Ardeche Gorges

For aeons, the Ardeche has wound its way through the limestone of this uplifted area, creating chasms, bridges, twists and turns, and caves. In the 21st century, it is a French playground, everyone sunbathing, wading, swimming, kayaking, and gawking at the views. We were among the last group, gawking and driving now south and west away and toward Spain, but much enjoying our last sights in France for this visit.

The Pont D'Arc

Closer up

Extremely closer up

From other side

Looking into the gorge

All of it well-signed and displayed

Us, there

Chauvet: Caverne Pont D'Arc

In 1994, French spelunkers found a hidden cave in the Ardeche gorges, near the Pont D'Arc, an enormous limestone natural bridge. Subsequent exploration of the cave revealed the greatest of all paleolithic cave art yet discovered, exceeding Lascaux and others in the number and variety of "works" found, animals depicted (some now extinct), and certainly in the artistic quality of the paintings. As Picasso said of Lascaux, "we have learned nothing." The Caverne Pont D'Arc, however, is twice the age of Lascaux, authoritatively dated now to 36,000 years ago. It is all utterly amazing and something we have been wanting to see since it opened in 2015. But wait. You don't get to see the cave itself, which is now closed to all but scientists, archaeologists, art historians, et al. Instead you get to see the Caverne Pont D'Arc replica, similar to those at Lascaux and at Altamira in Spain. Non-specialists will never see Pont D'Arc--to see it in any numbers is to destroy it, as at Lascaux--but we can see this new replica, put together at great expense and labor and utilizing all the 3-D, computer, and other technologies now available. The Smithsonian has a very good article at
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/france-chauvet-cave-makes-grand-debut-180954582/, and, of course, the French have their own extensive website at http://archeologie.culture.fr/chauvet/en/. The latter has a virtual tour of the real cave that is well worth the trouble of finding and manipulating. (The final hall is where the most impressive work can be found). It is all mind-blowing. Unfortunately, there is a no fotos policy in the replica, so most of the pix I can share are from the general area, outside, the museum, and so forth.

Entrance to the replica complex

The museum has life-sized models of the animals, etc; the
French excel in dioramas; here, a wooly mastodon

As depicted in the cave...there are many better representations

Thus, a rhinoceros; common in Europe at the time

Giant elk we have seen before

Humans; dad is saying "OK, that's enough screen time for today"

More pix of pix from the cave

Extensive use of relief, even preparation of the walls for
painting

Lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!

One of the more compelling images...36,000 years ago

Approaching the replica building

A singular building for its singular contents...even replicas

Inside

Just before entering the cave

In the restaurant/snack bar

On To Theuyts And The Ardeche

We proceeded on. Our next objective was the Pretty Little Village of Pradelles, which was over-run by the kind of holiday traffic jam at which the French particularly excel. We drove through the town twice trying to extricate ourselves, and never did see what was supposed to be pretty. So we continued on to the Ardeche, a major river of the south known for its beautiful gorges...and, more recently, for its cave paintings. We got as far as Theuyts, which ought to be considered one of the beaux villages, but isn't.

Just a few hundred meters from the aire de camping-cars in
Theuyts, one of the early gorges on the Ardeche opens...

The Bridge of the Devil...which looked Roman to us

You can do some climbing around the Pont de Diable, using
the Via Ferrata, a route with iron hand- and foot-holds, stairs,
ladders, cables, etc.

Thus; and in English too

Beautiful tree-lined entry to Theuyts

Details of a large mural about work in Theuyts

In the old town, Renaissance architecture here
and there

Liberty Tree?

The aire

Next day, some miles down the road, we came upon this chateau
undergoing renovation

And, the largest relief map ever, so far; 25 feet by 50 feet, I'd
say; a map of the region

There's Theuyts and Pont de Diable

Le Puy En Velay's Cathedral

It's Romanesque-old, large, with some interesting frescoes, but in general did not impress. I think we like our cathedrals set firmly in the past, not the present.

Other things situated on rocks in Le Puy en
Velay: St. Michel d'Aiguilhe chapel

Approaching the main entrance to the cathedral

Coquille St. Jacques

At the entrance

The World Heritage plaque

Oldish column near the entrance

Among the more interesting frescoes left

Another

Big non-Romanesque organ ( despite the architecture, this
place reeked of Baroque)

Main feature, the raiment of the Virgin Mary

Certainly not the "real" raiment; leading me to wonder if they
dress it up on occasion, like the Mannequin Pis; really creepy

Wheel.....of.....Fortune!

More fresco

Early version of the Little Mermaid

Another column of interest, out on the south
porch

Pilgrims (pelerins) or possibly pilgrim re-enactors, approaching
the door where they get blessed (The Way is a really good movie
about the contemporary Camino Santiago)

View of the city from the cathedral grounds

No funny faces here

Door to the cloisters not taken; it was too close
to quittin' time

What we would have seen

Nice tiled steeples

Notre Dame de France (metal, 1860s); "Wave
hello to all the people, Baby J!"

From the aire that evening

Lasting memory of Le Puy en Velay