For my second day in Avignon, I went to the Pont, and found it to be exactly what I had thought. It was an interesting tale of its origins, apparently ordained by God to a shepherd, but it was still just a very famous broken bridge. After a quick lunch in town, I grabbed a sandwich and some fruit for the evening, then rented a bike and rode across the river to the little town of Villanueve des Avignon. This little town was devoid of tourists (a very welcome change after the throngs that filled Avignon during the day), and I made my way to the most interesting landmark visible, and old castle on the hill. This castle, Fort St. Andre, was built by the French king to guard against the growing papal power in Avignon. It was closed, but its walls offered an excellent place to eat a quiet dinner and share some cookies with some old italian ladies who were wandering the grounds as well. After dinner, I walked along the base of the fort before heading back across the river to return my bike and try to update my blog on the incredibly slow wifi.
 |
| Sur les Pont de Avignon, on y dansa on dansa.... |
 |
| Avignon the city from the end of the bridge. |
 |
| The Pont and the St. Benezet and Nicholas chapels on it from the parapets of the town walls |
 |
The beautiful old streets of the much quieter town of Villanueve des Avignon, an extremely charming village where you really feel back in the middle ages.
|
 |
Beautiful little town.
#nofilter |
 |
| The fort St. Andre, buit as a defense against the power of the Pope to the south. |
 |
| The view I had of Avignon as I ate dinner on the lower walls of Fort St. Andre |
No comments:
Post a Comment