Off to Avignon

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Our last day in St. Remy, Matt and I went back to Joel Durand Chocolaterie. The chocolate man himself was there in the shop, and gave us each a sample of a couple of his famed seasonal chocolates. Vinegar with honey truffle covered in dark chocolate, and dark chocolate with cinnamon. We bought some of his letter chocolates that spelled "Matt Robyn," and said our goodbye.

Next, Matt and I visited the must-see still-functioning asylum where Van Gough stayed. It was very interesting and a little creepy, walking through his actual room, and looking out the barred window to the wilting crops in the backyard. Psychiatry has taken off since his time, and doctors back in the day used to treat their patients with shock-therapy, throwing them in a bathtub filled with cold water and covering it with a plank of wood with only a hold for their head. We were able to walk outside in the surrounding asylum grounds, and saw the real locations that inspired some of Van Gogh's paintings, including those with workers in the field, and the twisted olive trees.

On the way to Avignon, we stopped in the quaint Vaison la Romain, where we ducked into a little dessert and tea salon when it started to drizzle. The cute cafe was run by a very friendly Frenchman who looked like Dennis Quaid. It was empty when we walked in but other visitors slowly trickled in, and the air filled with freshly-baked dense chocolate cake, blueberry scones, and other delectable baked goods. In this Tea Salon, I bought a little plush bear wearing a soft brown hooded jacket. His feet still smell like cinnamon.



Perhaps our new favorite city in France (outside of Paris of course), was Avignon. Like a small walkable Paris with a friendlier atmosphere, it offered everything you'd need. Matt and I returned the car at the Hertz site near the main station, and took a short bus ride into town. The bus stop was around the corner from our hotel, which was very convenient.



By the time we arrived in Avignon, the sun had set, so we had time to go for a short walk around town, and have a drink at a open-all-night cafe in the square around the corner. That cafe became our favorite of the city.

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