From Cassis, France we drove to Avignon. The Provence countryside was rocky not unlike the terrain in Northern California north of San Francisco. The vegetation went from lush to scrubby and back to lush as we dropped down into the Rhone river valley. The weather turned quite dark and threatened rain but we managed to arrive and check into our hotel before the skies truly opened up.
We had input the address of the Avignon tourist office into the GPS and it turned out it is located right inside the old city walls. After we found it we started looking for a place to park. As we were circling blocks we passed by the main train station right outside the walls. Next to it was an IBIS hotel with public parking right in front. It looked like as good a place as any for one night so we went in and got a room, took our bags up to the room and got settled. By this time, it was POURING.
Our room was nothing special but it was clean and neat. It had a splendid view of the city from our small window. I actually took this picture the next morning when it had dried out a little. In the distance you can see the large Palais des Papes (The Popes' Palace).
Even though it was raining it was still time for lunch and we were starving. So we braved the raindrops and walked into town. I had dreams of crepes for lunch but after we had walked about 15 minutes without finding a creperie with seating, we finally settled in at a bistro. Dom had a beef stew (daube) and I had a wonderful goat cheese salad.
It was still pouring when we finished so we made our way back to the hotel and napped until dinner time. By 7 pm the rain had stopped so we went out for a stroll around the town. We walked over to the Palais des Papes which was closed at this hour. This photo shows the palace with the steeple of church to the left.
Here is a picture of the church with its large, gold statue of the Madonna on top of the bell tower.
Our meanderings took us outside the walls where we could see "Le Pont d'Avignon." I remember singing that song dozens of times in French class in school. Since I started French in First Grade it was probably hundreds of times. The bridge was designed to link the town of Avignon with the Villeneuve across the river where many of the cardinals and other church officials built their palaces during the time the Popes were in residence in Avignon. However, the Rhone is a mighty river and the bridge never lasted for long. It has been half gone for a long time. You can pay to walk out on it but we just looked at it.
The Palais des Papes is built on a huge rock. Just before we walked through the tunnel at left, I noticed a plaque that said the tunnels were built in the 1990s! You can see the old city wall on top of the tunnels. We drove in and out of these the next day when we parked our car in the parking garage underneath the plaza in front of the palace.
The Palais des Papes is a fascinating structure and well worth visiting. It is one of the largest and most important medieval Gothic buildings in Europe and was residence of the Roman Catholic popes from 1309 until 1377. Since 1995 it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This photo is a view of one of the internal courtyards and is often wrongly called the cloister. However, it was the inspiration for many monastic cloisters.
Included in the price of admission is an audioguide. I got carried away listening to the information and did not take many pictures. This was the "Grande Chapelle" or Large Chapel. It would have been the "St. Peter's" of its day.
After we finished touring the palace we wandered over to the church next door. Mass had just finished but we peaked inside and took a look in the many side chapels. It is a lovely structure but not nearly as interesting as the palace.
This was the view from above the plaza in front of the palace. You can see out over the rooftops of Avignon into the Provencal countryside.
I noticed there is a lovely courtyard between some of the buildings on the far side of the piazza.
It is full of statues and greenery and was probably once some noble or merchant's escape from the frenzy of the town and the intrigues of the papal court.
After we finished our tour of the papal palace we began our drive to Capannori. It took us about seven hours which is about an hour longer than it should have. Our biggest problem was staying awake. We made numerous stops to switch drivers, have a bite of lunch, find a cash machine, get gas, and get ice cream bars. Generally, whoever was not driving promptly fell asleep. Jet lag is a real problem when one has to make a long drive.
Nonetheless, we finally arrived in Capannori where it was once more raining hard. We took our bags up to the apartment where we found everything in order EXCEPT the terrace. The pigeons had made it their own over the summer and that issue deserves a post of its own.
We went out for a quick dinner and then crawled into bed, happy to be in our place once more.
Coming soon: Pigeon Eviction!
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