Avignon: Lazy Summer Days

         Those of you who know some of my travel plans knew that I had planned to bike a few days through Provence before heading to Spain , well instead, I learned another valuable lesson of expectation vs. reality: Avignon is windy. Like, hurricane, almost blow you off the bridge terrified you might fly away windy. I am in good shape, but I am not Lance Armstrong. With those factors coupled with the price of bike rentals being sky high and a less than usual lavender bloom I decided to scrap that plan.
      Instead, I spent a couple more days moseying around the town of Avignon, eating salami and cheese on the banks of the Rhone looking out across the city and kind of just wandering around the town of Villanueve des Avignon across the river. I went there to grab some lunch and actually go tour the giant medieval castle on the hill, and ended up wandering through the village for quite some time looking for a place to eat my sandwich. I eventually stumbled upon a little old church courtyard, where you could hear a cello and piano practicing from inside the church. It was a really relaxing combination of sun, food, and music that was really relaxing.
     As I finished my meal, I was joined on the stone wall where I was sitting by another traveler, a French woman who's name I never learned. We talked for a bit as she told me about herself, it was a great conversation that had a lot of deep personal meaning for me. Then she left, and I never saw her again. And thats kinda just how traveling goes. So I went on to the castle, which was really cool, and I would have loved to take pictures, but my camera died as I was walking through Villanueve after taking one picture. So sad.
     By the end of my time in Avignon, I was tired of sleepy villages and ready for the town of Marseilles, which I have heard is akin to the Detroit of France (that might be a bit unfair, but it is certainly the most gritty city I have visited so far on this trip). My walk to the train station, was interrupted by a protest against Israeli colonization policies in Palestine. I watched as they started to march down Rue de Republique, chanting and waving flags... but I quickly took my leave when a man on a bullhorn started screaming something to do with America in what sounded like less than friendly tones. Time to disappear! (Off to Marseilles!)

One last visit to the Pope's palace to listen to some amazing music, amplified in the courtyard by the stone walls.

I took a short bike ride on Bagatelle Ile... the largest river island in Europe, with its beautiful farmlands.

Ahhh protests. At least the trains weren't on strike like I thought.