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Geo: 43.9486, 4.80597
Bonsoir!
Took the bullet train -- the high-speed non-stop TGV -- out of Gare de Lyon train station in Paris yesterday morning for a quick, 2 1/2 hour trip to Avignon in the Provence region of southern France. When purchasing the tickets ahead of time online, first class tickets were only $8 more, so we jumped on that. Made for a really comfortable and enjoyable jaunt.
Avignon was ten degrees warmer and much sunnier than the Paris we left. It's just an hour north of Marseille and the Mediterranean Sea and in the heart of fresh and healthy eating and lavender country. It was also the temporary home of the papacy for about 100 years from the early 14th Century to the early 15th Century, so its most prominent historical features and buildings grew out of that era.
We've explored Pont St. Benezet (the St. Benezet Bridge) -- the pont d'Avignon of nursery rhyme fame -- and the Palace of the Popes (Palais des Papes), as well as the streets, plazas, and churches of this town since we've been here.
We weren't very familiar with the nursery rhyme, but the tune sounded a little more familiar and the rhyme itself is quite catchy:
"Sur
le pont d'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse, sur le pont d'Avignon, on y danse tour en rond."
On the bridge of Avignon, we will dance, we will dance, on the bridge of Avignon, we will dance all in a circle.
The remains of the bridge, built between 1171 and 1185 (we are continually amazed at the timeframe of historical buildings and events in Europe compared to the 'young' United States), today extend only halfway across the Rhone River.
The Palace of the Popes is a sprawling and impressive palace/castle/fortress that was the most fortified palace of its age, since the pope left Rome to be more secure. It was enthralling to tour the rooms and halls that were the home for nine popes outside of Rome.
Have had a low and a VERY high in the dining category for our two dinners in Avignon so far. Last night's was quite expensive and quite forgettable -- although it's hard to forget a bad meal -- which reinforced our general dislike for overly prepared, fancy meals. Tonight's dinner at L'Spice and Love, on the other hand, was truly wonderful, with fresh ingredients simply prepared with a Provencal French flair.
It almost didn't happen, though. We peeked in the window from the street and knew we wanted to dine there. When we walked in, however, we saw it was packed. And, when we were asked if we had a reservation, we thought "oh, no." Instead, we were led through the dining area to a small, funky lounge-type room next to the kitchen and asked if this would be OK, Of course, we said "Oui! Merci!" and settled into a long, enjoyable dining experience.
We split a remarkable starter dish, an eggplant mousse with a red pepper and tomato sauce alongside a fresh greens salad. For our main plates, Sharon had a forest mushroom and pasta dish with slightly warmed fresh salad vegetables ("legumes"😉 in a balsamic glaze. Mike had a small hen (perhaps something like a Cornish game hen, though we couldn't read anything on the menu . . . postscript, come to find out the translation for coquelet is cockerel or young rooster) lovingly baked and smothered in an earthy, spicy Mediterranean red sauce with spiced cous cous and fresh green beans. A bottle of local Cotes de Rhone red wine balanced the meals nicely. And, of course, we split a dessert, a melt-in-your-mouth crème broule.
Outside our room at Hotel Le Colbert
Really. Literally outside the windows of our room looking down Rue Agricol Perdiguier. Delicieux! Good thing we were just a three-block walk from our hotel!
Speaking of our hotel, ours -- Hotel Le Colbert -- is quite lovely, just inside the walled Gothic city area and walkably convenient to everything. It's a restored manor house, richly decorated in warm colors, French country décor, and theater arts posters. (Avignon is home to a hugely popular theater festival every July) The light breakfast this morning was perfect.
Tomorrow, we'll take in the town market, the Roman aquaduct at Pont du Gard, and nearby hill towns Les Baux and St. Remy-de-Provence.
Au revoir.
Mike and Sharon
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