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Abbaye de Saint Romain

Shortly after arriving in Beaucaire, Sebastien took me to see this abbey but for some reason I neglected to make an entry for it. In retrospect, I think this worked out for the better because it wasn't until much later that I developed a certain appreciation for it. 

The abbey itself is located on the top of a modest peak in the middle of the mediterranean forest where it is camouflaged by the surrounding trees and sunken back into the earth around it. When first looking at the structure, it's hard to gauge the actual size and complexity of its construction. 

During the 7th century, monks and hermits began digging into the mountain in order to carve out an area for refuge and worship, making it a troglodyte monastery. This earthen structure was eventually expanded outwards to include a tower on the west side and some reinforced walls on the others. Otherwise the internal chambers remained in their original cave-like condition, with exception to the grand room which was made into a chapel. The premises houses over 150 body shaped coffins carved into the roof floors of the abbey. 

The location of this Abbey made it a target for sabotage since it was located on the border between protestant Nimes and Catholic Beaucaire. Because of this, the Abbey switched back and forth from protestantism to catholicism. Unfortunately, these changes involved partial destruction of the structure and vandalism, leaving mere vestiges of what actually made up the true interior of the abbey. 

After reflecting on other experiences since then, I have a greater appreciation for this monument and it's history. Although the roman colosseum was a spectacle to behold, it's stands were modernized and it's floor was cemented for the bull fights that now take place there. The Château de Tarascon is undoubtedly my favorite, but I can't help being frustrated that it was turned into a prison at one point, thus removing all of it's original furnishings. This being said, although the Abbey was raw, leaving much to the imagination, I appreciated that it wasn't repurposed. The open tombs in contrast to the beautiful mountains and valleys left an interesting perspective on mortality and human significance. 

The main entrance leading to three separate rooms.
The walls featured inset alters and places for candles.

It's difficult to visualize, but this is the wine press.
A large corkscrew was fastened on the left which ground grapes below.

This is the grand room and perhaps the most impressive.
Midway up the walls, you can see evidence of timbers that used to support another floor.
There were also remnants of paint and other religious symbols. 

Another section of the abbey existed beyond this point,
but a collapse has left a hole in its place.

An impressive arched ceiling
seemingly held by nothing but the stones themselves.

Looking off to the south east.
These caskets were once covered, but the wood has since rotted.

Looking to the north east.
Apparently remains were found, but relocated before making this a public monument.

Thanks again for reading.

Tying up loose ends.

It's been a while since my last post, so I would like to preface in saying that i've been doing well and that I'm certainly enjoying my time in France with the Lefebvres. I've traveled all throughout the region and gathered almost 400 photos that I'll be posting soon. Right now, I just need to sort through them and decide which ones are the best!

I'm really looking forward to this week because I'll be making the transition from tourist to student. To kick things off,  I'm finally moving in with my host family tomorrow! I spoke to Véronique on the phone tonight, and based on our conversation, I can honestly say that I'm going to be in great hands. She was very patient with my French and made sure that I felt welcomed by them. After I get thing established, I'll be heading straight into Avignon to meet my advisor along with some friends from Stetson!

Beyond that, I'll be starting university stuff on the 1st, take my placement test on the 5th, and begin classes on the 6th. I'm pretty sure that there's going to be a week of orientation during this as well, where I'll be meeting the other international students and getting to know the lay of the land.

But yea, that's pretty much it for now. I'm going to do separate posts for my visits to Nimes, Pont de Gard and others that you can check out soon.

Thanks for reading

l'époque médiévale

Sebastien had told me several weeks before my arrival that there would be something exciting in Tarascon. All he would say was that I would "feel like a child at Disney world." Well, that pretty much sums up the experience. For the past three days we have been frequenting the medieval times festival in Tarascon, just on the other side of the Rhone. The festival itself took place along the base of le château de Tarascon and throughout the surrounding streets, giving it an authentic feel. To bring things to life, there were hundreds of participants all dressing the part and playing various roles. Among them were the chevaliers de roi René who put up a good fight for the audience. The grand finally featured the trials of Jeanne d'Arc accompanied by a light show and fireworks. Here are a few photos that I took. Unfortunately, I ran into trouble with the videos that I shot. Maybe I'll be able to fix them later. For now, enjoy.

The Rhone

Le Château de Tarascon

Again, but from the opposite side.

From the courtyard looking up. 

La Tarasque.

There were several games for the children.
This one here required the child to shoot a ballista in order to kill a knight.

The Royal Guard

A warbird and battle horse demonstration. 

A knight of king René

Joan of Arc leaves the castle in parade.

The trials of Joan of Arc and light display.

Also, feel free to comment and leave any questions that you would like to have answered. It's difficult for me to gauge what everyone may find interesting. Also, I'm trying to keep photos to a minimum because I don't want to be excessive, but if you would like more, I will kindly oblige you.... and please forgive my awesome grammar and sentence structures. It's quite a headache working with two languages. I should have the swing of things pretty soon here. 

New Experiences and Arrival

The coming months abroad are sure to bring several new experiences, with language acquisition and cultural integration at the forefront. However, an already unexpected obstacle has been making this blog and the difficulty of knowing what and how I want to say things. That being said, I've decided to jump into things head first.

Since I still have a few weeks until the semester begins, I've been living with Sebastien's family in beaucaire which is about 30 minutes from Avignon and about one hour south west of Lyon. The area is semi-rual with lots of agriculture with a bit of a downtown area along a canal attached to the rhone, which by the way, is within a ten minute walk from two separate castles. An interesting thing about beaucaire lies within it's name: Caire is old french and roughly translates to "Stone" in English, whereas Beau translates to "beautiful." So, if you put the two together, it obviously means beautiful stone. The reason Beaucaire received this name is because it sits on a bed of unique stone that is strong, but easily cut. The early settlers of beaucaire recognized this and soon began to build most of their structures with it. This durable material has lasted hundreds, if not thousands, of years and will most likely last several more.

Sebastien's home happens to be made of this material. The blocks themselves are about 2 1/2 x 1 x 1 ft. There are three floors, each supported by large timbers, with a fourth floor having been made from the attic. As with most of the homes here, there is no air conditioning, but this is something that I've come to love as the windows are always open to the life beyond them. From my window, I am greeted each morning by the rising sun and a beautiful view of other homes in the area. However, regardless of the old stones, the home itself is decorated in a modern style with a NY influence.

These are just a few details to give an idea where I am staying. As for the trip itself, I will let my photos fill in the blanks and provide some form of chronology.

The TGV station in Lyon: One stop from Avignon!

The streets in Beaucaire leading to Seb's home.

His little brothers left me a sign: "Welcome Spencer!"

Overlooking beaucaire down the street from home

On the battlements of Le Château de beaucaire

Inside Sebastien's home, looking from my window.