Avignon

I intentionally did not plan my entire trip before leaving for Europe. I like the flexibility of several unplanned days; I like being able to say ‘Yes’ to opportunities that crop up, and I like getting the lay of the land and a sense of what else is available nearby. I will point out that this has led to some disasters in the past – but on the whole, being open to the moment has brought me great memories, experiences that have broadened my understanding of this world, and in several cases new friends who continue to enrich my life every year.

I weighed the options – I could go back to Barcelona, or I could stay in Montpellier for a longer period of time – or I could do something else entirely. Barcelona had proven to be beautiful and exciting, but also quite expensive, and I knew that I would have at least one more night in the city before flying out from the airport. Montpellier was great, and I had been enjoying it a lot, but I wanted to see more of the countryside.

Marseille was not far away, and reputed to be France’s second city, after Paris. Nice and Cannes were also within reach, with great beaches, etc… But the weather was still cloudy and cold.

In the end, I decided to go to Avignon. It was right on the rail line to Lyon, situated in the midst of the Cotes du Rhone wine region, with the famous rocky vineyards of Chateauneuf du Pape just a few miles outside the walls of the city, and within the historic kingdom of Provence.

It was an easy 1.5 hour ride to Avignon, with castles and cities, rivers, windfarms harnessing the energy of the Mistral, and as we approached my destination more and more vines and orchards. Departing the station, the ancient walls of the old city are immediately in front, amazingly well-preserved and dominant. My hotel was immediately up the main street about a half-mile, and I just walked with my rolling suitcase. I am glad that I did, as the choked, narrow main way was so crowded that a taxi would have taken twice as long. After a short nap and a change of clothes, I went out to walk in the narrow, medieval streets to get my bearings.

My hotel was right by the center place, with the city hall and its impressive clock. Lots of street restaurants, tourist shops, and shopping everywhere. Within 3 blocks or so was the Palace of the Popes – immense and imposing, with a small cathedral adjacent. Avignon actually functioned as the seat of the Popes for about 100 years – the papacy lived in exile from Rome, due to political instability and infighting that made them feel not entirely safe. The Avignon popes lived under the protection of the French king of that time – though the city of Avignon was still within the Holy Roman Empire at that time, France began just across the Rhone river. The residence of the popes in Avignon brought a huge amount of fortune in the form of trade, commerce, and political and religious importance to the region – this is reflected in much of the fortification and architecture in this region. (And the city remained a possession of the Catholic papacy from 1348 until the French Revolution in 1791.)

Avignon is situated near the confluence of the Durance and Rhone rivers, which have always been important to trade – even today the Durance provides huge amounts of water for irrigated agriculture in the Provence region, and river barges can enter the mouth of the Rhone and follow the systems of canals ultimately as far as Paris and the North Sea!

Wandering around the walls to the Pont d’Avignon (bridge of Avignon) which once connected the Roman Empire to neighboring France just across the river, (only a few of its arches still remain,) I learned that when the river crests and threatens to flood the city, they can close the tower gates, barring them, and the walls keep the river from inundating the streets and businesses within the walls. Not bad, to think that even 800+ years later these walls are protecting the city!

It was really windy, but I climbed up the towers from the bridge side to a rocky garden atop the cathedral area – from here one can look out over the countryside, seeing the river stretch off into the distance – Mt Ventoux, the beginnings of the Alps, over the rooftops of the city, and the jagged toothlike low range called ‘les Alpilles,’ which were painted famously by Van Gogh.

Click here for more photos from Avignon and surrounding areas on my flickr.com site.