Around 10:20a we pulled into Toulouse to switch trains, though our next train wasn't leaving until 11:45a. Having eaten so early, we both decided to buy some food for the rest of the train ride (we would also be pulling into Avignon around 3p- rather late for lunch). We picked the popular bakery Paul for our lunch food needs today. I actually can't remember what my main food item was- it was either quiche or a baguette sandwich- but I do remember my dessert: a thick slice of chocolate pie. It was too chocolatey to be forgotten. :)
Eating my pie while we wait for the train
I wasn't able to finish the pie before the train pulled up because there was quite a crowd waiting to board and that meant that seats would be limited. Aleca and I tried to push our way into the line, but it was no use: we got on, paced up and down the aisles from one car to the next, and finally realized that our only option was the two flip down seats by the restroom... the seats for people who haven't actually paid for space on the train. We weren't too happy about this, considering we had each paid a good amount of money for our tickets, and we were even less comfortable when the train got moving and about 6 more people settled into this small waiting space with us. Most of them claimed space on the floor, so we were at least thankful to have chairs. But the longer we travelled, the hotter and hotter it grew in that cramped space! The sun was beating down through the window on my right side and I was eventually sweating and feeling sick from my pie, throbbing ankle, and lack of cool air. At each stop, some people got off the train but it wasn't enough to counteract the amount boarding. It took over an hour for someone to leave the nearest compartment (which we had been strategically watching in case two seats became available), and when she did, I spared no time to push my way inside and dump our things to claim the seats. Phew! For the last 2 hours of the trip we had comfortable seats. I wasn't feeling a whole lot cooler, but I was more comfortable- I even think I nodded off for a little bit.
As the train made its way across the bottom of the country into Provence, we noticed a distinct shift in the scenery: the grass was grassier, the hills were hillier, and the colors were more color-y. We were making our way into the land of Provençal herbs, olive groves, and lavender..... YES!
Eventually (and finally) we pulled into the station at Avignon. It had been quite a journey getting here but we were so rejuvenated by the shining sun, the view on the way in, and what we knew was waiting for us in this charming city: ancient walls, beautiful smells, the massive Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes), and a lunchtime cruise on the Rhône River. My ankle was still in bad shape but I was ready and rearing to give this whole experience a whirl. So off we went to find a city map and our hotel.
Welcome to Avignon!
The hotel Aleca had booked for us was conveniently located about 5 minutes (walking) up the main street from the station. It had a cute little courtyard that lead the way to the main lobby and they served a breakfast that could be eaten at the little tables we saw out there. The only bad part was that our room was on the fourth floor.... and there was no elevator. I braced myself and tried to get up as quick as I could. The ankle was handling upward climbing pretty well, but I was not excited for the first time going down all those stairs. We had also booked the cheapest option of having a communal bathroom. This meant going down one to two flights of stairs to use one of the toilets and then to go to another floor to find the sink and shower. It was probably the least ideal situation for my sprained ankle, but the room was already booked when that whole situation went down. I just had to grin and bare it.
The view of the hotel's courtyard from our room
Our first order of business after getting to our room was to change and freshen up from the train ride. When we were ready to go and had on our good walking shoes, we went down to the front desk to ask for suggestions of basically where to start. We were given a map with the hotel highlighted and then we hit the sunny streets. Almost immediately after starting our walk we saw a huge ice cream, vending-machine thing on the other side of the street. It was too tempting. We cautiously crossed and began to peruse the flavors. I found my choice in the store's window while Aleca vended her own: Salted Caramel. :) It was the perfect treat on a warm day!
Except that it quickly began to run everywhere! XD
Once done enjoying this treat, and after figuring out clever ways to clean ourselves off (involving hand sanitizer, napkins, and a water bottle) we continued strolling and admiring.
Avignon is truly very charming and very beautiful. It has sparked a desire in me to see more of the Provence region of France!
Not five more minutes into the walk did the buildings suddenly fall back and reveal a view that smacked us both right in the face: the Palais des Papes! This château is one of the most massive châteaus imaginable and was once the seat of the Roman papacy. I found that interesting- I would have thought that the Roman Pope always sat in Rome? Not only did a Roman Pope rule and administer from little ol' Avignon, France but the Avignon Papacy included seven Popes; 5 of which lived in or over-saw the construction of the Palais. Cool huh?
A very sizable structure...
The courtyard in front of the palace is something we both fell in love with. Not only were there the usual tourist-trap type of restaurants (which were still adorably charming in their own right), but there were live musicians (cellists, accordionists, and bass players) and one of the most ridiculous statues either of us had seen yet: a life-sized iron elephant standing on his trunk! The point? We never figured it out!! haha
We spent a good 15 minutes in this courtyard just staring at and taking in our surroundings and the mighty structure in front of us.
Whoo hoo!
Not long after, we started wending our way through the little provençal roads- which don't seem fit for cars, so you are alway startled when one comes hurtling at you like you count for points- on our way outside of the city walls. We were heading for the river! On the way, we found a beautiful old cathedral and stopped in for a couple of pictures and a quiet moment:
It has quite and impressive organ too
Then we continued on our way to the outside of the old city-
At last! We reached the edge of the city: the medieval walls!
Upon stepping through a tight squeeze in the old walls, we found ourselves looking out at the great Rhône River and breath-stealing landscape that stretched out for miles; enormous parts of it also appeared to be completely untouched. Plus, there were river boats docked close by and we took a look at the one we would be lunching on the next day!
