Avignon, France

We left Paris this morning and travelled 580km by train, arriving in Avignon just under three hours later. The trains here are very fast, once they leave that is. They are always delayed and it seems they never leave on time (not like in Germany). But we aren’t complaining. Considering the ongoing strikes and anti-government protests, we have been very lucky so far.

Avignon is a medieval town in southeast of France, and located on the banks of the Rhone River. It is a walled city, surrounded by almost 4500 metres of thick stone walls and towers and is one of the few French towns to have kept their fortified walls.

Avignon was founded by the Greeks in 539BC, later becoming part of the Roman Empire. From about 1309, seven successive Popes resided in Avignon rather than Rome. It wasn’t until the French Revolution in 1791 that Avignon become part of France.

We checked into our apartment for the next few nights and while the exterior was a bit shady looking, it is a lovely authentic French town apartment. We then set out to explore this beautiful town. Every town we have visited so far has had its own unique feel and charm, and Avignon does too. We stopped for lunch with a view of one of the churches (shock, surprise, we may have looked in one too), and unfortunately we were a bit disappointed with our meals. Not the best we have had and I think we fell for the location over substance on our choice of cafe. Oh well, plenty more chances to try for something better.

We wandered up through Place du Palais, the plaza in front of the Palace of the Popes, which we plan to visit later. We walked through the gardens and admired the views, taking in all Avignon has to offer.Read more