Too hot: we quit
No more sighteseeing for us. We could barely walk around the last two days and now we're facing temperatures of over 100. We are currently in an air conditioned apartment-hotel close to Aix-en-Provence. Our plans include sightseeing from an air conditioned car.
We've been in Nimes for two nights and drove the backroads to Orange one day. On the way, we drove through more cute, quaint towns which are the highlight of the whole trip. It's amazing how good the roads are whether they're motorways or one lane roads.
Nimes and Orange both have famous arenas. The one in Orange has concerts and other events and the one in Nimes has gladiator demonstrations.
We saw the side road for the Chateauneuf du Pape so we drove to it. The actual winery is outside the city. The town is on a hillside and the streets are so narrow that they've made a one way route so people can drive in and out. We found parking at the top but it was too hot to walk into the town.
Nicole has been learning the rules of the roundabouts since there seems to be one every couple of miles. We've only had to go around 3 times once to find the correct exit. What's more annoying is the tailgating drivers who are looking for a chance to pass the car. Proper etiquette is to slow down a little and edge over to the right. I read a couple of articles on French driving and they said the French love to overtake other cars, often missing the front bumper of the car they're passing by inches. They also speed an average of 20 km over the speed limit according to the article. We can't understand why they continue to do that since there's lots of speed cameras, sometimes even in the small towns.
I mentioned previously that many hotel receptions are closed from 12 to 2 or 3. The same siesta rule seems to apply to parking. In Nimes, we found street parking in front of the apartment both days. You must pay for parking, 1 to 3 euros an hour depending on the region of the city. But not all day and all night--just 8 to 12 and 2 to 7. You also get 1/2 hour free which appears on your receipt from the pay machine. They also have 10 minute free parking spaces in front of certain buildings.
It's 99 here at 5 p.m. We're waiting until dusk to use the pool. It's too hot to get into water. Sad.
We've been in Nimes for two nights and drove the backroads to Orange one day. On the way, we drove through more cute, quaint towns which are the highlight of the whole trip. It's amazing how good the roads are whether they're motorways or one lane roads.
Nimes and Orange both have famous arenas. The one in Orange has concerts and other events and the one in Nimes has gladiator demonstrations.
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| Arena in Nimes |
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| Orange |
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| St. Perpetua, Nimes |
We saw the side road for the Chateauneuf du Pape so we drove to it. The actual winery is outside the city. The town is on a hillside and the streets are so narrow that they've made a one way route so people can drive in and out. We found parking at the top but it was too hot to walk into the town.
Nicole has been learning the rules of the roundabouts since there seems to be one every couple of miles. We've only had to go around 3 times once to find the correct exit. What's more annoying is the tailgating drivers who are looking for a chance to pass the car. Proper etiquette is to slow down a little and edge over to the right. I read a couple of articles on French driving and they said the French love to overtake other cars, often missing the front bumper of the car they're passing by inches. They also speed an average of 20 km over the speed limit according to the article. We can't understand why they continue to do that since there's lots of speed cameras, sometimes even in the small towns.
I mentioned previously that many hotel receptions are closed from 12 to 2 or 3. The same siesta rule seems to apply to parking. In Nimes, we found street parking in front of the apartment both days. You must pay for parking, 1 to 3 euros an hour depending on the region of the city. But not all day and all night--just 8 to 12 and 2 to 7. You also get 1/2 hour free which appears on your receipt from the pay machine. They also have 10 minute free parking spaces in front of certain buildings.
It's 99 here at 5 p.m. We're waiting until dusk to use the pool. It's too hot to get into water. Sad.
ACK!! A heat wave all over France ans you got to be there for it...
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