The Rhône. :)
Running at a flock of birds next to the river- at this point, I was too happy to care how my ankle was feeling. :)
Next we mounted the bridge that carries you from the "old" side to the newer side. Going across was a fantastic experience in itself- I have never felt the wind be so alive before!
Hair whipping across my neck and face, with the Pont d'Avignon (Avignon Bridge- famously known from the French song, "Sur le Pont d'Avignon") standing proudly behind me!
There it is! Not to also point out the fantastic mountain range in the background. =D
Once on the other bank, we found a completely beautiful walking/jogging/bike-riding path that we happily took from one bridge to the next. We stopped only once on a park bench so I could rest my now aching ankle, but it wasn't time lost: birds singing, river running, wind whipping, sun shining, enough said.
The beauty of the land.
Sitting in the shade
We made it over by the famous Pont and found an electric-green field with a pretty Cross standing proudly at the head. I just felt like the light and shadow surrounding everything in this picture were too right.
We eventually felt like we had absorbed enough of all of these sights to at least hop on the ferry to shuttle us back to the main island. Don't worry though; we were heading over there to climb up an old, rocky staircase that leads to a huge platform way up at the top of the Palais. The view up there? Well.... just try to picture it...
Climbing up the stairs and not able to keep our eyes in front of us
Looking out at gorgeous Avignon and the rest of the world
After reaching the top of the platform, we knew we had found our place. I don't believe that either Aleca nor myself will every forget the feeling we experienced as all of our senses came alive up there. Obviously the eyes are simply dazzled with such a view. But the wind was also at its strongest here, and those sudden gusts that almost knock a person off their feet were all the more exhilarating. We had the warmth of the sun on our skin, could smell nothing but nature, and while our ears were deafened by the howling wind we somehow managed to still hear birds singing. It was all too much, and we both just had to stop and let the place overwhelm us.
I'll have to thank Aleca for this one again. :)
I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, feeling the Earth and the beauty of Nature, but we eventually peeled ourselves away to go enjoy something else. Also on the top of this platform sat massive mounds of rugged rocks. We weren't hugely impressed by these rocks until we read the plaque sitting in front of them: these things had been sitting here since before the Middle Ages! We also discovered a little playground and a staircase around to the left, and climbed down to find a lovely oasis of flowers, ponds, and fish at the bottom.
A magical little place.
We quickly realized that we were now on a whole new level of this huge bluff-top park/viewing area. The part we were now on included pathways, grass, flower-covered arbors, and so so much beauty. We found it to be totally breathtaking.
Me under a beautiful arbor in the glowing sunset. :)
Walking around this area as we slowly started the descent back to the Palais, we saw some of the most incredible views of the surrounding landscape and river at sunset. Like this gorgeous view:
Grapes and the Rhône- can there be more beautiful places on Earth?
We were all the more awe-struck at this point and were certain that we could not have picked a better place or travel companion for this one of our last few weekends left in France.
On the way down, my ankle was really hurting and we were both getting pretty hungry and tired, but we were just so full of giddiness and joy that nothing seemed wrong in the world. Just as we were laughing and smiling and telling this sort of thing to each other ("is this real?!") we came across this tree:
We both noticed it and realized what it looked like at the same time. Aleca goes, "it's a heart!" And we burst into laughter! This final, perfect detail had me saying, "really God? Are You really just THAT awesome??" It was a great moment.
Here are some pictures of the beautiful things we saw on our way down:
These rose vines reminded each of us of Beauty & the Beast. :)
Olive branches in the glow of the setting sun
One lone olive tree
The sky was so blue that I wanted a picture to remind me of it. To capture this, I simply turned my camera straight up and pressed the button
Back down by the Palais, I felt like these quaint Southern-France-style restaurants were just too perfect and picturesque to pass by
We finally made it back to the courtyard in front of the Palais and started heading back to our hotel to get ready for dinner. I put my purple dress back on, some nice flats, and Aleca did my hair. We decided that we looked pretty cute so we made sure to get a picture of ourselves before we went to bed. ;)
For dinner, we walked by a few restaurants that we had passed earlier today. We looked at quite a few menus and then decided on a nice place that had tables set out with candles on its front porch. We sat down and were fortunate to have a waiter who wanted to practice his English (we had too many questions about the menu to want to try in French). We split a carafe of the house red wine and then had our first course. Mine was....... FRENCH ONION SOUP!! Finally! The Frenchiest food that we know and love in America! But folks, this was like no French Onion Soup I had tasted yet; and I was happy for that..... it was better. :)
My soup! And Aleca's tasty tomato and mozzarella "salad"
For the main course we each ordered the same thing. A regional specialty, we had a Provençal stew with beef, potatoes, and vegetables in a hearty broth. It was delicious and flavorful, but I couldn't eat it all the time. The meat was well-fatted and it was heavy for such a little dish.
Our yummy stew!
Lastly, dessert. There were two desserts that we were each stuck on, so we got both and split them. The first was similar to a fruit cake, but it was so glazed and syrupy in its sweet sauce that it didn't even have a cake texture. It was good, but we both preferred the second dessert: fromage blanc avec une sauce de framboise. Creamy white cheese topped with fresh raspberry sauce: a French classic. :)
The fruit cake
The cheese and raspberry sauce!
Needless to say, we had each had equally fantastic experiences today. We had seen so much without doing much more than walking and allowing ourselves to be entertained by the sights that were naturally in front of our faces to be appreciated. I have taken that one as a lesson and want to bring it home with me. :)
Us after dinner- cute right? XD
Tomorrow: our lunch cruise on the Rhône!!
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