My son and I are leaving our small town in southeastern United States to live for a year in a small town in southeastern France. It couldn't possibly be THAT different, right?

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Aven d'Orgnac

    The cave, Aven d'Orgnac, is located in the department of Ardèche about an hour from where we live.  The winding roads that lead there take you by vineyards and groves of cherry trees.
    The cave was discovered in 1935 by Robert de Joly and his team of explorers.  Its impressive stalagmites and stalactites began hundreds of thousands of years ago and continue to grow at a rate of one centimeter per century.


The cave is classed as a "Grand Site de France."


We arrived in time for the 3:00 tour, which was a very popular slot.  Our group was huge.  I thought that maybe everyone had gone to the beach on this long weekend, but I guess not.


Using a point-and-shoot without a flash, the photos do not do the place justice.  That's why I buy postcards.


We walked down 763 steps, but fortunately, there was an elevator to bring us back up.


After the tour.  


In the playground next to the parking lot.


Jed loves a zip line!


On the way home, we stopped for a quick Vivarais wine tasting and bought two bottles.  While we were there, a local came in with a big box and filled up with five liters of wine from one of these hoses. I had never seen a wine filling station before.  It's pretty cool----and much cheaper too!



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