On what turns into a glorious sunny, warm autumn day we take the 20 minute train ride from L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue to Avignon yesterday and revel in the beauty of this fine city.
It is easy to navigate sans car, heading straight from the train station up Rue de la Republique, a stop in the tourist office for some helpful advice, and through Place de l’Horloge where they are setting up the huts for the upcoming Christmas markets.
But pilgrim-like we are making a beeline to the magnificent Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) to step back into time.
Unbeknownst to us prior, this Palais, and Avignon, was the seat of the Christian world in the 14th century and the home of nine successive Popes. Recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, you should allow a couple of hours to tour through ceremonial rooms, chapels, private papal apartments with their beautiful frescoes and the majestic exterior of this amazing place.
Don’t attempt to do this without the audio guide and the multimedia points throughout as you will be missing out on really getting under the skin of the history here. We find after the end of the papal era and then the French Revolution, the Palais was used as a prison and as army barracks.
After completing the tour through all the 25 rooms open to the public (don’t just skip through them) we are lured upstairs by the promise of a drink at the Cafe-Terrasse only to find it is closed. No matter as we are more than happy with the stunning panoramic views from the rooftops of the Palais.
As we can’t exit the way we came in we find ourselves outside the back of the Palais unsure of where we are going but aiming for the second must-do site – the Pont Saint-Benezet, also known as Pont d’Avignon.
We weave our way through some back streets and climb up quite a number of stairs arriving in the gardens at Rocher de Doms where we catch our breath and admire the outstanding views on a crystal clear day. On the terraced areas you can see Tour Phillipe-Le-Bel, Fort St-Andre, Mt Ventoux, the Vaucluse plateau, the Luberon hills, the Alpilles, and the graceful arches of Pont Saint-Benezet crossing the Rhone.
Built in the 12th century, rebuilt in the 1230s, this bridge has been through wars and floods and left to ruin in the 17th century before being reclaimed. Today there are just four of its original 22 arches spanning 900 metres across the river Rhone.
There is a legend around its construction that says a young shepherd boy, Benezet, was commanded by voices from heaven in 1177 to build a bridge across the river at a spot indicated by an angel. He proved his fine guidance by miraculously lifting a huge block of stone. A volunteer group got together and raised funds for the bridge.
So we can give our feet a rest we hitch a ride with the tourist Le Petit Train and do a lap of the city, taking in some narrow back streets (where a car comes off worse for wear after reversing into the train trying to park), and much of the 4km of the city walls, ordered by the popes in the 14th century.
There is a lot more to see and do in Avignon but this enough for one day, so after an afternoon drink in a quiet square we catch the train back to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue and agree we will need to go back to Avignon before we leave Provence.
There is time before dinner to check out the atmospheric wine bar, 17 Place Aux Vins, and its tempting list of great wines by the glass, and plan the next day.