Avignon

After another delightful breakfast at Mas Laurent and a nap for the suddenly dizzy and weird again Ryan, we set off for our day. The first stop was a large store called Carrefoure which is a little like a small Walmart - groceries, clothes, electronics all under one roof. Here we purchased some Coke Light (is caffeine withdrawal why Ryan is so sick in the morning?) and dropped off some laundry to have it washed and folded at a laundry in the same building. Then it was on to Avignon. It is so nice that towns are well signed and it is really easy to navigate. I also wish that the US would discover the beauty of the round about - it is so much more efficient than stoplights and stop signs. I suppose there is no chance of that unless we get invaded by a European country.

We didn't hit Avignon until noon and Ryan felt the need to get a little cafe au lait (a latte) and I had a chocolat (nothing like hot chocolate made with real full fat milk with coco sprinkles in it). Pardon the terribly unflattering picture of me. I would like to point out that I layered extensively today (a tank and a t shirt and a dress with leggings and my recently purchased knee high socks) and for the first day I was not cold. That was a bit of a feat because it has been ridiculously windy although that improved when we got to Avignon. Ryan stopped at H&M to get a hat to cover his poor bald head.

There is a Papal Palace in Avignon where popes resided for 68 years in the 14th century. A civil war in Italy had made it almost impossible to stay in Rome during the 12th century so the pope and his cardinals roamed through various cities almost like a king and his court (only probably without the debauchery). In 1309 Pope Clement V was elected and he was French so he decided that he wanted a new home in Avignon. In 1378 the Romans had had enough of French Popes so they elected an Italian one but the French Cardinals insisted that the French one was the true Pope and so until 1417 there was a Great Schism in the church where there were two Popes. The Papal Palace and courtyard are huge and the tour with the audioguide seemed to take forever - there are no furnishings and there was just too much going on and on and on about the various Popes (even for me - Ryan was completely over it about halfway through!)

We walked across town to have lunch at a restaurant that Deborah, our hostess recommended. It was 1400 so they were basically closed but would seat you if you had the plat du jour (daily special). Ryan had the rabbit (like a rabbit back leg with a creamy mustard sauce) and I had the monkfish with a provencal sauce. They were both good.

Then it was on to the Pont St Benezet (the Benezet Bridge which is the subject of a children's song that I learned in French class (sur la pont d'Avignon, on y danse, on y danse). According to legend, a young shepherd named Benezet was out in the field with his flock when God told him to build a bridge across the Rhone in Avingnon. The townspeople laughed at him because it seemed ridiculous (and very hard). They challenged him to pick up a huge stone to set as the cornerstone (so to speak) of the bridge - a challenge that should have been impossible for one human being. He was able to do it and so the bridge was built (probably one of the miracles that allowed him sainthood). It was built between 1171 and 1185 and originally had 22 arches and was 3000 ft long. It was rebuilt multiple times until 1668 when a large part of it was destroyed and people just decided not to rebuild.

That is it for this post. Next we go waaaaaaay back to the time of the Roman Empire - a bientot.


PS - Ryan would like everyone to be aware that after the credit card charges came through the hairdryer cost me $105...