June 12: Traveling back in time

Today we spent the morning in the medieval town of Les Baux-de-Provence, which is perched on top of one of the peaks of the Alpilles mountains northeast of Arles. It is listed as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France. Going back to ancient times, the castle was built starting in the 11th century.  Our students spent an hour exploring the chateau that was once part of the town’s defenses. They climbed up towers and took in the vistas of olive orchards, vineyards, and surrounding small mountains. Lavender and rosemary gardens were sprinkled throughout, and there were life-size replicas of a battering ram and trébuchets. This area is also the setting of the films Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, which students watch in French II and III. 

After some time to explore, shop, and have lunch, the group hiked down to visit the Carrières des Lumières. This is a site of a former quarry that has now been designed as an immersive art and media show of famous artists and their works, accompanied by music of the era. Today we saw two shows, one dedicated to the work of impressionist artist Claude Monet and another dedicated to the work of Henri Rousseau. The art is projected on the many walls of the cave, and the air felt cool after a sunny experience at Les Baux. This tied in nicely with some of the research students did in French IV honors this year, where they researched different artists.