Avignon and Arles

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From the moment you depart the old train station in Avignon and enter the fortified walls, the town feels like a petite Paris. The pedestrian friendly (and car un-friendly) streets are fun to stroll, full of shops and cafes. In fact, the main avenue leading from the train station to the Palace of the Popes was widened and modeled after the Champs Elysees. The park atop the hill near the palace of the popes makes for stellar views of the river below.

For a great time find local café Celestine. Robyn and I imbibed for hours here while our laundry tumbled dry in the nearby Laundromat. Across the square from Celestine you can get a great tart from Ginette and Marcel.

We day tripped over to nearby Arles but it failed to impress us. The small market was just so-so and walking this city felt touristy despite the lack of shops and cafes. The only things that were open seemed to be the tourist attractions, such as the roman theater and nearby ruins. The most enjoyable element to Arles was getting a bite near Le Café de Nuit and marveling at the spot where newly appreciated Van Gogh painted. Also fun was seeing the location where he pained his residence in Arles, The Yellow House. The house is gone now, destroyed in WWII, but you can still get a café at the building behind where it once stood, and if you’re sitting in under the awning in front, you’d be sitting where Van Gogh once did.

For our last meal here we greatly enjoyed Chez Francois, complete with a excellent Montage St. Emilion wine (details below).

La Croix de Plagne

from Montagne Saint Emilion

2009

Bordeaux



Our Champagne for this location (a new bottle in every stop) was Denis Pere & Fills Champagne. We enjoyed it but Pol Roger is still the top of our list.

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