Philippe Monti prepared the most wonderful breakfasts for us each morning
This morning French toast!
First stop was Villeneuve Les Avignon and the Tour Philippe Le Bel (tower) and Fort Saint Andre (the old castle) Great views from both and interesting history.
The Palace of the Popes in Avignon as seen from the tower in Villeneuve Les Avignon
The castle in Villeneuve Les Avignon
Entrance to the castle in Villeneuve Les Avignon
On top of the well preserved ramparts at the castle in Villeneuve Les Avignon
Some of the ramparts are gone but this part was in excellent shape. LOTS of steps!
Then we had lunch in a small square in Villeneuve Les Avignon and, of course, a bottle of wine - rose this time since so much of it is grown in Provence. Lunch took us over an hour and a half. Tim was getting quite impatient but we were doing this "the French way"! Relaxing.We finished lunch and drove back to Avignon and parked the car underground in a huge parking facility at the Palace of the Popes. We had a private guided tour with Laurence Magan at 2:30, so we had time to walk around a bit prior for about 30 minutes. Laurence (a she) was excellent!!!! So knowledgeable and perfect English for us. A wonderful tour throughout the Palace of the Popes and the surrounding gardens and some of the city. Very enjoyable.
Inside the Palace of the Popes
The popes left Rome in the early 1300's due to unrest in Rome. The popes used Avignon instead of The Vatican from 1309 until 1379. Eight popes ruled here.
One of the courtyards inside the Palace of the Popes
The dining hall in the Palace of the Popes
The chapel inside the Palace of the Popes
Ornate doorways at the Palace of the Popes
Beautiful rooms everywhere in the Palace of the Popes - some with original art work on the walls
A pathway cut through the rocks behind the Palace of the Popes with cobblestone streets
A public building across the square from the Palace of the Popes
The old bridge that used to cross the Rhone River as see from the Palace gardens
We went by La Mirande just outside the Palace and had a look - beautiful and elegant. But a tea and "cake" were 14 euros. Instead, Laurence showed us to Place de L'Horloge where we had a coffee and tarte tatin. Yum, it was good. I think we are eating our way through Provence.
We walked through the shopping district and Tim was fascinated with one of the "cooking stores" but he didn't buy anything.
Another church with beautiful entries and carved wooden doors
Outside of the Hotel de Ville - this is where everyone comes to be married and there were lots of weddings there today
We happened onto Place St Didier where there was a large church and the organist was practicing. So we sat and listened to an organ concert. Beautiful.
The organ at L'eglise St Didier on Place Didier - we walked in an listened to the organ practice - Beautiful
Entrance to the Pope's Palace
Inside the Hotel de Ville - City Hall
We walked to the end of Rue de La Republique and found the ramparts which completely circle the city. The ramparts are 3 miles around and beautiful. This was at Porte de L'oulle. Then we went to Place Crillon where there were a bunch of art shops. We headed to the car park to change our clothes for dinner at Christian Etienne - 1 start Michelin restaurant. I was afraid that we would be underdressed but some were in jeans and T-shirts. Tsk -Tsk. We were greeted by a friendly staff and seated out on the patio as the sun went down. Christian came by and greeted us with a loud "BON SOIR". Dinner was spectacular though strange. They had only 3 menus to offer - no a la carte menu. I chose the "Springtime" menu and Tim chose the "Lobster" menu (of course). To this Christian responded to us "NO" and we were stunned, but he ended up accommodating our request. A great bottle of wine from the region and a memorable (although expensive) dinner - but we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Thanks Emilie, for recommending this restaurant to us. We loved it.
Dinner at Christian Etienne - a 1 star Michelin Restaurant - and we got to sit on the patio overlooking the Pope's Palace and square - it was beautiful
Tim with one of his lobster courses (he had 3!) at Christian Etienne Restaurant
We left very satisfied and happy - wonderful experience. We walked out from the restaurant in front of the Palace of the Popes one last time for this trip and it was all lit up and gorgeous.
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The Pope's Palace all lit up at nighttime
As we left Avignon, the city was magically lit up with beautiful lights on the palaces. A somewhat easy drive back to Modene - it was after 11 pm when we got back and Sylvie was waiting up for us so she could lock up and turn off the lights. Very thoughtful.
We both slept good after an adventure filled day and wonderful meals - morning - noon and night.
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