I am still thinking about my YUMMY and fun meal experience last night…..YUMMY, YUMMY, YUMMY…..
I was up early thibs morning…6:30 to be exact. After my YUMMY meal last night (one more time that I can say YUMMY!) and before I went to bed, I got my train and bus schedules out for review, so that I could decide on my plan of attack for today. The train schedule to Avingnon did not seem complete to me. There were only a few trains listed on the schedule that were leaving from Arles, when my tour book said there were trains about every half hour. But, I knew I could get a train for Avignon at 8:40 and also a bus to Aix en Provence at about the same time. So, I went to bed and decided that I would figure it out in the morning over coffee and a croissant. Again, YUMMY! (one more time for YUMMY….there I said it again. HA!)
It was an early morning, as I didn’t sleep well. I haven’t slept that well here in France. I never really get adjusted to the time change coming in this direction. At about 10:00 pm, I am so sleepy that I can’t keep my eyes open. So, I turn the light out and close my eyes. At 2:30 I am usually still awake. YiKES! I need to go home soon so that I can get a good night’s sleep. Oh well.
As Mike and I have traveled quite a bit, we are pretty good at understanding how to maximize the expertise of the people at the hotel and their knowledge of the area. So, this morning, I sought out the aid of the nice young man at the front desk, who now knows me well because I have so many flipping questions….very nice guy. Anyway, after some review, he and I decided that I could go to the train station and be fairly confident that I would get a train to Avignon in a very short amount of time, no matter what. Thus, my plan for the day.
Avignon is a bigger than Arles, but still pretty small as compared to places like Paris So, getting around was a cinch. I stopped at the very helpful Tourist Information Center when I got off the train, and picked up a map of the city and some touring tips. I was given a pass that would allow me to get a discount on museums after the first one visited, which was very exciting and in keeping with the “getting the best deal” philosophy. I was very happy.
Avignon is a very old “walled” city. Amazingly enough, the whole wall around the city is in tact. I have been to a lot of these old cities, but have never encountered one that has the ancient wall still surrounding the place…at least, I don’t remember it. I spent a fair amount of time wandering the old maze-like streets. The weather was absolutely phenomenal today, so I could spend a lot of time outside walking and enjoying the sunshine.
My first monument visit was to the Saint-Benezet Bridge because it was one of the cheaper sites that I wanted to see. I figured I would go for the discounted rate on one of the heavier hitters. Turned out to be a good plan.
The bridge was built during the 12th century, destroyed and rebuilt in the early 1200s. It was the first link between Rome and France across the Rhone River. I use the term “link” lightly. I learned today that Avignon was the center of the Roman Papacy…so, this is really the link…not so much geographically. Although, geography did play a part at that time. But, more about that later. The building of the bridge was spearheaded by Saint Benezet, who told everyone that God came down and instructed him to build a bridge here. Most people thought he was “touched”..you know….”nuts”. He probably was, but as it turns out, he was able to raise enough money to make this happen. The bridge became a major route for trade and pilgrims and helped France to gain a stronghold. What I do know is that the view from the bridge is one of the most beautiful scenes I have viewed on the trip. The tour book said this is the most moving sight in Avignon. I am inclined to agree.
The view of the Rhone from the bridge includes a path on either side that is lined with trees. The backdrop to this is the city of Avignon. Just gorgeous. Check out the pictures on my Facebook page.
My next stop was at a patissier (bakery) for a bite to eat. I had some kind of puff pastry sandwich that was filled with….you guessed it….cheese. I also had a pain raisin, which is my favorite of all the French pastry desserts. YUMMY! This tasty meal was under 5 Euros.
I also visited the Palais de Papes….quite an impressive structure. You all probably know this…I wasn’t paying attention in world history class, but, at one point, there were 2 centers for the church, Rome and Avignon. There were a total of 6 Popes who ran the church from here over time. So, here’s the “link” to Rome I talked about above. Avignon and Rome were connected through the church and the papacy. Later on, the church created one center in Rome. But, not until this vast palace was built on the backs of the towns people. As I listened to the audio guide, I was struck by the influence and power of the church at this time. Maybe it’s still like that…I’m not involved too much in religion. But, I doubt it is anything like this. This was really a big business enterprise. The Palais employed hundreds of people to do the tasks in the building and to count and protect all of the money that was collected for the church. Of course, only CERTAIN people could have access to the money and they had it hidden away. Sounds like my last job.
I have to say that about halfway through the tour, I was ready to leave, thinking about the power of man over man in those days through the church. What happened to benevolence and piety? But, then, as I continued on, I also realized that major the church had a large part to play in the development of at least art and music. That made me feel a little bit better. It’s kind of like having a war. We don’t like it, but look at the advancements it brings….kind of a double edged sword. Anyway, the building was interesting and the story even more so.
The Palais is surrounded by a park, which is free to enter. This was outstanding. The views from there were incredible and the fountains, alcoves, ponds and seating invited you to linger. I took a seat at the pond among the ducks and pigeons and contemplated life for a good long time.
At about 4:30, I headed back to the train station to come back to the hotel. I almost made it without buying something, but alas, I got side-tracked…..by a wine store. Hard to believe! This area is the center of the Rhone wine region. The grapes are the same varietal as those we grow and make into wine where we live in California. I really wanted a bottle of a good Rhone blend to drink in my room on my last days here. So, I made this purchase. I will be critiquing it in my next blog post.
My last thought for today is this. One of the downsides to traveling in touristy areas in the off season is definitely the lack of open restaurants. I went out again tonight, only to find that the recommended (actually almost all) of the restaurants were closed. AGAIN. I went to 3 places before I decided to to back to one of those cafes I passed yesterday. My YUMMY restaurant was also closed. I had the equivalent of a pizza (4 different types of cheese) and came back to my room.
I did, however, have a meeting of the minds with one small customer of the restaurant. There was one other couple there with me, who had a 2 year old little boy. He was really cute…and, he really liked me. (I seem to have this effect on little kids.) He joined me at my table and we chatted together…me in English and he in French and we were both very happy. His father spoke some English and did some translation. As it turns out, he was hoping for a “bon bon”. Sadly, I had to disappoint. He was OK with this and as I was getting ready to leave he extended his hand and we shook on it. The perfect ending to a perfect day.
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