Grotte de Chauvet

We left Nîmes quite early this morning and set out for the Ardèche region.  The countryside was nothing short of spectacular, with the Ardèche river meandering though the limestone mountains.  The most breathtaking site was the Pont d’Arc, a natural bridge which spans the river.

In this area we visited the Grotte de Chauvet, or at least the replica of it.   It contains the earliest known and best preserved  cave paintings in the world, as well as other evidence of Upper Paleolithic life. Discovered on December 18, 1994, it is considered one of the most significant prehistoric art sites and has been granted it the World Heritage status.  The artwork in the caves predates Lascaux by about 15000 years.  The dates have been a matter of dispute but a study published in 2012 supports placing the art in the Aurignacian period, approximately 32000–30000 BP (before present).

After saying goodbye to Anne (until I see her in 2 weeks back in Vichy), I headed for Annecy where I am staying with our very dear friends, Roland and Christine.