Avignon

After we breakfasted under the tree with hot bread, jams, fruit and yoghurt (our hostess drives to the bakery every morning to buy our breakfast) we made our way along the tree lined roads to Avignon. Driving to Avignon was like driving through Aussie (some parts green but always a hint of dust and drought) and I was expecting to see kangaroos hopping along rather than deer that the signs warned us of. Avignon has to be on our ‘favourite city’ list probably because we were relaxed had a few things to look at without much travelling and it was our first visit on this trip to a historic place in France. It is a city nearly completely surrounded by a high stone wall and inside it is the le Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) where we wiled away the hours listening to automated recordings of the lives of the popes while wandering around beautiful stone works, chapels and admiring the view from the top. It had not been 'renovated' like other buildings we have seen and so felt authentic (late 1300's) and there was just enough tapestries and paintings on the walls to take you back to the times of when the popes lived there. (You could picture men clothed in long robes walking through the courtyard with their hands clasped in front or up in prayer). The two popes Benedict XII and his successor Clement VI built this palace of 15,000 m2 (enough for a few people to live in) and we wandered through about 20 rooms where the popes would have slept, eaten, prayed and socialised. The photos show the magnificent view of the city and the Rhône river from the top of the palace, the fireplace that the cooks used and some of the lovely stone work including the gold statue of Mary as she watches over the city. I love admiring the architecture of places like this but it is sobering to think who built and financed such a magnificent building - I assume the poor working classes.

That was exhausting work and we shouted ourselves a late, long and leisurely lunch at a nearby cafe. There Caramello found a friend 'Trev the Traveller' and we have many photos with the two of them - about time he had a friend - but Trev will soon go back to NZ with tales of the rugby world cup.

After lunch there were lots of options and we went for the train trip around Avignon. We were expecting a long commentary about buildings we passed but instead there was a very short French comment and an even shorter English one which we had trouble understanding because of the accent. We really are going to have to learn French!! The train trip took us on the same path that Jim took us earlier when we were trying to find a car park and so although most of it wasn't new it was interesting to see we had found the main sites of the walled city. We had another train trip the next day in Arle which took us through some narrow lanes and where the train was held up due to a truck delivering some furniture. The traffic behind the train got longer and longer, and although the driver immediately behind us was relaxed and smiling the next driver was tooting his horn as though that would achieve something!! I had to laugh as I have just finished a novel set in Paris where the main character arrived in Paris to the tooting of horns by impatient drivers.

Then came the Saint Bénezet Bridge. This bridge was built around about the same time of the palace and was a main route across the river. It had over 100 arches in it and spanned not only the river but huge flood plains. After being rebuilt a number of times during the floods and then the wars it now stands just a few arches long - sort of like the 'bridge to nowhere'. A great spot for pondering about the city and its history and lovely views on a clear, still and warm day.






To finish our time in Avignon we marched to the top of the hill in step to Margot singing a French song. We picnicked back at our place rather late with few eating utensils (as can be evidenced by Jim, Margot and Haz desperate to eat the last of their crème brulee resorting to the fingers). I had a sponge cake which was far easier to eat with a fork.