AVIGNON

                                     An Ancient Walled City
        We boarded the high speed TGV train for the trip to Avignon, the capital of Provence. We were seated upstairs. There is a specific protocol for riding the train. First, one is very quiet, any talking is done at whisper level. Talking on a cell phone is considered rude---yea! If a phone did vibrate, the person immediately got up and left the car. Doors were not automatic; one had to push a button to open them.

            The seats were comfortable for the 2 ½ hour ride to Avignon. Our guide gave us a 10 minute warning so we could be ready to disembark. European trains do not stay in the station long. The train transfer was quick and easy and in less than 15 minutes all the luggage had been transferred and the bus was pulling out of the parking lot.

            Olive trees, grapes and lavender fields decorate the outskirts of the city. A row of cypress trees makes for a good wind break for crops.    

            At Old Town we boarded a trolley-car train for a ride inside the walled city. Inside the ancient wall the area is amazingly big, and walking is the best way to get around the cobbled, narrow, winding, one-way streets. Situated on the left bank of the Rhone River, Avignon is a wonderfully well preserved ancient walled city of history, refinement and culture. Twisting streets turn around ancient buildings filled with modern shops in Old Town, all within the three miles of the medieval wall of the ancient fortress. The wall is complete and has 12 towers and 14 entrances.

The city is often referred to as the French Vatican or City of Popes because the pope moved here from Rome in 1309, and for the next 70 years Avignon was the center of European religion and art.  During the 14^th century the presence of popes drew hordes of princes, dignitaries, poets and raiders to the city.

For centuries the city has been the major art center of France as well as the economic, administrative and cultural capital of Provence and Camargue. It is one of the most active and beautiful cities in France. Thanks to its architectural and artistic heritage, this old city is one of the most important gothic ensembles in Europe.

During the summer the city of 90,000 is crowded, but the many spectacular monuments, museums, decorated buildings, ancient churches, chapels and convents are worth a visit and coping with the masses.

             Only four of the original 12 arches of the 11^th century Benezet Bridge remain. In the old city when a merchant set up shop, the street was named for the type of shop, ie: carpenter street. The 18^th century theater is now a museum. The synagogue is round with a dome as the architect was influenced by mosque construction. The Palais of Papel, city hall, cafés, boutiques and a carousel are all around the main plaza.

            I walked down to the Palais but did not climb the many steps to go in it. It was a very warm afternoon and the line to enter was in the sun. I returned to the shade of a tree where I left my friend and bought an interesting mint ice cream cone. It was a bright chartreuse shade of green.

            Avignon was just a stopover for us. We saw a lot in a limited amount of time, but it is a city that deserves some time to really see and enjoy.