Easter in Arles

Once you’re in Arles, go to one of the local churches you might be interested in, and check for services’ hours, which should be displayed at the entrance … just like in most churches in the world I guess 😉

Catholic masses here start usually around 10 am.

CRC

grammyg: I am not familiar with Arles although it is very historic and is supposed to be very beautiful as well. All cities in France have an abundance of Churches so that should not be a problem. Easter is referred at Paques or something like that. (Pronounced "park&quot. You will absolutely love France. Bon Voyage. Donerail

Do follow the advice above about checking times at the church. There may be a Catholic church on every corner in France but they do not all have Mass every Sunday. There aren’t enough priests for all the churches so the towns share a priest and rotate Sundays. I’m sure they will post Easter services prominently. You can also ask at your hotel.

The rotation thing seems like a nuisance, but we’ve visited towns we would never have seen because of this. It’s really interesting. I suspect the Easter service will be in the largest church in the area and I’m also sure that in a town the size of Arles, there will be several services on Easter.

Enjoy your trip.

Thanks for the responses. It’s hard to believe a week from now we wil be on our way to France!

We are all too familiar with the reality of the short supply of priests in relation to the number of churches. We here in the Boston Archdiocese are in the midst of the closings of many, many parishes, which will be most difficult. But I’m sure we will find a service in Arles that we can attend on Easter. We will be in Paris for Palm Sunday, and hope to get to Notre Dame then. Once again, thanks for your kind thoughts.

If you’re in Notre Dame for Mass, check their schedule. They have a Gregorian Mass that has a boy choir that is heavenly. You sit and listen to the beautiful voices in that gorgeous cathedral and feel like you have already died and gone to heaven. Do get there early though as it’s more crowded than the other Masses.

Here is the web site. Perhaps you can check the schedule before you go.
http://www.cathedraledeparis.com

We were fortunate enough to be at a quadruple beatification with the Pope in Rome last week. It was thrilling . . . and totally unexpected. An Italian woman we met told us about it.

Have a wonderful time.

For Sal B.:

Thanks for the input. We are hoping to go to Mass at Notre Dame on Palm Sunday, and the possibility of hearing Gregorian Chant in those surroundings is certainly riveting. I had come across the website for the cathedral in my surfing, and have it bookmarked for reference early next week.

Your mention of Rome and St. Peter’s brought back great memories of our trip there in 1999. A thrilling experience!

We are really getting excited about leaving next Wednesday. My brother and his wife took us to dinner locally last night to a restaurant run by a couple from Brittany…a taste of things to come. The meal was great, and we spent time gaining some good advice from the owners. They were so friendly and helpful in their comments.

Thanks for your help.

donerail, As I recall, you are going to Annecy. Do take the time to drive up the D909 through St. Jean-de-Sixt (where there is a cute little Savoyard Museum worth a half hour or so) to la Clusaz. Find Le Savoie Hotel right near the center of town and plan a leisurely meal at Les Airelles Restaurant at the hotel. See if you can get a corner table looking out over the ski slopes. They use them for hiking in the summer so it’s fun any time of year. I highly recommend their marquis au chocolat for dessert!

The D909 is a scenic route and deservedly so. It’s a lovely drive unless the fog sets in. I do hope you enjoy your trip. We love that area.

SalB: Thank you so much for the spots in and around Annecy. We leave on Thursday. The D909 looks pretty hilly beyond la Clusaz. We would like to continue that drive thru to the 508 for the return to Faverges. (We are staying in LeTertenoz.) Or would backtracking on the D909 be the recommendation? Donerail

The road beyond la Clusaz is very hilly and narrow with lots of switchbacks (lacets). It you are uncomfortable driving in very mountainous terrain on narrow roads, you would be much happier going back. Follow signs to Menthon-St.-Bernard and you’ll come down to Lac Annecy where you can turn left onto (yes) D909 around the lake (on the shore) to the N508 to your hotel. There are two branches of the D909, one up in the mountains and one down by the lake. I suppose this makes some sort of perverse sense to someone, but it is very confusing.

When all else fails, we follow signs to the next town. That nearly always works. We’ve found some very interesting sights by getting lost.

I hope you have a wonderful trip.