September 6 – Avignon

We worked all morning on photos and finalized packing.  We checked out at noon and left our luggage at the hotel while we went out to find another restaurant for lunch.

After lunch we had the hotel to call us a taxi to take us to the train station.  The young man suggested that he just drive us to Avignon instead of taking the train.  It was a bit more than twice the price but the hassle factor won…by driving we didn’t need to manhandle our luggage onto and off of the train and then find another taxi in Avignon.

Our hotel in Avignon is just off the L’ Horloge Square…main square in town.  Great location.  After a quick break in the room we headed out to do some exploring.  The city hall...

and the opera house are right on the square.

With our map we then headed up and found the Papal Palace.  During the 1300’s the center of the Roman Catholic Church moved to Avignon where 7 popes reigned here before moving back to Rome.  And the Papal palace they built was amazing.

We were given an iPad type device for the tour.  It gave information in each of the main rooms.  AND it showed what the room looked like during a special event that took place in the room.  It was pretty amazing…the rooms populated with ghosts and fully furnished.  It was a great way to visualize how the rooms looked 800 years ago.

We also visited the Papal gardens.

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More Papal Palace
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The tour eventually took us into a massive chamber that was the Grand Audience Chamber.  The room was massive and the ceiling very high.  And the room was filled with a massive photo exhibition of black and white photos of the Amazon basin and the indigenous people who live there.  The photos were very interesting.

Next door to the Papal Palace was the Notre Dame des Doms.  We didn't go in but did take a few photos.

Wandering these old cities always yields interesting sights...buildings, art, people.  

 

By then it was getting late enough that things were closing so we went back to the room to cool off and eventually headed out to our nearby square for dinner.  In the shade and with a bit of breeze it isn’t too bad to be out.