As you well know, I don’t need much excuse to get out the door. However, as we are smack between winter cold-fleeing season and our upcoming Big Scram™, we’ve been stationary. Parked at home, mired in routine, and puzzling out plans for our upcoming around the world trip.
But then, disaster struck! Or mild inconvenience at any rate. We had a spell of rain. Inside the apartment, which is never good. The inclement weather started the night before Easter, never the most propitious moment to find a plumber. We had no water, then a temporary fix of cold water only. We did our best impressions of Stoics, embracing the discomfort to better appreciate our daily luxuries when said luxuries would be returned to us. That noble exercise lasted until we discover that the needed part would take a week longer than expected. What’s a poor Stoic to do? The ancients never mentioned fleeing, unless is was by exile. So we went a little off-script. Road trip!
The gods definitely smiled on the adventure; I scored such a good last-minute car rental deal that it merited a high-five from our friend Paula, who is the doyenne of the travel deal. Where to go and what to do? The Ardeche region had been calling to us for some time. It’s not terribly far from here in Montpellier, just under 2 hours away by car. It’s a calcareous region, run through with gorges and dotted with caves, the most famous one being that marvel of prehistoric art, Chauvet.
In a little over an hour, I booked a hotel and we threw our bags together. I was not over thinking this one. We stayed in St. Martin d’Ardeche, which is across the river from a Plus Beau Village. I’ve mentioned these towns before, they’re small villages given the distinction of being some of the most beautiful in France. The ones we’ve seen have all been beautiful, as expected, but some are no longer living towns. Aiguéze is definitely not dead, we found it lively and full of people who were clearly locals.
The path there
The next morning we were back in the car for the main event. Chauvet cave was discovered in 1994, and has never been open to the public. The cave we would be seeing is a reproduction. Being able to see the art works in 3 dimensions is a worthwhile effort as far as I’m concerned, reproductions or not. We booked a guided tour, which is the only way to see it. The tour was in French, not a problem for us, but they offer a recorded tour in many other languages. No photos allowed, which was nice. I can’t imagine getting the suspension of disbelief that a reproduction would require while my fellow tourists were jockeying for selfie positions.
Where the magic happens
The cave is fully reproduced, but condensed. It’s the largest cave reproduction, 10 times bigger than Lacaux. It’s a tremendous counterfeit. The fake cave give you an experience of awe*, squared. First is seeing the works themselves, accurately and faithfully copied, which are stunningly modern. The second blast of wonder comes from the technological miracle of duplicating the cave in minute detail. The cave formations are simply incredible and the stalactites are indistinguishable from the real deal. A Parisian friend, who is an art historian, told me that perfumers have recreated the subtle scent of the real cave for the fake one. That, plus the the chilly temperature, makes the illusion complete.
I was gobsmacked by simultaneously looking at something that was convincingly 35,000 years old and something that is a marvel of technology. Mind boggled. Alas, no photos here. You’ll have to rely on the googles, and thank the technology gods that such awesome things are easily available.
*Awe, not available at the gift shop
Cheers!
Maer
The Let's Get Lost Game 
Loved the realization of the situation and last minute escape to fun 🤩 ~ well done mates 🙌
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Yes, I was gobsmacked by Chauvet, too. I had the impression that our ancestors of 35,000 years ago were not long from dragging their knuckles on the ground. The artwork – and done in the difficult conditions of the cave – was eye-opening.
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