Provins

Yesterday we visited Provins, a medieval fortified town about 1.5 hrs SE of Paris. The town was located at the crossroads of major European trade routes between Flanders and Italy. Twice a year, wholesale merchants would gather for trade fairs in the city. The area was known for its woolen goods and trade reached its peak during the 12th and 13th centuries.

The town is now known for its ramparts, Tower, and subterranean caves which were used to store and display goods for trade. 

Ramparts built between 11th & 13th centuries

Caesar's Tower

Vaulted caverns used to display goods

Diorama representing spice trader in the Grange aux Dimes

You can learn more about the town's history here.

Paris by night

The tango dancing that you saw in yesterday's post is located just steps away from Notre Dame. I know it's a cliché, but no matter how many times I see this sight, it still takes my breath away.

Tango on the Seine

Every evening in the summer (weather permitting) people gather on the left bank of the Seine to dance. Last Saturday night Patrice and I decided to check it out.

The weather was perfect for picnics and dancing. We discovered that several kinds of dances are represented from salsa to tango to traditional folk dances. Dancing is free and open to all ages and all levels of expertise.

No, we didn't join in. We just watched and took pictures. Maybe next time.

Swimming in Paris

Summer finally came to Paris - and stayed for exactly five days. Blue skies arrived last Sunday when we went to Paris Plages. On Monday we went swimming in one of Paris' uncovered swimming pools.

Temperatures climbed into the high 80s and people started complaining about the heat as very few buildings have air conditioning. Then, on Friday, the clouds came back. Today it's cloudy with highs in the low 70s F. But, hey, I'm not complaining. It could be much worse when I see weather conditions around the world.

Paris beach

Can you believe that we just visited some fabulous beaches on the Atlantic coast and didn't even walk on the beach or dip our toes in the ocean? Crazy. So now we've returned to Paris and what did we do yesterday? We went to "Paris Plages." It's Paris' version of vacation beaches for those who can't leave the city. They close off a stretch of road along the Seine and truck in tons of sand. They install a few umbrellas and deck chairs and call it a beach. The "beach" is much smaller this year than last - but we still managed to find a place to catch some rays and play a game of chess.

There are plenty of games and animation for kids.

And of course lots of buckets and shovels for building sand castles

There's even a shower so that you can cool off when you get too hot.

But no swimming. So today we're going to try out one of the many swimming pools in Paris.

La Rhune

One of the main tourist attractions in the Basque country is the Rhune, a Basque sacred mountain that rises 3000 feet above the surrounding countryside and gives a 360 degree view of the Pyrenees mountains and the Atlantic coast from Biarritz all the way south to San Sebastian. We took the Petit Train - a cog railway - to the top.

The climb to the top of the mountain is steep - as much as 25% grade in some sections.

The mountain is inhabited by pottok a semi-feral breed of pony native to the Pyrenees of the Basque country. We also saw some impressive birds of prey but they are much harder to photograph.

 Time to say goodbye to the Pyrenees and the ocean - it's time to return to the city. Sigh.

Moto

On Sunday we decided to head south along the coast into Spain to have a picnic. Gerard and Flo rode their motorcycle and we did our best to try and keep up with them.

It's easy to find Flo in a crowd

And her bright red hair makes it easy to identify her on the back of the motorcycle

Destination: San Sebastian