Some Historical and Natural
Sights in one Corner of Provence
Part 6: Avignon's Major Attractions
Having been to Avignon before, and with my focus being on things either Roman or natural, this page will not be as extensive as some of the others in this series on a corner of Provence. I entered the city and immediately looked for a parking spot along the city wall (as I had done about 22 years ago on my previous visit). Note the very modern building behind the wall here:
Alas, no places! So I parked in a more remote lot and took a bus (free for this particular lot) back into the heart of the city. This is where I got off:
A few blocks later, after some Medieval streets like this one, I came to the side of the Palace of the Popes (popes in exile during the 13th and 14th centuries made their homes in, and ruled the church from, Avignon while imposters sat on the papal throne in Rome).
Just a few steps through that narrow alley and I was in front of the palace:
The place is so big that one has to back up just to see it:
In front of the palace, a mime performed:
He appreciated a tip and posed special for this one:
The church next to the palace offers a good view of the main square in front of the palace:
The old building to the right in the above photo has an interesting facade:
But I found the church next to the palace to be interesting because of the Blessed Lady giving a blessing to the city on top:
And the crucifixion scene in front of it:
Inside this church, I tried to take a flashless picture or two discreetly:
The church is a work of art.
Some of the artwork reminded me of a book I read and reviewed on this site, "The Woman with the Alabaster Jar" by Margaret Starbird, an intriguing account of Mary of Magdala's life.
From the church I walked uphill into a park, and on the way saw the famous bridge celebrated in the ditty
Sur le pont d’Avignon
L'on y danse, l'on y danse
Sur le pont d’Avignon
On y danse tout en rond
[Translated:
On the bridge of Avignon
They are dancing, they are dancing
On the bridge of Avignon
They are dancing in a ring.]
It is a bridge that has been incomplete since part of it was lost during the Middle Ages.
The top of the hill we are climbing up now is a park overlooking the river and the city. I can never resist a tree, and when I saw this tree on crutches, I had to score a picture:
So, now we are obviously moving from the historical to the whimsical, which is a good thing because the sun was now bright, the sky clear, which is a new experience this week, and I was in a park with trees, so had to try and capture the canopy of light effect I so love when under large trees:
But this park had even more to offer, a lookout point artificially made to look like a cave with water in and under it:
Let's climb to the top of this artificial cave (a terraformed rocky outcrop on this hill). There we have a nice view of the Vaucluse mountains to the northeast, that is the Rhone river in the foreground:
Speaking of the Rhine, here you can see a dam on the river as well as see it after it has turned to run in front of us. The rock is part of the ramparts of the lookout point.
A nice reminder of the fact you are on a hill is to look down over the city behind you:
But it is more fun to look back at the central square once more and walk back to the bus stop past city hall and a main promenade with shops and crowds:
And that is all for Avignon, I was in a hurry to get to Glanum, the Roman town.
Climbing a mountain near Glanum
Springs at Fontaine de Vaucluse
Go back to Nimes and its Arena
Go back to Nimes and its Roman tower
Go back to Nimes and its Fountain Gardens park
Go back to Nimes and its Temple of Diana
Go back to Nimes aqueduct's Pont du Gard
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