Avignon to The Papal City ……day trips around Provence

September 5th

Got up bright and early feeling only ok as Friday night in the Old Town is kinda loud, especially with a Cuban bar/resto directly in front of the flat, the final drunks rolling down the street at about 3:30 AM and the cleaning crews starting at 4:30 AM…..had our croissants, coffee, fruits and on the road to Uzes a hilltop town about 45 minutes away…

Good drive as we are now getting used to the rotaries….all 1 billion of them! Beautiful super old town… 

………..with a major market going on….regular hassle to park…then off to do some major looking and minor shopping, altogether quite a show and really makes our “farmers markets” look rather sad, in comparison …picked up some stuff for dinner and breakfast then listened to some jazz on the steps of  the Church and gradually made our way back.

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In the afternoon we walked around the Old Town…. 

The supper search was as usual a bit stressful…way to many choices, but all for the good in the end…

Got smarter tonite and closed up all the windows (double glazed)…..what a difference…had our best night of sleep.

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September 6th

Sunday dawned beautiful and after breakfast in our apartment, great when you can get tasty treats just outside your flat…

 

We then drove to L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, our first stop of the day ….

It is situated on an island on the Sorgue River, another of the villages designated as most beautiful in France > MBV >>> yes, you will see this acronym quite often going forward.

Being early we got a good parking spot as the folks here are not the earliest of risers. The market (another market day) was just getting started and we had a lot of fun looking at the weird and wonderful stuff…..you name it is here, as it an “antique market”….books, postcards, hardware items, silverware as well as new stuff and of course food, food and food….if you suffer from sensory deprivation you will definitely get cured here. Of all things to buy we got some Vietnamese spring rolls for a snack…haha > excellent.

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On the spur of the moment we decided to visit Menerbes, where the author of a Year in Provence lived…….a really super nice hillside town >>> walked around town to get a feel of it and could see why he would have stayed there for a year.

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…….we started back to Avignon but could not resist yet another diversion a short drive up a hill to see Joucas …..a complete jewel of a town ….looked almost like a set for a movie, we actually decided it was probably too nice to actually live in ???

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Then back in the car and another not on the plan decision (ahh the beauty of a car) …..off to Mont Ventoux, an iconic stage of the Tour de France (which we have been dutifully following for many years)….it being a wonderful day there were legions of cyclists in all sizes and shapes (almost felt like getting on the old velo and giving it a whirl…all 26kms of uphill !!). It is a weird sight as there are vineyards everywhere and then you rise above the timberline…..and what looks like snow from a distance is limestone scree:

All in all another great day (4 hours of driving plus an equivalent of wandering around on foot) ….tired, but a good tired…had dinner at a Vietnamese Resto in Old Town with a bottle of local rose for 25 E all-in and then lights out….just no staying power.

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September 7th

On our last day we have another busy schedule..

…..visited Arles situated on the banks of the Rhone River and once a Roman provincial capital. About 45 minutes outside of Avignon, it is another MBV and fully justified at that, with some really interesting Roman ruins…..

Amphitheater…..

Roman baths……

Alyscamps (necropolis)…….

Finally back to the flat, actually a climb of 4 flights of extremely narrow stairs,…and time for a final dinner in Avignon…but first a glass of wine as we are firm believers in being environmentally conscious…

…as often is the case we are faced with an empty dining room but at least they don’t tell us they have run out of specials…pleasant supper at Mama Corsica, then good night Avignon…..