Despite the over-powering beauty of Nice, I couldn't resist visiting one more city before arriving in Paris. Avignon, the Vatican of France - a temporary home of the papacy during one of the church's many schisms.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, August 15th is a national holiday in France and throughout Europe, for reasons that are still unknown to me. In my usual style, arriving completely unprepared with no reservations booked and at the end of the day, I found myself almost without a place to sleep. Luckily a seedy motel outside the city had an overpriced room for the night.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, August 15th is a national holiday in France and throughout Europe, for reasons that are still unknown to me. In my usual style, arriving completely unprepared with no reservations booked and at the end of the day, I found myself almost without a place to sleep. Luckily a seedy motel outside the city had an overpriced room for the night.
Whether a permanent fixture or due to the national holiday, a Ferris wheel spins between the walled city and the river.
The Palace of the Pope stands tall within its circular fortress.
The inner wall of Avignon - one of the only remaining fully-intact walled cities in France.
Cobble-stoned streets and well-manicured flora give the aura of a planned city designed for aesthetics.
A buttressed-walled church echoes the more complex designs of Paris's Notre Dame. An early Gothic archway remains in the churchyard.
The Palace of the Popes itself. Unfortunately I had made a reservation on the only train out of Avignon and was unable to take a guided tour inside (an 8-hour round-about trip that stopped at every village along the way. The 2-hour express train was already overbooked, yet again because of the holiday). Spending less than 24-hours in Avignon, it was my shortest stay in any European destination save for perhaps, with regret, Amsterdam.
The famous unfinished (or collapsed?) bridge of Avignon from within the palace grounds. The famous French countryside stands beyond - providing inspiration for artists such as Van Gogh who travelled south from Holland to paint.
1 comment:
I want to go there! I spent an afternoon in Arles in 1996, and the Roman architecture in that part of France is really something to see. Such wonderful photos you take!
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