Avignon
Sunday, 10th August 2008
We booked a taxi for 7.00 am so that we could get an early train to Avignon. We had to change trains at the border at Cervaire where we had some lunch and waited with the other passengers.
We arrived in Avignon just before 5.00 pm. The hotel Bristol was within walking distance of the station and very central. I told Kitty I would do a walk around town to have a look around and be back by 7.00 pm - we could then go and see the Pope's palace together. There was plenty of afternoon light left so I set off on the red route marked on a tourist map of the town. The town is very italienate in architectural style with some medieval touches and a bit of Spanish influence as well. Like most of France it is strongly Roman Catholic with all the church buildings prevalent in towns of this size.
Avignon is ringed by medieval style walls used for defence in the past. The streets are circular following the direction of the walls. It's quite easy to become disoriented.
The river Rhone runs past the town and there was a fair bit of tourist traffic on the water. You can see the famous Avignon bridge in the background. The bridge is made famous in the well-known song 'Sur le pont d'Avignon...'
A fair was being held near the waterfront and the main road passed the town between the river and the walls.
A monument looked out over the river.
After checking out the waterfront I crossed the main road again and entered the city through a gate in the wall. I then followed the wall around along this narrow street. Avignon is a town designed for tourists and has many pedestrian zones and few cars. This tourist train on rubber wheels took people on a sightseeing tour through the town.
As it was Sunday, the shops were closed (no more Spanish hours) but you can see the prevalent style displayed in this window. There were some very expensive boutiques in town. Along the wall there were access gates to allow people to enter the town from different directions. The town is very clean and continually maintained.
I returned to the hotel and collected Kitty and we set off. I knew where to go now and it wasn't all that far on foot. The Pope's palace is pretty impressive with a grand square in front. I had to photograph the paving which was designed to indicated pathways across.
Inside the main courtyard was a theatre for concerts or performances.
The medieval architecture featured beautifully carved windows emulated in catholic churches all over the world. A model of the complex showed the extent of the buildings. Some of the original tiles had been saved. They showed the Spanish influence in the construction.
We had an audio guide which was excellent but had to hurry as it was now getting late and we were in the last group of tourists. After leaving the palace we walked back to the main street and had a meal at a roadside cafe. I had steak and beans and potatoes - somehow I needed a bit of protein. We talked about what time we would leave in the morning and back at the hotel set the alarm for 5.30 am. The hotel room was very good - it had a good bathroom, a separate toilet and it was air-conditioned - such a change from Barcelona.