Bonjour De France!

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Well changing countries is definitely difficult from a language perspective when you keep slipping between "si" and "oui" , "gracias" and "merci"!

We left Barcelona on the 9:25 am TGV to Valence which took us out of the beauty of Spain and into the French countryside. It was a rainy train ride but we were still able to see chateaus and towns perched on hills. The trip to Valence was about 4 hours and when we arrived we waited for about an hour and a half until our train bound for Avignon. That trip was a mere 38 minutes and when we arrived at the Avignon TGV we quickly found out where the local train to Avignon Centre station left from. We hastily purchased our tickets and ran, as we only had 6 minutes before it left and the platform was on the other side, up some stairs and then a ramp. This was not a pretty sight I am sure. I can't imagine the running gait that would have been observed as we chugged along with our heavy backpacks (which are heavier with the wine we purchased).

The ride to Avignon was only 5 minutes and right outside of the train station are the medieval walls of Avignon. We entered and made our way to the hotel (actually more of a university dorm room) without any problem. The man at the desk was very helpful and welcomed us wholeheartedly, offering a map, suggestions for grocery stores and restaurants. He told us that Avignon is very small and it would not take us long to see everything. We told him our plan was to visit Arles and he said that one place we really need to go is to Pont du Gard. Armed with our room key we hiked up 3 flights of stairs, Curtis carrying my backpack on his head! Apparently I was having a hot flash and that pack was not going to work for me 😊. Our room is clean with a small kitchenette. We unpacked necessities and then went out to check out Avignon.

The street we are located on is very nondescript and narrow. The buildings are all cream-coloured and plain and the streets void of people. We passed by a few little markets and stores and were beginning to think that this place did not have much to offer! Suddenly, after a few turns, we arrived at the centre of the old town and were pleasantly surprised by the vibrancy. The streets were filled with people who were zipping in and out of stores. Patisseries with fresh baguettes and sandwiches were bubbling with people and as we neared the Palace of the Popes we enjoyed the pedestrian walkway without the interruption of cars. French restaurants lined the square called Place de l'Horloge which was the town forum in Roman times and the market square through the Middle Ages. This square boasts a medieval clock tower which is somewhat hard to see as it is behind City Hall. At the end of this square there is a huge carousel brightly lit up and spinning children and parents around.

After a long day and a sleepness night we decided to pop into the grocery store and pick up a few things for dinner. We walked down the stairs in the Carrefour and I picked up a basket. An alarm suddenly sounded so I dropped the basket and went through without it. Curtis grabbed it and that was when we heard it go off again. apparently it does so everytime someone takes a basket from the stack! Who knew? I thought it was indicating that I was supposed to pay for it but neglected to!! We wandered the aisles picking up a few things to add to the stash we brought from Barcelona. We headed out into the rain and back to our hotel where we at a nice, quiet dinner.

As we awoke Sunday morning, we could see the sun peeking through our curtains. So much better than the day before! However, after showering and eating we headed down the stairs and out into cloudy skies and cool temperatures. We proceeded down the tiny streets until we came to the Rue de la Republique, the main street, where we went into the Tourism office for some information. The lady explained to us that the only way to get to Pont du Gard was to take a bus. She gave us a schedule and indicated that we would buy the ticket at the bus station. We then purchased a combined ticket to see the Palais des Papes and the St. Benezet Bridge (Pont d'Avignon). Next we headed up to the train station to get information on trains to Arles and checked out the bus station as well. Our plan for Monday is to take the bus to Pont du Gard and on our return take the train to Arles. Hope it all works out!!!!

We then made our way to the Palais des Papes. We entered through the Palace Square which is lined with the Palace of the Popes, Petit Palais and the Cathedral. We learned that the entire Catholic Church was moved to Avignon in the 1300s. The Church bought Avignon from the Queen of Naples. It then erected 3 miles of protective walls, built a 3 acre palace, housing for Cardinals and residences for the entire bureaucracy. The cathedral is heralded over by a huge golden statue of Mary.

We began our tour of the Palace of the Popes which took us over 2 hours. In the early 13th century a French pope, Clement V, was elected and at the urging of the French King, the pope decided that Italy was not safe for a pope so he moved everything to Avignon. The Italians demanded a Roman pope and so from 1378 on there were two popes, one in Rome and the other in Avignon. This caused a rift in the church which lasted until 1417. This barren palace is devoid of furnishings but the audioguide is informative enough that you can imagine how it looked at one time. This Gothic palace was built to hold 500 people and a total of 9 popes ruled here. We enjoyed our walk through this regal building and when we went up one of the towers we had an incredible view of the Rhone, the Pont d 'Avignon and the city itself. We finished our tour and made our way up to the Jardin du Rochers des Doms which must be resplendent in the spring with brilliant flowers and views of the Rhone River Vally and broken bridge. We then made our way to St. Benezet Bridge. As we made our way through the audiotour I kept finding myself singing the song, "Pont d'Avignon" over and over in my head. It's amazing how things from your childhood come back to you! While humming, we walked out through the drawbridge to St. Nicholas' and St. Benezet's chapels. We learned about the 3D reconstruction that has been underway for several years, as scientists, engineers, and architects strive to replicate a model of this magnificent bridge. This bridge was damaged several times by floods and rebuilt but in 1668 most of it was knocked down by icy floods. No money was available to repair it and so for nearly a century there was no bridge across the Rhone. Only 4 of the original 22 arches are standing today.

