eager to
begin. Our plan was to walk a
circumnavigation of the Dentelles Mountains.
The Dentelles de Montmiral, as they are known, are a system of jagged
rocky peaks that stretch like a vertebrae for 15 kilometres in the Northern Vaucluse
area of Provence. Along the way we would
visit the tiny villages that were strung around this range of delicate mountain
peaks, like beads on a necklace, each one tucked into a fold or contour of its
valleys and foothills.
We intended to take about five or six
days to complete the 50 kilometre circuit, booking our hotels as we went. We were travelling light – we had left our
suitcases behind in Paris, to be picked up on our return, and had trimmed our clothing
and toiletries down to the basics. We
would each be carrying about twenty pounds in our backpacks.
Upon arriving in Vaison-la-Romaine, we
visited the tourist bureau and picked up some pamphlets and a list of the
hotels we would be encountering on our walk.
Then, at a tobacconist, we picked up one of the blue IGN maps depicting
the trails in the area. At a scale of
1:25,000, these are very detailed and are available all over France. After checking in at our hotel, we set
out to explore the village.
Vaison, a former Celtic settlement, was
conquered by the Romans in the second century B.C. The population quickly sprang to 10,000,
following a further invasion of wealthy Romans who built luxurious villas, a
six-thousand seat theatre, baths, an aqueduct and a bridge that is still in use
today.
To read a history of almost any European
town is to read a history of who invaded and when. Vaison is no exception. The Romans were followed by both Barbarians
and Saracens. More recently, Vaison has
been invaded by wealthy Parisians, who, like the Romans before them, also built
luxurious villas and summer homes. As
well, they opened craft shops and art galleries. The Roman theatre has been substantially
restored, and a music and drama festival is held there each year in July and
August.
Visitors can take in the Roman ruins,
which include statues of Claudius and Hadrian, the remains of a Roman temple,
villas, mosaics and baths (including one with a six-seater latrine). Excavations are ongoing.
Like many of the
villages, there is also a medieval section built on a hillside and crowned with
the ruins of a twelfth century chateau.
A short hike afforded us excellent views of the town and the 1,908 meter high Mont
Ventoux shimmering in the distance.
The following morning we
crossed the Roman bridge and found the trail that would take us to the village
of Malaucene, with a stopover in the hamlet of Crestet for some lunch. And so the rhythm of our days began.
 |
| Castle ruins in Vaison-la-Romaine |
We were in different
world – a world of red-tile roofs and old country charm. History was around every corner, from the
crumbling ruins of bygone ages to villages built upon and added to. Time and culture were both at work here and
it was all coming to us one step at a time.
