Avignon

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We nearly missed the train to Avignon. If it hadn't been for a man standing there who told us just to get on as the doors automatically shut and thats it. We made it by about a minute and we weren't the last. The poor girl like us had had extreme difficulty in converting her ticket to an electronic one. She had given up and just got got on the train with her friend throwing her bags on. It was an incredibly fast train. Top speed of 360km per hour. There wasn't a great deal to see out the window as it was quite misty. The northern parts of France are very neat and orderly. Every pieces of land is farmed, no waste.
Avignon is the most beautiful little city. The central part of the town is inside a wall. It is completely in tacked all the way around. Within the wall is a Palace.It was built by the popes in 800 years ago. It was the most wonderful place to visit. No cues and very cheap. We spent the whole afternoon wandering around inside.. We were able to use hand held guides which told you what everything was etc. It has been one of my favourite visits. We had dinner that night a a lovely restaurant. It was beginning to rain so we needed to find the closest one and a good choice it was too. The history of the popes is quite fascinating which I won't go into as it is a university paper in itself. Suffice to say the popes were very powerful and extremely wealthy. (I need to hunt out the map for more info)

We visited the 'Pont Du Gard' on our way to Perpignan. Again no one about and very cheap to visit. It is absolutely fascinating. An aqueduct built by the Romans to carry water from a spring to the city of Nemes, Quite a feat of engineering. It is well preserved and you are able to go along the top as of May 1st. One day too early.

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