After finishing the song for the millionth time, we went back to the square and found a place where it was warm to have tea and pizza. Wow, the French make a mean, wood-fired pizza just like in Italy! We continued our way back in the cold rain to our place.

Monday morning found us under sunny skies and the promise of 17 degrees! We set off for the bus station where we awaited bus for Pont du Gard. There was an English couple waiting (not very talkative) and a young French boy playing on his computer. A bus pulled into the #8 bay and we stood up. The boy looked at me and shook his head, speaking to me in French. What he was trying to tell me was that this was not our bus. As we returned to our seat beside him he just smiled at me. I gave him the thumbs up and thanked him for trying to set us straight! He just gave me a sheepish grin. Not long after, our yellow "Edgard" bus showed up and we were off. After about 30 minutes the driver pulled over on a roundabout and announced, "Pont du Gard". We went to leave and he stopped me, pointing us in the right direction as we were virtually out in the middle of nowhere. It was about a 1km walk to this World Heritage Site. We paid our entry fee and walked along, reading all about the numerous Unesco sites in France. We continued on our way until we came to the magnificent Pont du Gard aqueduct. Now the Segovian one was big but this one was huge. It is the tallest aqueduct in the Roman world and it was completed in 5 years! We were able to walk along this Roman aquaduct that carried water 2000 years ago to the city of Nimes. We wandered along the span and then up the walking trails where we were given panoramic, breathtaking views. After hiking along the many trails we made our way back to the Museum where we learned the history of the Nimes aqueduct through documentaries, facts, full-scale models, and mulit-media presentations.

Soon we headed back out to the roundabout where we caught our return bus to Avignon. We rushed back to our hotel, as we had to pay for our room before our departure in the morning and their hours were not really fitting in with our plans!

Next we rushed to catch the train to Arles, which is very quick trip. We exited the station and found the free bus which takes you to the centre of the old town! A convenient perk for sure! Arles is a very beautiful old city. Walking through the streets really gave us the sense of being in France. It was quite busy and there were people sitting in cafes sipping coffee and enjoying the sunshine. Old men were chatting on park benches, while others were playing Bocce ball. We headed off to our first destination, the Theatre Antique. This is a first century B.C. Roman theatre that once seated 10,000 people. It would have been a very elegant outdoor theatre in its day, with tiered seats and towering columns. Only two columns remain, while remnants of others let you imagine how it would have once looked. It was like walking through the Roman Forum on a much smaller scale. We wandered through the blocks of pillars and walls that remain. We then made the short trek to the Roman Arena (amphitheatre), where 2000 years ago gladiators fought wild animals while upwards of 20000 people watched and cheered. Today they hold "bullgames" as well as bullfights. We wandered through the porticos and large arches to the upper deck. We gazed over the city of Arles and beyond and stopped to read about the history of this arena. As we made our way down the stone steps we walked through the lower level where it was dark and quiet. We were amazed at the incredible structures we were able to wander through at our leisure. Next we continued through some of the streets that boasted lavender soaps and herbes de Provence. Everywhere we turned little cafes were tucked into narrow side streets. Unfortunately, we did not do this medieval town justice, as we had very few choices in getting back to Avignon. We really want to return someday to enjoy more of this amazing area! Renting a car would be the way to have the freedom of visiting these wonderful places without being tied to a schedule. Nimes is another place that warranted a visit but will also have to wait and be placed on our growing bucket list.

We arrived back in Avignon and wandered aimlessly through the streets of this beautiful town (when it was not rainy and cold). We wound our way through a myriad of streets, wondering what we would come upon next. We stopped for dinner at a beautiful little sidestreet restaurant. We had first checked out the larger ones in the main square but decided we wanted the quiet ambience of someplace quaint and personal. We were not disappointed. Our waiter was delightful and the only one who was serving in this establishment that catered to 22 people. He never missed a beat and was very friendly, upbeat and efficient.

Provence is incredible and we know that we should have allotted more time here so that we could take out time and explore all the things this area has to offer. We feel that we only got a glimpse of these beautifiul towns and their history. We look forward to our time in Nice but know that this is an area to which we will someday return.

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