Carpentras: A Happy Mistake

We chose to base in Carpentras (about 70 miles north of Marseille) because we had plans to visit Les Dentelles de Montmirail.  Upon close examination, the bus we needed to take for Gigondas (trail head) is one of those commuter buses that only brings people out in the morning and returns them in the evening, exactly the opposite direction for our needs.  Luckily our very kind airbnb host gave us a ride to and back!  We saw more people here than all the Luberon walks added together.  The only Americans we spotted were drawn to the wine shops in the village of Gigandas.

Carpentras itself is a very likable town, with a lively old center.  It is one of those old towns that still has various manifestations of its long history, eg. a Roman arch, 1300s synagogue, hospital, aqueduct, etc.  Its Friday market is not at all touristy, though we prefer the more intimate feel of Apt market.

Another day, we made the obligatory trip to Vaison la Romaine, fairly popular with French tourists.  Not only it has the Roman excavations, it also has the medieval town on the hill.  It's a wonder Vaison was not crowded.

Carpentras turned out to be a great base after all.  We could have made many more day trips from there.

The Carpentras galleria, Le Passage Boyer, decorated with umbrellas.




The Carpentras Roman Arch, from the 1st Century AD, much smaller than a Triumphal Arch, is undergoing renovation. We did get a glimpse of the reliefs on one side depicting two chained prisoners.


And the ever present Mont Ventoux with cool car parking just below the city walls.


I talk to a robot at the bibliotheque.


Carpentras has a new-ish well-crafted train and bus station complex. Here's a commuter train.


However, we rode the bus to Vaison-la-Romaine to visit the Ancient Roman ruins there. The sites are located in the midst of the modern town which is laid out on basically the same grid as the Roman town. Cool.






In the 1920's, the THEATRE ANTIQUE DE VAISON LA ROMAINE was partially reconstructed, most obviously the seating, and provided us with a pleasant lunch spot while school groups and others visited.










Vaison Town Square.


And main shopping street.


The old Roman Bridge.


View from the upper town to the lower town.


Upper Town street.


And a shot of the Vaison Aqueduct from the bus window as we head back to Carpentras.


Our host Jean Claude gave us a ride in his red PT Cruiser to and from Gigondas, one of the famous wine villages, and we had a day to remember hiking in Les Dentelles de Montmirail....Looking back to Gigondas from its Point de Vue.


In Les Dentelles. The first shots are of us scrambling around on the South Face, with views to the south and occasionally Mont Ventoux.












Looking back to the South Face from across the valley.




There are vineyards in a long string below the South Face.






We are not the only hikers.


We had our lunch near the Chapel of St Christopher around which are some climbing and rappelling spots.




And we complete our counterclockwise circuit by walking back to Gigondas with views of the North Face of Les Dentelles. More vineyards.


And Jean Claude picks us up in his PT Cruiser with the top down.


Our apartment has a view of Porte d'Orange, an old city gate.


The Friday weekly market starts right below our window and next to our downstairs entry.




And sprawls over the Old Town.