Blogs from Avignon, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France, Europe - page 16

August 19, 2007 - Today, since it is Sunday, we were advised to go south and head to a bastide or two, (or 5) and see some local fetes which included demonstrations of old crafts and game tournaments. We thought this was a great idea but headed off West first, since some of the things we wanted to see didn’t start until 3 PM. So, we drove to Narac, one of the homes of Henry IV, who, it turns out, was a bit of a rabbit (their term, not mine!). Anyway, he had a really nice castle that we went to visit in the New City, after having lunch in the Old City. It seems the age differentiation is the Renaissance. Both were very picturesque and a good time was had. (Rereading this, I may sound ... read more

Day 8 (5): On our way to the French Rivera, we made a pit stop in Avignon. I slept on the way there and I didn't even realize that we were going to make a stop at somewhere THAT big!! I thought it was just going to be a rest area. :) I bought the oil of avocado soap and Dan got another kind. It was a nice little city... lots of groups singing, promoting their show. Dan and I got lured into a cafe because we needed a bathroom (wow, how sad). We had the most expensive ham and cheese omelette ever...! but it was worth it. Also, a medium sized drink cost us 5 euros EACH. Hm... oh well. And unfortunately we were late by one minute (did I mention that my group was ... read more

AVIGNON 19th May 2007 (Saturday Sunshine and 29º) Today we jump into the FFF and cruise a few of the local attractions. First on our list is the town of Orange (pronounced Or-arn-je), which is 30 kilometres north of Avignon. There are two reasons why we are visiting: 1. I grew up in Orange (NSW Australia) and I want to hang out on the City outskirts and have my picture taken with the Orange city limits sign. This will be matched with a similar photo from my hometown - I don’t fully understand my reasoning here either. 2. Orange is home to one of the best-preserved Roman Amphitheatres in the world. Or-arn-je is much like its’ Australian namesake - it is peaceful and pretty on this sunny day in spring. The locals are out having brunch ... read more

The TGV is a very fast train. When you pass another of its kind, all you see is a blur. This is the way we travelled to the south of France, specifically the town of Avignon in Provence. After watching 'A Good Year' with Russell Crowe, Kev and I decided that we needed to include Provence in our world trip...quaint, rustic towns and fields of lavender...seemed like our sort of thing. In retrospect, we would have felt more Provencal by staying in the country. As it was, we only saw fields of lavender in pictures. However, we did plenty of touring around quaint, rustic towns and had our fair share of baguettes too. We arrived in Avignon on a sunny afternoon and decided to explore the town a little. Being a little over sight-seeing after ... read more

Cinco de Mayo in Provence. We made our way to Avignon after breakfast and went to a market (where I felt I got more dirty looks because of the video camera than anywhere else on these trips) and walked through town to the Palace Square. We did not go inside the Palace of the Popes, but we did take a quick peek into the cathedral next door. It was already time to head to the location of our BBQ lunch by that time. The weather was better (not sunny, but not raining) when we arrived, and the food was already being prepared. Regis and Chantal were our hosts, and Patrick and Babette and Babette's son Olivier were there to join us. Regis and Chantal run a small 6-bedroom inn, which they spent 2 years fixing ... read more