Jan's travel tales: Art and Ruins in Provence: St Remy and Les Baux

Day of exploring the Provencal towns, first up - St Remy de Provence

What to do:

1. Follow the life story of Vincent van Gogh in a walking tour

Signs are set up around the town with walking tour information

Estrine Museum and Van Gogh interpretation centre

2. Walking tour of the old town


Musee des Alpilles to learn more about the history of the town

3. Visit the birthplace of Nostradamus, a 16th-century author of prophecies.

You can only walk pass the house and cannot go in

4. Visit Saint Paul de Mausole (asylum)
This is the monastry where Vincent van Gogh admitted himself into after cutting off his own ear. He stayed for a year (1889-1890) and it is also where he was most productive in his works. Today, it still functions as a psychiatric hospital so visitor are reminded to not disturb the serenity.

In the gardens, there are 20 large-scale reproductions of van Gogh's paintings on the site where they were painted.

the large grounds

entering the main wing

with Roman-style cloister in the middle

Flowers in bloom at the garden at the back of the main wing

garden where van Gogh spent his days observing and painting nature

van Gogh's room when he was admitted with grills on the window

An artist's view

5. Visit Les Antiques and the ruins of Glanum civilization

The 2 monuments of roman mausoleum and triumphal arch marks the entrance to the glanum site.

The archeology sites of glanum is an abandoned fortified town founded by a celto-ligurian people called the Salyens. They were under Greek and then Roman rule before being destroyed by barbarian invasions.

Les Antiques, looks more grand in reality

informative signs all around to explain what used to be at the site

there is a small hill at the side to give a panoramic view of the whole archeological site

After St-Remy, we drove further into the Alpilles mountains to Les Baux.

Les Baux is a perched on top of a rocky mountain and got its name from the aluminium ore bauxite discovered around the area in 1821 and mined extensively until the late 20th century At the very tip of the town is a ruined castle that overlooks the plains to the south. Due to its spectacular position and surrounding landscapes, it is also one of the most picturesque villages in France.

the Alpilles mountains

What to do:
1. Cover the town on foot

it's a very small hilltop town

Bauxite sample - how Les Baux got its name

Chapel at town square

cobblestone streets, can you spot the doggy?

Random observation:

On a side note, les baux is also where we reached the conclusion that French people really love their dogs so much that the furry friends are brought along for family trips. Despite the slopes and uneven cobblestone streets, the dogs are following the owners everywhere in the small town. Also, every now and then you will come across a water hole for animals around the town. It is hard to resist petting and playing with our fellow “tourists”.

2. Get an audio guided tour at the château of les baux

Le husband with audio guide explaining what used to be in the past

Huge catapults on display

An overview of the chateau

Le chateau in the back. Wild flowers starting to bloom

Picture depicting the defense mechanism

View of Provence from Les Baux

3. Visit the Carriers de Lumieres light show

The abandoned old quarries from limestone mining are now turned into an lights and music show

Entering the quarry

inside the old quarries

it's pretty surreal watching the show inside

Where to eat: Restaurant L’Oustalet Maianen was recommended by our B&B host Jean Claude and located in Maillane (10min short drive from Graveson). Delicious food and the house wine was so good i had to go for 2nd glass!